Technical writing

1. Technical writing September 12, 2012

2. Today • Audience analysis

3. Last class • Overview and general introduction to work-related writing.

4. Review: 4 Keys to effective writing • 1. Who • 2. Why • 3. What • 4. How

5. Four keys to effective writing • Identify your audience • Who will read what I write?

6. Four keys to effective writing • Establish your purpose • Why should they read what I write?

7. Four keys to effective writing • Formulate your message • What do I have to say to them?

8. Four keys to effective writing • Select your style and tone • How can I best communicate?

9. Today:

10. Audience Analysis • Identifying the audience. • “Who will read what I write?”

11. Audience Analysis Look at the following advertisements. - Who is the target reader? - How do you know?

13. Intended reader (target reader) = • Clues:

15. Intended reader (target reader) = • Clues:

16. “smoke” = defeat opponents

17. Intended reader (target reader) = • Clues:

18. Audience Analysis These examples demonstrate some important points about identifying an audience: • Members of each audience have different backgrounds, experiences, and needs. • The way you picture your audience will determine what you communicate to them. • Considering something from the audience’s perspective will help you choose the details most relevant for that audience.

19. Benefits of audience analysis • Understanding who will read and use your document helps the writer (YOU) determine: • - Type of document (i.e, IM vs. e-mail vs. formal letter) • - Content, organization, emphasis. • - Style and tone of writing. • - Format.

20. Identifying Primary and Secondary audience • Primary: • - Those who have a direct role in responding to your document (i.e, invitation letter). • Secondary: • - Those who need to stay current with developments in the organization (i.e., invitation letter recipient’s assistant and project co-workers). Which audience has more important needs?

21. Identifying Primary and Secondary audience Must act on the information you communicate May be affected by what you communicate May have a supervisory need to know about what you communicate Primary audiences Secondary audiences Nominal audience

22. Potential Audiences • New diet food ad campaign. • Presidential candidate speech. • Sermon (speech by a minister). • Newspaper editorial. • Internal memo about new office computer network.

23. Four Categories of Readers • Expert – highly trained individual with extensive theory & knowledge. • Technician – individual who applies practical application of theory to real things. • Manager – individual who makes organization operate smoothly. • General reader – better known as general public.

24. Four Categories of Readers Example: Instructions for a machine Audience: Expert • Read for how and why things work • Need and want theory • Will read selectively • Can handle mathematics and terminology of the field • Expect graphics to display results • Need new terms defined • Expect inferences and conclusions to be clearly, but cautiously, expressed and well supported

25. Four Categories of Readers Example: Instructions for a machine Audience: Technician • Know the inner workings of the product • Read for “How-To” information • Expect emphasis on practical matters • Parts described and numbered • Graphics show a process or task • May have limitations in mathematics and theory • May expect theory of a higher level

26. Four Categories of Readers Example: Instructions for a machine Audience: Manager • Read to make decisions • Have more interest in practice than theory • Need plain language and simple graphics • Expect implications, conclusions, and recommendations expressed clearly • Read selectively—skimming and scanning • Have self-interests as well as corporate interests

27. Four Categories of Readers Example: Instructions for a machine Audience: General reader • Read for learning and interest • Have more interest in practice than theory • Need help with science and mathematics • Require background and definitions • Need simplicity • Learn from simple graphics

28. J. Command Details • Expanding an action step (by clicking on its associated disclosure icon,  ) reveals the details/values that were set for the command at the time it was recorded. • Note: You may change the parameters for a command by double-clicking on its associated action step (or by choosing Record Again from the panel menu). If available, the command dialog will appear, allowing you to enter new values. Choose OKto apply the new settings or Cancel to leave the original settings. • K. Modal Controls • The modal control is used to enable/disable a command's dialog; hence, it's only available for commands that have an associated dialog. If enabled, a small dialog icon ( ) appears next to the command, and the associated dialog is displayed for that command during action playback. The default is to not display a dialog (indicated by an empty box), and instead, to use the values that were recorded for the command when the action was created. • Note: Enabling (or disabling) the modal control for a set toggles all dialogs for all actions within the set. Similarly, enabling (or disabling) the dialog checkbox for an action toggles all dialogs for all applicable commands within that action. 

31. Case study: writing to different audiences in one company • You work for a company that designs and produces heavy-duty construction machinery. • You have to write for several individuals in the company. • CEO • Production engineer • Operator • Maintenance worker • Production supervisor

33. But what is the audience contains more than one category ?!?!?! (i.e., expert and manager)

34. If the audience contains more than one category… • Write the document to the more general audience • Use signposts, table of contents, page numbers, headings, bulleted lists to help the reader access necessary information

35. Analyzing your Audience • Classify your readers • Determine categories of readers • Determine their purpose & goals • Determine interest levels • Determine matching characteristics • Try to understand what they want from you

36. Questions to ask about your audience • Who is my audience? • How many people will make up my audience? • How well does my audience understand English? • How much does my audience know about my topic? • What is my audience’s reason for reading my work? • What are my audience’s expectations about my written work? • What is my audience’s attitude toward me and my written work? • What do I want my audience to do after reading my work?

37. Resume • Discuss the audience questions with a partner.

38. Next Class • We start actual writing (finally!). • Writing process and memos. • Please read the “Audience Analysis” reading on the website. (check “Files” section). • - available tonight.