 User Manuals come in all types, designs and

formats.
 This presentation is designed to show a few basic
elements that will serve any user manual.
 Not every manual will include each of these
sections, or will organize them in this order.
 A cover page should accomplish two things:
1. Name the product being discussed
2. Explain the purpose of the manual.
 Consider that the cover page might include a
picture of the product featured or a company
logo.
 Stating potential risks, alerts, and safety
guidelines are key components to a
hazard alert page.
 A hazard alert is crucial in order that
employees are protected against potential
danger.
 An effective table of contents is just as
important as the content of the manual.
 Consider that your readers may want to
go directly to a specific section, which
requires a precise table of contents.
 The introduction is a customer or employee’s first
encounter with the company’s writing.
 Using pronouns like “you,” “your,” and “our,”
make customers or employees feel included and
add a personal touch.
 Remember that using upbeat words like
“Welcome,” “Thank You,” and “pleasure” aid in
establishing a rapport with the customer or
employee early.
 Since every company uses different jargon and
abbreviations, it is imperative to define these
terms early in the manual.
 You may want to consider defining not only
abbreviations but also acronyms and symbols as
well.
 In addition to a definition list at the onset of the
manual, a glossary at the end is an option.
 This section gives the employee or customer a
detailed description of each part of a system’s
components.
 These descriptions aid the reader when later
using instructions to assemble or fix a product.
 In addition, this section might contain the exact
specifications of a product like: “size, shape,
capacity, capability and materials of
construction.”
 The warranty not only protects the customer but
the manufacturer as well.
 If a product malfunctions, the warranty will
inform the consumer of his or her rights.
 An important part of the warranty section are
company disclaimers or caveats in addition to the
terms of the warranty.
 The accessory section may feature “additional
equipment” that a customer may purchase to
accompany the featured product or enhance it.
 Theses additional accessories are not essential to
the function of the product.
 Included in the accessory section might be the
specifications for the additional products.
 This section, commonly referred to as “FAQs” is
valuable because it not only saves the company
time answering the same questions repeatedly,
but it saves customers asking these questions.
 The FAQs can address some customer concerns
immediately, rather than forcing a customer to
contact the company.
 The section for Corporate Contact Info is
essential to any user manual.
 If customers or employees can not reach the
company, then that company can not serve their
customers well.
 By providing contact address, phone numbers
and email, the company gives consumers
multiple outlets in which to contact the company.
 Scenario: You need to write a manual for new
employees in your office. This manual will
inform them about the basic procedures of your
office. Brainstorm the sections you would need
to include in your manual.
 Share your ideas with the participants in this
workshop.
 This presentation will outline the basics of
writing reports.
 This includes an explanation of the parts of a
report: “heading, introduction, discussion and
conclusion/
recommendations”
 In addition, it will provide examples of common
types of reports.
 The Heading section includes:
› the date the report is written
› the recipient (s) of the report
› the subject of the report, including the topic and the focus
of the report
 The Introduction is general overview of the report
including:
› The purpose of the report,
› the people involved,
› and the time period the report represents.
 This section of the report is the largest.
 In the discussion section, you sum up the
activities and problems you run into at work.
 When developing this section consider:
› Whom is involved—be specific
› When did the incident take place—provide details
› Why are you composing this report?
› Where did the incident take place?
› What exactly was the process?
 This part of the report is the place to summarize
what has been learned from work or incident or
to share any decisions that have been made.
 The recommendation allows you to share your
opinion concerning any future action regarding
the issue.
 The style of each report varies, but consider
“conciseness, simplicity, and highlighting
techniques”
 Remember to be concise.
 You may choose to use graphics to illustrate a
point.
 Be aware that using too much data will
overwhelm your reader.
 Trip: job-related travel
 Progress: status of an activity
 Lab: status of and findings from a laboratory experiment, procedure,
or study
 Feasibility/Recommendation: studies the practicality of a proposed
plan and recommends action
 Incident: documents an expected problem
 Investigative: examines the causes behind an incident
 Meeting Minutes: document the results of a meeting
 Proposal: proposing a new service or product or selling the benefits of
a new offering (also includes title page, cover letter, table of contents,
list of illustrations, abstract, glossary, and appendix)
 Choose a report you will most likely write for
your job.
 Write an introduction for your report.
 Ask a peer to review your introduction.
 Discuss revision suggestions.
 This material was taken from Technical Writing:
Process and Product, 5th edition. Authored by
Sharon J. Gerson and Steven M. Gerson