Professional Writing

1. Professional Writing Brittany Deuel State University Writing Center Coach

2. According to Tim Peeples, Professional Writing is best understood as “organizationally situated authorship” (8). • Professional writers hold innumerable positions in a wide assortment of environments. • Possible employment exists within the following fields: “business, engineering, computer industries, environmental sciences, medicine and health care, government, social service, nonprofit organizations, advertising, marketing, publishing, and graphic design” (Peeples 7). Remember, a myriad of unmentioned possibilities exist beyond this brief list. What isProfessionalWriting?

3. Professional Writing involves a spectrum of philosophical, ethical, and social elements to include rhetoric, morality, and context. • Most importantly, professional writing consists of writing within a professional setting, in a manner that is clear, ethical, and aesthetically engaging. • Professional Writing should encourage action in its readers! What isProfessionalWriting?

4. By definition, technical writing “transfers information about a situation, product, service, or concept, by written, oral, or visual means, to audiences of varying levels of technical knowledge, so that each member of the audience clearly understands the message” (Calpoly.edu). • According to Tim Peeples, technical writing came into being as a consequence of an explosion in technological development. He goes even further by explaining that the “old job title” of technical writer exploded along with it (3). • Issues arose, such as increased responsibilities and demands placed on technical writers, that resulting in the development of professional writing as well as the incorporation of theory into professional writing (Peeples 3). How Does Professional Writing Differ From Technical Writing?

5. In short, technical writing is limited compared to professional writing. It involves communication regarding technology, and shares technical knowledge with a particular audience. • Professional writing, on the other hand, includes technical writing, as well as many other writing occupations, so long as they take place in a professional or business environment. How Does Professional Writing Differ From Technical Writing?

6. Writing, even failing to write something, has ethical implications (Peeples 171). • What’s more, it is impossible to write in a manner that is entirely objective (175). • Effective professional writers present information in a manner that is acceptable ethically, and (just as importantly) according to their employers’ expectations. Ethics in ProfessionalWriting

7. Writing in a professional setting involves strategic choice in word, and structure, so that writers are expressing (moral) truths in a manner that is satisfactory for the company/employer. • As Peeples explains it, professional writing always impacts human life in some way or another. It is because of this that ethics is a vital aspect of professional writing. Ethics in ProfessionalWriting

8. For Peeples, professional writing is an “organizationally situated action” (103). • This means, every professional writer is placed under different expectations, and must adhere to the expectations of the particular organization or company they work for. • Professional writers keep their audience in mind when creating documents. Context in ProfessionalWriting

9. As stated by Tim Peeples, context involves both the socialization and individualization of professional writers (122). The workplace shapes the writer, just as the writer helps the work environment to continually evolve. • The corporate culture places limitations on writers as well as possibilities of freedom; usually any freedom or “authority” is granted accordingly to the amount of time the person has been with the company (124-25). Context in ProfessionalWriting

10. While the target audience can generally be understood as the employer, or organization, that a person works for, it can also include coworkers or potential clients. • The intended audience influences the formal or informal tone of a document, and also involves aesthetics. • Also, where writers are expected to write more formally for superiors, they are expected to write more informally (maintaining professionalism) for co-workers and peers. • On the other hand, Tim Peeples says creating “user-centered” documents entails complete consideration for readers, using a clear/discernible format, and helping readers to grasp information in a simple manner (270). TargetAudience &Formality in Professional Writing

11. Peeples further divides the visuals of communication into the following four categories: • Intra- a one-dimensional point-by-point regulation of text (274) • Inter- primarily spatial; generating visual cues that enable readers to search for and retrieve information (274) • Extra- relies on alphanumeric/symbolic mode for interpretation; coding is primarily spatial and graphic; pictoral rather than schematic (275-76) • Supra- operates chiefly in the spatial mode; arranging extra-textuals (graphs, pie charts, pictures) within the text; regulating flow… to create a coherent document (276) TargetAudience &Formality in Professional Writing Write With Your Target Audience in Mind

12. Professional writing encompasses a vast collection of employment positions, and takes place in a number of career fields. • Technical writing is included in the wider arena of professional writing. • Every organization, or company, has different expectations by which writers must adhere to, and every writer impacts the evolution of the corporate culture. • Successful Professional Writers adapt to their work-environment and help shape their work-environment to the best of their ability and for the good of the organization. Summary

13. Professional writing involves the philosophical arenas of rhetoric (argument methodology) and ethos (ethics). • Documents should be written with audience in mind, to include formality, organizational expectations, and visual aesthetics. • Clarity and ability to communicate effectively under various expectations and circumstances is of the utmost importance when it comes to writing professionally. Summary

14. Questions?

15. Calpoly.edu. “Definition of Technical Writing.” n.p. n.d. web. 03 Dec. 2015 • Peeples, Tim. Professional Writing and Rhetoric: Readings From the Field. New York: Addison Wesley Educational Publishers, 2003. Print. • Graphics (in sequence): • http://www.clipartbest.com/quill-and-pen • http://images.clipshrine.com/getimg/PngMedium-Clapperboard-Movie-Cinema-Action-17696.png • http://dancebydinote.com/hand-writing-clipart-22.jpg • http://pantryparatus.com/media/Blog_Photos_2012/2dRS3kW.jpg • http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/924554-teamsmall-1437897539.jpg • https://www.google.com/search?q=clipart+action&biw=1600&bih=791&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiM3IqT2tfJAhVDKiYKHclBA_cQ_AUIBigB#tbm=isch&q=target+audience+clipart&imgrc=i25TNBA12J8R8M%3A • https://www.google.com/search?q=clipart+action&biw=1600&bih=791&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiM3IqT2tfJAhVDKiYKHclBA_cQ_AUIBigB#tbm=isch&q=write+clearly&imgrc=QnZHhUwTionCaM%3A • http://www.clipartbest.com/cliparts/Kin/57o/Kin57o5iq.gif Works Cited: