UNIT 5: TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION

Technical Communication is oral and written communication for and about

business and industry
It focuses on products and services
Technical communication is a process of managing technical information in
ways that allow people to take action
Technical communication is the process of creating ,designing and
transmitting technical information so that people can understand it easily and
safely, effectively and efficiently.
Technical communication Contd…
It is the process of gathering the information from experts and
presenting it to an audience in a clear , easily understandable
form

Technical communication , in writing or speech , involves

technical subject, has a clear purpose, and a targeted audience.
The communication is done in such a way that it can be easily
accessed, understood and used. It involves creativity in the
design of communication to meet the needs of specific audiences.
CHAPTER ONE : DOCUMENT DESIGN

Document design can mean different things to different people.

It is concerned with presentation or placement of text and visuals in a
page or screen and the use of colour and typography.
Today, people don’t have time to go through crowded or dense content that
is unreadable and whose key ideas are not easily accessible
A technical communication should be skilled not only in writing texts but
also in designing documents.
William ( 2004) suggested four elements in document design;
proximity,alignment, repetition and contrast.
Sevilla ( 2002) Identified emphasis, flow, alignment , repetition and
unity.
Gerson & Gerson( 2006) identified four key features of an effective
document design : Organization, order, access and variety
Document Design Contd…

In technical communication, words are not only your concern.

What you write is important but how the text looks on the page is
equally important.
If you give your readers excessively long paragraphs, or full page,
you have made a mistake.
Ugly blocks of unappealing text negatively impact readability
If document design is not effective, your readers don’t read the
documents and it may have the following effects:
Damages and dangers
Corporate identity/ image might be lost
Time and money waste
Presentation Delivery Skills

A. Eye contact: Avoid keeping your eyes glued to the notes. Look left,
right, at the centre, back front and response them.
B. Rate: vary your rate of speech.
C. Enunciation : Speak each syllable of a word distinctly and clearly
D. Pitch : vary the pitch
E. Pauses: Don’t make long pauses
F. Emphasis: Give emphasis to the main points
To achieve effective document design, we should give focus on the
following points (Gerson & Gerson, 2006)
Organization
Order
Access
Variety

1) ORGANIZATION
 The easiest way to organize your document’s design is to break text
into smaller chunks of information called chunking
 When you use chunking to separate blocks of text, you help your
readers understand the overall organization of your correspondence
 Chunking to organize your text is accomplished by using any of the
following techniques:
White Space ( Horizontal spacing between paragraphs created by
double or triple spacing )
Rules ( Horizontal lines typed across the page to separate units of
information )
Section Dividers and tabs ( Used in longer reports to create smaller
units
Headings and Talking Headings: To improve your page layout and
make content accessible , use headings such as Introductions,
Discussions, Problems with Employees etc
 When you use a new section , you should begin with a new heading.
 You can use sub-headings for a long section
Talking headings are more informative than headings
Headings actually don’t tell the readers what content is included in the
section where as talking headings clarify the content. For example

Human resources committee Reviews 2012 benefits Packages

Subject Verb Object

Another way to create talking heading is use different informative

phrases like ‘ Problems leading employee dissatisfaction’ ‘Uses of
campany car’ etc
2 ORDER
It is equally important to know what is the most important information/
what is less important and what is least important?
You can prioritize information by ordering or queuing ideas
There are various techniques to do so :
I. Type face: there are many typefaces or fonts including Times
new Roman, Arial, Cooper black . Whichever type face you choose, it
will either be a serif or sans serif typeface. Serif type has “feet” or
decorative strokes at the edges of each letter. This type face is
commonly used in text because it is easy to read.
 Sans serif is a block typeface that omits the feet or decorative lines.
This typeface is used best for headings.
Order Contd…

