User Manuals come in all types, designs
and formats.
 This presentation is designed to show a
few basic elements that will serve any
user manual.
 Not every manual will include each of
these sections, or will organize them in
this order.

A
cover page should accomplish two
things:
1. Name the product being discussed
2. Explain the purpose of the manual.
 Consider that the cover page might
include a picture of the product
featured or a company logo.
 Stating
potential risks, alerts, and
safety guidelines are key
components to a hazard alert
page.
 A hazard alert is crucial in order
that employees are protected
against potential danger.
 An
effective table of contents is
just as important as the content of
the manual.
 Consider that your readers may
want to go directly to a specific
section, which requires a precise
table of contents.
The introduction is a customer or
employee’s first encounter with the
company’s writing.
 Using pronouns like “you,” “your,” and
“our,” make customers or employees
feel included and add a personal touch.
 Remember that using upbeat words like
“Welcome,” “Thank You,” and
“pleasure” aid in establishing a rapport
with the customer or employee early.

Since every company uses different
jargon and abbreviations, it is imperative
to define these terms early in the
manual.
 You may want to consider defining not
only abbreviations but also acronyms
and symbols as well.
 In addition to a definition list at the onset
of the manual, a glossary at the end is
an option.

This section gives the employee or
customer a detailed description of each
part of a system’s components.
 These descriptions aid the reader when
later using instructions to assemble or fix
a product.
 In addition, this section might contain the
exact specifications of a product like:
“size, shape, capacity, capability and
materials of construction.”

The warranty not only protects the
customer but the manufacturer as well.
 If a product malfunctions, the warranty
will inform the consumer of his or her
rights.
 An important part of the warranty
section are company disclaimers or
caveats in addition to the terms of the
warranty.

The accessory section may feature
“additional equipment” that a customer
may purchase to accompany the
featured product or enhance it.
 Theses additional accessories are not
essential to the function of the product.
 Included in the accessory section might
be the specifications for the additional
products.

This section, commonly referred to as
“FAQs” is valuable because it not only
saves the company time answering the
same questions repeatedly, but it saves
customers asking these questions.
 The FAQs can address some customer
concerns immediately, rather than
forcing a customer to contact the
company.

The section for Corporate Contact Info is
essential to any user manual.
 If customers or employees can not reach
the company, then that company can
not serve their customers well.
 By providing contact address, phone
numbers and email, the company gives
consumers multiple outlets in which to
contact the company.

Scenario: You need to write a manual for
new employees in your office. This
manual will inform them about the basic
procedures of your office. Brainstorm the
sections you would need to include in
your manual.
 Share your ideas with the participants in
this workshop.

This presentation will outline the basics of
writing reports.
 This includes an explanation of the parts
of a report: “heading, introduction,
discussion and conclusion/
recommendations”
 In addition, it will provide examples of
common types of reports.


The Heading section includes:
› the date the report is written
› the recipient (s) of the report
› the subject of the report, including the topic and
the focus of the report

The Introduction is general overview of the
report including:
› The purpose of the report,
› the people involved,
› and the time period the report represents.
This section of the report is the largest.
 In the discussion section, you sum up the
activities and problems you run into at
work.
 When developing this section consider:

› Whom is involved—be specific
› When did the incident take place—provide
details
› Why are you composing this report?
› Where did the incident take place?
› What exactly was the process?
This part of the report is the place to
summarize what has been learned from
work or incident or to share any decisions
that have been made.
 The recommendation allows you to
share your opinion concerning any
future action regarding the issue.

The style of each report varies, but
consider “conciseness, simplicity, and
highlighting techniques”
 Remember to be concise.
 You may choose to use graphics to
illustrate a point.
 Be aware that using too much data will
overwhelm your reader.

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Trip: job-related travel
Progress: status of an activity
Lab: status of and findings from a laboratory experiment,
procedure, or study
Feasibility/Recommendation: studies the practicality of a
proposed plan and recommends action
Incident: documents an expected problem
Investigative: examines the causes behind an incident
Meeting Minutes: document the results of a meeting
Proposal: proposing a new service or product or selling
the benefits of a new offering (also includes title page,
cover letter, table of contents, list of illustrations, abstract,
glossary, and appendix)
Choose a report you will most likely write
for your job.
 Write an introduction for your report.
 Ask a peer to review your introduction.
 Discuss revision suggestions.


This material was taken from Technical
Writing: Process and Product, 5th edition.
Authored by Sharon J. Gerson and
Steven M. Gerson