Technical Communication 1 ENGR 1181 Class 4

Technical Communications in the Real World Communication, both oral and written, is extremely important in the business world. The best communicators are often the most successful people. Steve Jobs was an excellent communicator. Image: http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/longform/2011/10/steve_jobs_best_speeches_and_interviews_from_longform_org.html

Today's Learning Objectives After today’s class, students will be able to: Define technical communication, especially in engineering. Explain at least three differences between technical communication and high school writing. Discuss at least two specific uses for technical communication in engineering. Describe and distinguish between written and oral forms of technical communication.

What is Technical Communication? A method of sharing information about specialized subjects Examples include: Project contract or bid proposal Assembly instructions for a toy User guide for software Drug prescription Technical articles and publications Sharing research at conferences Presenting research or job status to management/clients Be sure to support the idea that it is a way to present and share information and the our different written forms of technical writing we will be using. Will review the four types later.

Technical Writing and Speaking For the purposes of this class, technical communication involves: Writing executive summaries, memos, reports, and project notebooks Verbal presentation to colleagues Completing these different types of technical writing and speaking will prepare you for your future careers and possible post-graduate research

Technical Communication vs. High School Writing Expository Informative Double spaced Often Single Spaced Essay format Professional format Descriptive Concise and precise Length requirement Short is preferred Instructors should take time to stress the difference between the writing the students did in high school versus the writing they will be doing now. No more trying to reach a certain length, using fluff and adding and exuberant amount of detail, or taking into account the users emotion when performing the lab.

Key Techniques Technical Communication Style: Use 3rd Person Use Past Tense Avoid Emotional Statements Use Passive Voice Deliberately Use Short Sentences Use Bulleted and Numbered Lists Introduction To Ethics

Written Communication In This Class Four types of written documents: Executive Summary Lab Memo Lab Report Project Notebook Start simple and gradually increase in detail, content sections, and overall size Executive Summary Lab Memo Lab Report Project Notebook

Using the Technical Communication Guide The Technical Communication Guide aids students and contains: An introduction to technical communication An explanation of the different types of written and verbal presentation assignments in the class A description of helpful software tools and grammatical rules Can be found on the ENGR 1182 ‘Content’ page. Navigate it by using the index and clicking on the section you wish to go to.

Written Communication Executive Summary: This short document (1-2 pages) provides a brief overview of the lab and contains key facts, results, and conclusions. Lab Memo: This document is formatted like a standard business memo. Its purpose is to report the data, observations, and results obtained in lab. Lab Report: This document is a more detailed version of the Lab Memo; unlike the Lab Memo, its format is that of a condensed formal report. Project Notebook: This large document (in a 2-3 inch binder) serves to record your team’s activities and progress through completion of an extensive design/build task. Executive summary: provides an overview of a larger project or study, gives a synopsis of a large document in a brief and concise form Lab memo: a little larger than a summary; contains data, observations and results in a brief format Lab reports: prepared for team projects and procedures which require extensive processes and tasks Project notebook: The project notebook serves as a way of documenting your team’s activities and progress through completion of an extensive design/build task.

Written Communication Practice In-Class Activity: Practice Grading Session Sample lab documents (i.e. Executive Summaries) are available on the course website Follow the instructions Refer to the Tech. Comm. Guide to practice evaluating the documents Both the graded memos and ungraded ones can be found on the site and stress why the specific items are marked off. Introduction To Ethics

Technical Verbal Communication Verbal communication is a large part of the engineering field, as well as other professions. What to present and how to present it How to effectively communicate information in a presentation. Using visuals to supplement the speaking points. Practice with good presentations versus bad.

Why Verbal Communication? The purpose is to get practice communicating ideas concisely and effectively. There are two opportunities in ENGR 1181/1182 to present using different media: Ethics case Advanced Energy Vehicle (AEV) project

Using the Technical Communication Guide The Technical Communication Guide aids students and contains: An introduction to technical communication An explanation of the different types of written and verbal presentation assignments in the class A description of helpful software tools and grammatical rules Can be found on the ENGR 1182 ‘Content’ page. Naigate it by using the index and clicking on the section you wish to go to.

Presentation Organization Cover/Title slide Introduction to the speaker or team Purpose statement/overview slide The main “body” of the presentation Conclusion/Recommendations References The verbal presentation is an opportunity for each student team to practice communicating their ideas concisely and in a way that is captivating to the audience.

Planning Presentations Audience Message and Supporting Detail Purpose Organization Strategy Figures/Graphics/Illustrations Other Media? Students should address the situation in which they are presenting and adjust their presentation accordingly to be sure that the information is effectively presented. The presentation should be organized in a flowing/coherent order. Students should avoid using clipart and other items of that nature and should use images that relate to the slide topic or topic in general. Classroom image: http://stateimpact.npr.org/ohio/files/2012/12/IMG_3485.jpg

Quality Content Found in Communications Clear message presented Content focused on message Information is obvious while the presenter gives details and explanations Titles indicate sequence of topics Title/text font consistent by information type Research is cited Content free of typos, spelling errors etc.

Important Takeaways Different from High School Writing concise and precise contains bulleted and numbered lists, as needed Specifically styled and formatted (e.g. lab memo) 3rd person, past tense, and passive voice free of emotional statements Used for written and verbal communication Use the Technical Communications Guide  Resources Page

Preview of Next Class Excel - Graphing! www.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/excelgraphheader.jpg

What’s Next? Review today’s lecture. Open the in-class activity from the EEIC website and we will go through it together. Then, start working on homework.