Though you have many typefaces to choose from, all are not appropriate
for every technical documents.
 Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri are best to use for letters , memos,
emails, reports, proposals… etc because these fonts are professional
looking and easy to read.
 Arial and Verdana are considered are best for websites since these fonts
are very readable online.
The fonts like Comic sans, Lucida calligraphy or Stencil, limit them to
brochures and sales letters
Type size : Another way of queuing your readers is through the size of
your type .First level ( 18 point) heading should be larger than other
subsequent headings: second level ( 16 point), third level (14 Point)
fourth level ( 12 point) … etc
Density :The weight of the type also prioritizes your text. Type density
is created by boldfacing the words.
Spacing : Another queuing technique is to help your readers order their
thoughts is the amount of horizontal space used after each heading. You
can emphasize headings with white space.
Position : Headings can be centered , aligned with left margin ,
indented or out-dented ( hung heads). No one approach is more valuable
or more correct than the other . The key is consistency throughout the
document.
 3) ACCESS:
Another way to assist your audience is by helping them access
information rapidly. You can use any of the following highlighting
techniques to help the readers focus on the main points:
Whitespaces Underlining
Bullets Italics
Numbering Text boxes
Boldface  Inverse type
All caps  Colour
Principle 1 : More is not better. ( Don’t overdo a good thing.)
4) VARIETY
Your readers might get more profit from variety
You can use a document design as follows:
 Choose a different page orientation
 Use more columns
 Vary gutter width ( white space between columns is called
gutter)
 Use ragged right margins( left justified and right unjustified)
 Use a variety of figures in the texts
Online Design
Although many of the document design principles apply online, there are
some distinct needs of online documents
Because it is harder to read on the screen than on papers, technical
communicators do more chunking for web page information.
Also user experience is more important in online documents.
Thus it is important to get as much feedback as possible from the audience
regarding the features of the page
In general try to avoid too much content on a page.
A clean and simple design , directing people to relevant information will be
sufficient.
Think in terms of balanced , appealing colors, proper graphics, and
readable texts as well as interactive features.
CHAPTER TWO: GRAPHICS
Graphics are visual aids.
To present large blocks of information or data you can supplement , if
not replace, your texts with graphics.
In technical communication, graphics ( hand drawn, photographed,
computer generated ) will help you achieve :
 Conciseness ( graphics allow you to provide large amounts of
information in a small space )
 Clarity ( graphics can clarify complex information )
 Cosmetic appeal ( Graphics help to breakdown the monotony of words.
Graphics help you to sustain readers’ interest.)
Criteria for Effective Graphics

1) Integrated with the text ( Graphics complement the texts, and the texts
explain the graphics.
2) Appropriately located
3) Enhance the material explained in the texts.
4) Communicate important information that couldn’t be conveyed easily
in a paragraph
5) Don’t contain details that distract from rather than enhance the
information
6) Sized effectively
7) Correctly labeled ( with numbers, titles, headings)
8) Follow the style of other figures in the same text ( maintain the
uniformity )
Types of Graphics
Graphics can be broken into two main types: Tables and Figures

Tables : Tables provide columns and rows of information.

You should use tables to make factual information such as numbers,
percentages, monetary amount, easily accessible and understandable .
Criteria for Effective Tables :
1. Number the table in order of presentation ( i.e. table 1, table 2 etc)
2. Title every table
3. Present the table as soon as possible after you have mentioned it in
your text.
4. Don’t present the table until you have mentioned it.
5. Use an introductory sentence or two to lead into the table.
Criteria for effective tables contd…
6) After you have presented the table, explain its significance
7) Write headings for each columns. Choose terms that summarize the
information given in each columns
8) If you use abbreviations, be sure your audience understand it
9) Centre table between right and left margin
10) Separate columns by vertical lines or ample white space or dashes
11) Be consistent when using numbers
12) If you don’t conclude your table on one page , write ( contd...) in
parenthesis on next page
13) Cite the source of your information
 Figures
Figures in contrast are varied and include bar charts, line
graphs , pie charts, schemetics, line drawings and more
Criteria for effective figures
1. Number figure in order of presentation ( i.e. figure1,figure
2 etc)
2. Title every figure
3. Preface each figure with an introductory sentence
4. Present the figure as soon as possible after you have
mentioned it in your text.
5. Don’t present the figure until you have mentioned it.
Criteria for effective Figures contd…
6) After you have presented the figure, explain its significance
7) Level the figure’s components
8) If you use abbreviations, be sure your audience understand it. Give
footnote
9) Centre figure between right and left margin
10) Provide a key at the bottom of the figure if necessary
11) Be consistent when using numbers
12) If you don’t conclude your figure on one page , write contd... in
parenthesis on next page
13)Cite the source of your information if you have taken from other
resources.
14)Size figures appropriately. Don’t make it too large and too small in size.
Types of Figures

1. Bar charts 8 . Geologic Maps

2. Line Charts 9. Line Drawings
3. Pie Charts 10. Photographs
4. Combination charts 11. Pictographs
5. Flow charts 12. Online graphics
6. Organizational charts 13. Screenshots
7. Schematics 14. Logic tree
 3 TOPIC: SUMMARY WRITING

Why Write Summary ?

