Identify rhetorical considerations Audience Context Purpose

Research the object Do background research Use your senses Take measurements Describe motion and change Describe the context Collect visuals Ask subject matter experts

Decide on organizational scheme “Clearest Descriptive Sequence” Spatial Functional Chronological

Components of a Technical Description Title Introduction/General Description Detail Conclusion

Components of a Technical Description: Introduction Definition, function, and background of item Purpose Overall description Principle of operation Preview of major parts

Components of a Technical Description: Detail Part One in descriptive sequence Definition Shape, dimensions, material (with specific visuals) Subparts Function Relation to adjoining parts Mode of attachment Part Two in descriptive sequence Part Three in descriptive sequence

Components of a Technical Description: Conclusion Summary Interrelation of parts One complete operating cycle

Strategies Use clear and delimiting title: “A Description of a LeMond Cyclocross Bike” vs. “A Description of the LeMond Cyclocross Bike’s Hub”

Strategies Use clear and delimiting title Use an appropriate level of detail and technicality (who? How? Why?) Use objective language

Use objective language Filter out personal descriptions Select details that are concrete and specific enough to convey an unmistakable picture Poor: His office has an awful view, terrible furniture, and a depressing atmosphere. Better: His office has broken windows looking out on a brick wall, a rug with a six-inch hole in the center, missing floorboards, broken chairs, and a ceiling with chunks of plaster missing.

Strategies Use clear and delimiting title Use an appropriate level of detail and technicality (who? How? Why?) Use objective language Use precise and informative language

Indefinite Precise a late-model truck a 2006 Ford F150 an inside view a cross-sectional, cutaway, or exploded view next to the foundation adjacent to the right side of the foundation a small red thing a red activator button with a 1-inch diameter and a concave surface

Strategies Use clear and delimiting title Use an appropriate level of detail and technicality (who? How? Why?) Use objective language Use precise and informative language Use visuals