1. Chapter 9: Drafting and Revising Definitions and Descriptions
Presented by Team Seis Corp.
Joshua Hutchins
James Dixon
Derrick Nesfield
Robert Hutson
Karen Collins

2. Role of Definitions Definition usage
Describe the concept, idea, or other message so that it is easily understood
Definition usage
Writing effective definitions

3. Analyzing the Situation
Consider the audience
Consider the purpose of the document

4. Determining the type of Definition
Three types of definitions
Parenthetical
Sentence
Extended

5. Extended Definitions
“A detailed clarification usually consisting of one or more paragraphs of an object, process, or idea”

6. Techniques for Ext. Definitions
Graphics
Examples
Partition

7. Techniques for Ext. Definitions con’t
Principle of Operation
Comparison and Contrast
Analogy

8. Techniques for Ext. Definitions con’t
Negation
Etymology
History of the term

9. Where to put the Definition
Parenthetical
Sentence in which the term first appears
Sentence and Extended
Text, Margin, Hyperlink, Footnotes, etc…

10. That’s a lot of choices! Things to take into account
Audience
Glossary
Appendix
Definitions can be put wherever it seems most logical

11. Descriptions Verbal and Visual representations of
Objects
Mechanisms
Processes
Consider the Audience

12. Rules for Descriptions
Give title if on separate document
Give section header if on same document
Title should indicate if description is
Introduce description clearly
Separate from description

13. Questions for Introduction
What is the item or process?
What is the function of the item or process?
What does the item look like?
Who or what performs the process?
How does the item or process work?
What are the principal parts of the item?

14. Appropriate Detail Descriptions are Hierarchical
Processes are made up of processes
Objects are composed of objects

15. Processes
Have an inherent ordering, and should be presented chronologically

16. Cyclic Processes
Just pick one and start there.

17. Objects Objects need to have order imposed upon them
They can be broken down functionally, spatially, or any way that helps decompose them into smaller less complex objects.

18. Graphics Always Help
Unless they are completely irrelevant

19. Little Problem Processes are made of processes
Objects are made of objects

20. Wisdom from the Book
“The level of detail depends on the complexity of the item and the reader’s needs”

21. Conclude the Description
Summarize the object/process as a whole.  For objects which may be broken down arbitrarily, it gives a chance to describe relationships between subobjects. For processes, review only the highest level steps to give a broad overview of the entire process.