Your boss wants you to prepare the summary of any research findings for presentation
Your boss may present the summary of your progress report to the higher level meeting
You sometimes need to present the summary of your own readings ( articles, story,
novel, drama etc)
 You may need to write the executive summary for your research work or paper
You may write summary as an assignment.
Criteria for writing summary
A well constructed summary highlights the main points of the author, though it is
written in condensed form. It is a condensed form of writing. Though the summary
doesn’t include every details, it provides the main ideas of the original texts. Well
constructed summary has the following criteria :
1) It provides the works cited of the information derived following APA or MLA etc
2) It begins with introduction, goes on to the discussion and makes conclusion
3) The discussion section explains major ideas / pertinent facts and figures of the
original texts.
4) The facts and figures should be accurate to that of original texts.
5) It organizes the discussion section in the way the author has organized.
6) It uses transitional words and phrases where necessary.
Criteria for writing summary contd…
7. It avoids direct quotations and paraphrases the major ideas.
8. The conclusion reiterates the the author’s main contentions
9. It is completely objective and ignores the author’s own
subjective ideas.
10. It uses short, denotative specific words and sentences as far as
possible. Don’t use vague and connotative words.
11. It has well constructed mechanics and maintains accuracy.
12. It avoids biased and personal opinions
13. A well written summary has 5 to 15 % the length of the original
text
THE SUMMARY WRITING PROCESS
Prewriting Writing Rewriting
Decide whether you are Organize your Revise your draft by:
writing to inform, instruct or information Adding details
persuade spatially or Deleting wordiness
Determine whether your chronologically  Simplifying words
audience is high tech or lay. Include visual aids Enhancing the tone
This will help you decide and graphics  Reformatting your texts
which abbreviations or Use headings and Proofreading and
acronyms to use subheadings for correcting errors
Gather the information easy navigation
through brainstorming, listing
PROPOSAL WRITING
What is a proposal?
A proposal seeks to persuade someone towards an action.
 It is a detailed plan submitted for approval to some organization or a person in a
position of authority.
A proposal is a method of persuading people to agree to the writers view or
accept his suggestions.
It is a systematic, factual, formal, and persuasive description of a course of
action or set of recommendations or suggestions.
 It is written for a specific audience to meet a specific need.
As the main objective of a proposal is to persuade the reader to accept the
proposed course of action, it explains and justifies what it proposes.
Engineers, scientists, researchers, business executives, managers and
administrators have to write proposals in order to initiate new projects, solve
problems or reinforce (strengthen) and prompt innovative strategies.
 Types of Proposals
Informal Formal
 Informal proposals are brief descriptions or  Formal proposals are comparatively longer.
recommendations that are introductory in nature.  They are written to initiate big projects and require
 They are written to initiate small projects elaborate description and discussion.
 They are usually short.  They consist of several sections and sub-sections.

Internal External
 Internal proposal is addressed to readers within an  It is for people outside an organization.
organization.  It offers a plan to solve a problem or situation of the
 It is adapted to study a problem, situation, condition or organization.
 It presents different options for solving a problem or an  It is more formal, detailed and elaborate.
issue.
 It is less formal and elaborate.
Solicited Unsolicited
 It is written in response to a specific request from a client.  It is written without any request for a proposal.
 Companies, government agencies, institutions and consultancy  It is written to propose solutions or recommendations of a
organization solicit (ask for) proposals for their projects. problem.
 They make the request for proposal open to increase competition.  It is based on an objective assessment of a situation or condition.
 They specify requirements and mention their conditions.  Self-initiated research and business projects involve unsolicited
proposals.
 Format of Proposal

Title page Discussion ( Body of the proposal)

Cover letter Conclusion/ Recommendation

Glossary
Table of Contents
Works cited ( References)
List of Illustrations
Appendix
Abstract
Introduction
 ABSTRACT

Audience for proposal will be diverse

Accountants may read the information about costs and pricing.
Technicians may read the technical information and process analyses,
 Human recourses personnel might read your employee biographies
They need information quickly and they need low- tech terminology
which they get from abstract or executive summary.
 The abstract ( 3 to 10 sentences in a paragraph) highlights the problems
and possible solutions, and the benefits your audience will derive
Introduction

Introduction includes two primary sections : Purpose and problem

In one to three sentences , tell your audience the purpose of your proposal
To clarify the audience why the proposal is important, explain the
problems leading to your suggestions.

