1. Overview of Technical Writing Introductory Lecture for ENCS 282

2. What is Technical Writing? It is important to keep in mind that technical writing is a specific form of writing that is used by scientists and engineers to communicate their ideas and findings to a specific audience. But what exactly are the defining characteristics of technical writing?

3. Imperatives of Technical Writing The following three directives apply to all technical writing situations: n Know your reader/audience n Know your objective n Be simple, direct, and concise

4. 1. Know Your Reader Before beginning to write, you should perform the following analysis of your intended audience: 1. Level of knowledge/expertise 2. The reader’s point of view 3. Your relationship with the reader 4. The reader’s attitude towards what you are going to say 5. The persona that you wish to project

5. 2. Know Your Objective Before beginning to write, make sure that you understand the purpose of the document--in other words, the reason why you are writing the document. The purpose of the document--whether to persuade, report, evaluate, inform, describe, instruct--will be a determining factor in deciding what format to use.

6. The Eight Characteristics of Technical Writing Five from the Textbook (pg. 8-9) and Three Personal Additions

7. 1. Content Technical writing deals with technical information and often employs a specialized vocabulary.

8. 2. Visuals Technical writing relies heavily on visuals, such as graphs, tables, figures, illustrations, as either 1. a substitute for prose or 2. to reinforce and expand upon the surrounding prose However, all visuals require interpretation and/or explanation; they cannot stand on their own.

9. 3. Numerical Data Technical writing uses numerical data to precisely describe quantity and direction.

10. 4. Accuracy and Documentation Technical writing is accurate and well- documented, where conclusions, if any, are based on evidence.

11. 5. Grammar and Style Technical writing is grammatically and stylistically correct because it has a direct impact on the writer’s credibility.

12. Personal Additions

13. 6. Purpose In technical writing, the purpose of the document is spelled out in the opening paragraph(s) and all information in the document bears upon the accomplishing of the stated purpose or objective.

14. 7. Organization Technical writing involves presenting information in an organized manner by using headings.

15. 8. Sentence Structure Sentences in technical documents are highly specific and fact-filled.