Technical and Business Writing

BY
Rabia Srawt
The Process of Communication

 Communication is a process of exchanging ideas or information through verbal and

non verbal messages
 Communication is considered effective when it achieves the desired reaction or
response from the receiver
 Effective communication is purposive symbolic interchange resulting in workable
understanding and the agreement between sender and receiver.
 The process of communication is dynamic and interactive in nature.
 It is not passive but demands conscious engagement in communication for achieving
desired responses.
Communication Process

 Understanding meaning is the central objective of communication.

 Effective communication happens when the sender intended meaning and receiver
responses are congruent .

 It is an interactive process where communication agents exert reciprocal influence on

each other through responses and feedbacks.
Technical Writing

 Technical writing is the writing done in the workplace

 Technical writing is communication for and about business and industry. It is a transmission of
technical and professional information from one individual or group to another.

 It is composed for supervisors, colleagues, customers etc

 It focuses on products and services.

 Technical compositions are purposeful, organized and logically structured.
 The cohesive element of technical writing brings his or her perspective knowledge and ideas
into focus for the audience.
Aspects of Technical Communication

 Three important aspects of effective technical communication

Subject Competence (possession of appropriate knowledge and professional skill)

Linguistic Competence (possession of appropriate language and ability to present facts
of information clearly and objectively).
Organisational Competence (logical and thematic organization of ideas according to the
need and demand of the reader)
Flow of Communication

 Internal Communication

 Formal – planed communication–memos, letters, reports etc

 It follows company’s chain of command

Informal - casual communication among employees, face to face conversation, grapevine etc.

 Direction of the Flow

 Downward flow (For providing direction and control)
 Upward flow (For providing feed back or for developing better working relationship)
 Horizontal flow (For teamwork and group coordination in any organization)
 Diagonal communication (cross functional communication that flows in all directions
Flow of Communication

 External Communication

 Communication that takes place outside the organization

 Formal - planed communication-memos, letters, reports etc

 Informal - casual communication-customers suppliers invertors-email and face to face

communication

 Effective communication helps to create god will and positive impact of the individual as
well as the organization
Forms of Technical Writing

 Correspondence
 Sales, marketing and promotional material
 Instructions and manuals
 Reports
 Proposals

 The objective of technical writing is to create a document that is clear, concise and
easy to understand
What makes technical communication more
effective
 Give facts rather than vague impressions
 Present information in a concise, efficient manner
 Clarify expectations and responsibilities
 Offer compelling, persuasive arguments and recommendations
Characteristics of technical writing

 Focus on” you attitude” in technical writing.

 Technical communication relies on presentation and always formal in nature.
 Reader of the technical document skim through the text
 Technical writing is meant for specific time period
 In technical communication normal writing conventions are not applied.
 Vocabulary selection is specialized and formal in tone.
 Technical writing is logically organized with complex exposition techniques.
Thank You