DISCUSSIONS
When writing the text for proposal:
•Sell your ideas persuasively
•Develop your ideas thoroughly through research
•Observe ethical technical communication standards
•Organize your content to the audience easily
• Using graphics
Conclusion / Recommendations

Sum-up your proposal Giving your audience closure

The conclusion can restate the problem, your solutions and the benefits to
be derived
Your recommendation will suggest the next course of action
Summarize the key elements of the proposal
recommend follow-up action and show the benefits derived
THE PROPOSAL WRITING PROCESS: THREE STAGES
Prewriting: Preparation
Determine whether you are writing
internal or external proposal
Determine whether you are writing
solicited or unsolicited proposal
Conduct primary and secondary
research to gather information
 Use pre-writing technique such as
brainstorming, outlining or
answering reporter’s questions to
organize your thoughts.
Writing:Actual
Writing
Organize your content
chronologically, or using
different techniques like cause
and effect, comparison ,
argumentation etc
 Write persuasively creating
audience interest
 Use figures and tables to
clarify content
Rewriting: Revision
Revise your draft by:
 Use headings and talking
headings for access.
Revise your draft by :
Adding details
Deleting wordiness
 Simplifying words
Enhancing the tone
 Reformatting your texts
Proofreading and
correcting errors
 ORAL PRESENTATION
Presentations let us demonstrate our ability to think on our level, grasp complex
business issues, and handle challenging situations.
Three Step Process for Developing Oral and Online Presentation
Plan
 Analyze the situation.
 Gather information.
 Select the right medium.
 Organize the information.
Write
 Adapt to your audience.
 Compare your presentation.

Complete
 Revise the message.
 Master your delivery.
 Prepare to speak.
 Overcome anxiety.
 Planning a Presentation
Planning presentation is similar to planning other
business messages. While planning a presentation, we
have to be aware of preparing a professional
qualitative business presentation. We incorporate four
aspects of planning: analyzing the situation, gathering
information, selecting the right medium and organizing
the information.
1. Analyzing the situation
2. Gathering information
3. Selecting the right medium
 Contd…
4 Organizing the presentation
We discuss more in points:
Defining the main idea
Limiting the scope
Choosing the approach
Preparing the outline
 Developing a Presentation
It is a stage after the planning step. The tasks we complete
here are involved with the developing of the presentations.
Depending on the situation and style, ideas are expressed
with spontaneous language.
1. Adapting to your audience
2. Comparing the presentation
a. Presenting the introduction
 Getting audience's attention
 Building the credibility
 Previewing the messages
Enhancing the Presentation with Effective Slides
Presentation can be done by visual or demonstration. The
designed visual presentations create the interest to the
audience. Presentation illustrates the complex points and
ease to memorize the information. Obviously, the visual
presentation makes the information simple, authentic and
easy to grasp.
1. Choosing structured or free-form slides
The types of the slides are:
a. Structured slides
b. Free-form slides
 Completing Presentation
In completing the presentation, we take enough time to test
the presentation slides, various operational equipments, and
practice the speech and create handout materials.
The materials must be readable, concise, consistent, and
fully operational. We have four steps for completing the
presentation.
1. Finalizing the slides
2. Creating effective handouts
3. Choosing the presentation method
4. Practicing your delivery
 Delivering a Presentation
While delivering a presentation, following points
.

are really helpful.

