Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Chapter 19 Manuals

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Manuals  Are documents that provide reference information to help readers solve a specific workplace or external problem  Range in length and detail  Are updated frequently

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Policy Manuals  Inform employees about information crucial to their employment  Describe company policies and explain the approaches and goals of an organization  Help employees act according to policy  Provide a resource to help when conflicts or questions arise

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Procedures Manuals  Tell readers how to perform a task, or, in some cases, how policies are enacted and enforced  Might direct readers through a bureaucratic problem such as the process for filing for worker’s compensation  May be referred to as standard operating procedures (SOP) or a handbook of operating procedures (HOP)

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Operations Manuals  Explain procedures for day-to-day operations within an organization or company  Detail the steps required to complete processes so that readers can easily solve problems  Are often closely linked with policy manuals

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Operator’s Manuals  Are detailed “how-to” guides that assist readers in successfully operating equipment  Are generally written for operators already familiar with the equipment  Are often specialized by a particular company for particular equipment

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Owner’s or User’s Manuals  Contain elements of several manuals, including instructions, maintenance, and operations  Are designed for both expert and lay audiences  Have a wider focus, providing information for solving many kinds of external problems

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Service and Maintenance Manuals  Often relate directly to operator’s manuals  Provide information about care and repair of equipment  Often have operators in mind as the audience  Serve as detailed troubleshooting guides

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Training Manuals  Prepare readers to perform some kind of task, follow some kind of procedure, or operate some kind of equipment  Equip readers to solve problems themselves  Are frequently in the form of training videos and video tutorials

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Field Manuals  Are generally used when someone is away from the office or base of operations  Must include as concisely as possible all information a reader needs to solve problems  Increasingly come in an electronic format that can be downloaded in the field

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Lab Manuals  Instruct laboratory users how to operate specific lab equipment  Provide protocols for working in the laboratory  May cover single or multiple pieces of equipment  Specify guidelines for both operations and safety

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Manual Standards  Manuals are written differently depending on:  Purpose  Intended audience  Discipline-specific standards  Company and organization standards  Standardization creates efficiency, while preventing inconsistency between manuals  But, since each situation is different, rhetorical problem-solving is key

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. General Guidelines for Manuals  Consider users first when writing manuals  Understand its function and purpose  Develop outlines and overviews before writing  Understand information sources

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. General Guidelines for Manuals  Agree on divisions of labor between writers  Consider the format and design  Test manual usability  Plan for revision and updates

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Manual Organization  Use organizational patterns similar to those of instruction manuals  Decide which sections are most efficient for the type of manual and the problems addressed

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Front Matter  Cover: title and visual, including date and byline  Scope: a statement of what the manual cover  Introduction of the manual’s purpose  Definitions of specific terminology  Alerts and special considerations  Equipment and tools list  Parts list

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Body  Includes the steps that guide readers through the problem, product, process, procedure, or policy  Might simply be a list of policies that the manual conveys to readers

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Conclusion & End Matter  Troubleshooting  Maintenance information (unless the entire manual is a maintenance manual)  Additional alerts  Index

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Index  Helps readers locate specific information within a manual  Generally lists words and concepts alphabetically  May list headings and subheadings under which information can be found  Cross-references words that might be used synonymously with other words in the index

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Single Sourcing  Allows writers to produce many different documents from a single source of information  Addresses the challenge of making all related documents accurate and accessible to others  Saves time and money  Solves rhetorical problems by providing more efficient ways to disseminate information

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Manuals as Marketing and Public Relations  Because a manual is often the only contact a reader has with the company that produced it, it can produce confidence:  In the reader's ability to complete the task outlined  In the company that produced the manual  In the product or service addressed  Similarly, effective internal manuals can boost employee confidence

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Ethical Manuals  Consider safety  Consider functionality  Consider accurate information  Consider tested processes  Consider up-to-date policies  Consider hazards even with proper use  Consider troubleshooting  Consider liability

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, All Rights Reserved. Transnational Manuals  Writing for transnational audiences requires both consistency in delivering core information and attention to localization.  Consider:  Translation accuracy  Local legal and educational standards  Design patterns  Appropriate visuals  Technological access and literacy