1. Overcoming anxiety
Here are few steps to be considered.
 Stop worrying about being perfect.
 Know your subject.
 Practice, practice, practice.
 Visualize success.
 Remember to breathe.
Contd.
 .Be ready with opening line.
 Be comfortable.
 Take a three-second break.
 Concentrate on your message and your
audience, not on yourself.
 Maintain eye contact with friendly audience
member.
 Keep going.
Contd…
Remember to breathe.
Be ready with opening line.
Be comfortable.
Take a three-second break.
Concentrate on your message and your audience, not on yourself.
Maintain eye contact with friendly audience member.
Keep going.
 Delivering a Presentation
2 Handling questions responsively
3. Embracing the back channel
We have to take the use of back channel which is really useful for the
following:
 Monitor and ask for feedback.
 Review comments to improve your presentation.
 Automatically tweet key points from your presentation while you
speak.
 Establish expectations with the audience.
Contd…
4 . Giving presentations online
For online presentation we have to keep following things in
mind.
• Consider sending preview study materials ahead of time.
• Keep your presentation as simple as possible.
• Ask for feedback frequently.
• Consider the point of view of audience.
• Allow plenty of time for familiarity.
Types of Oral Presentations
Oral presentations can broadly be classified into two types: Formal and
Informal
Informal Oral presentations
As a team member , manager, supervisor, employee, or a job applicant, you
will speak to a co-worker, a group of colleagues. You will need to
communicate informally in the following situations:
•Your boss needs your support for presentations and you make a brief presentation to
your boss about the findings in an informal setting.
•You make a brief presentation to solve the problem in a company
•You are applying for the job and yo are just rehearsing interview in an informal setting
Formal Oral Presentations:
You might need to make formal presentations in the following
situations:
•You company asks you to visit different meeting and provide an oral presentation to
maintain good corporate or community relations.
•Your company asks you to represent it at a city council meeting . You will give an
oral presentation explaining your company’s desired course of action or justifying
activities already performed.
•Your company asks you to represent it at a local, regional, national, or international
conference by giving a speech.
•A customer has requested a proposal. In addition to writing this long report, you need
to make an oral presentation promoting your service or product to the potential
customer.
Types of Formal Presentation
I. Memorized Speech/ Presentation: It is least effective presentation. It is well
prepared speech which has been committed to memory. Such presentation will
make less anxious but will be mechanical and impersonal. It will be stiff and
formal and usually there is no interaction.
II. Manuscript Speech/ Presenatation: You read from a carefully prepared
manuscript. The entire speech is written on paper. It will lessen speakers’ anxiety
and help you to present the information correctly but will be monotonous,
wooden, and boring to the audience
III. Extemporaneous Speech/ Presenattion: The best and most widely used form of
formal presentation. You carefully prepare doing research and you create a
detailed outline but you don’t read. However you make notes or power-point
slides with major points and findings. This helps you avoid being dull and
mechanical. It seems natural and there is much interaction.
Parts of Formal Oral Presentation
A formal presentation includes an introduction, a discussion and a conclusion
Introduction : Your introduction should welcome the audience, clarify the
content, the purpose, problem, and arouse the participants’ interest.
Discussions: Provide details to support the main purpose or the thesis of your
formal presentation. Use quotes, anecdotes, data, organize your discussion section in
different modes like cause and effect, comparison- contrast, Problem-solution,
argumentation- persuasion , importance, chronology etc.
Maintaining the coherence by using clear topic sentence, restating your topic, use
transitional words and phrases ( Sentence connectors)
Conclusion: Conclude restating the main points, recommending to do sth, and
answering the questions raised by the audience. ( VIDIO From 2nd sem unit 10, & BR
4th sem . Unit 8)
Power-Point Presentation
One of the most powerful oral communication tool is Microsoft Power-point
Presentation( PPt)
It enhances your communication whether it is formal or informal.
They are simple ,economical and transportable
Benefits
1) You can choose from many different designs and layouts
2) You can create your own designs
3) You can add ,delete, rearrange , copy, paste etc in the slides
4) You can insert the art from the web or create your own
5) You can add hyperlinks to the power-point presentations.
Tips for Using Power-Points
i. Create optimal contrast
ii. Choose an easy to read font size and style
iii. Limit the slides to six or seven lines and six to seven words per line
iv. Use headings and sub-headings for readability
v. Use emphasis techniques ( arrows, color, white space, underline, bold
vi. End with an obvious concluding screen
vii. Prepare handouts
viii. Avoid reading your screens to your audience
ix. Elaborate on each screen
x. Leave enough time for questions and comments
xi. Use figures and images where needed
xii. Proofread and edit seriously. You have no right to write wrong sentences or
spelling
THE PRESENTATION WRITING PROCESS
Prewriting: Preparation
Decide whether your
presentation will be formal or
informal
Decide whether you are writing
to instruct, inform, persude or
build rapport
Decide whether your audience is
high-tech or low-tech or lay
Collect authentic data through
your primary and secondary
research
Writing: Actual Writing
 Prepare outline or note-cards
Organize your content using
models such as cause and effect,
comparison/contrast,
argument/persuasion, analysis,
chronology.
Use visual aids to emphasize the
key points
Rewriting:
Revision
Consider all the aspects
of delivery, style ,
appearance, body
language and gestures
Practice it in front of
mirrors or peers for input
Revise your presentation
by adding, deleting,
simplifying words,
correcting errors and
proofreading.
Thank you