Technical Writing
A Definition
Technical writing is communication written
for and about business and industry.
 It must be quantifiable, precise, and easily
understood.
 It is objective.
 It is written factually using short sentences
and paragraphs with denotative words.
 It uses highlighting techniques (graphics,
headings, various fonts, white space, bullets,
etc.)

What Technical Writing is NOT!
It is not literature (prose or poetry).
 It is neither an expressive essay nor an
expository essay.
 It is not journalism.
 It does not focus on sensory images

5 Traits of Technical Writing
Clarity (Organization)
 Conciseness (Sentence fluency/word
choice)
 Accessible Document Design (Ideas and
content)
 Audience Recognition (Voice)
 Accuracy (Writing Conventions)

Clarity
The most important criteria for effective
technical writing!
 Technical writing is not a mystery which
seeks to create suspense. It must be clear.
 The ultimate goal of effective technical
writing is to say the same thing to
multiple readers.

Clarity Example
Please plan to prepare a presentation on sales. Make
sure the information is very detailed. Thanks.
 What don’t we know in this memo?
1. When is the meeting?
2. Where is the meeting?
3. Who is the meeting for?
4. How much information is “very detailed”?
5. How will the presentation be made?
6. Why is the meeting being held?
7. What does the manager want to be conveyed
about sales?
Checklist for Clarity
Who is the audience and what will he or she
know about the topic?
 What do you plan to do, want the audience
to know, or want to know yourself?
 When should the task be completed, or
when do you need an answer?
 Where will the work take place?
 Why is the task important?
 How should the task be performed?

Conciseness

Conciseness is achieved through short
words.
Changing Long Words to Short Words
Cognizant
Know
Endeavor
Try
Domicile
Home
Morbidity
Death
Terminate
End
Other Ways to Be Concise

Remove redundancy, passive voice, and
long prepositional phrases.
Accessibility

Technical writing should use a page layout
that makes it easy for the reader to
understand the text.
Highlighting techniques
Graphics (tables and figures)
Varied Font sizes
White space
Bullets
Headings and subheadings
Numbered lists
Italics
Varied Font types
Underlining
Pictures 
Audience Recognition

Writing successfully to the three types of
audiences (high-tech peers, low-tech
peers, lay readers) requires different
techniques.
Achieving Audience Recognition
Audience
Style
Example
High Tech Peers
Abbreviations/Acronyms
okay.
Please review the OP
and EN
Low Tech Peers
Abbreviations/Acronyms
need definitions
Please review the OP
(Operating Procedure)
Lay Readers
No
abbreviation/acronyms
Please review the
operating procedure.
Accuracy
Effective technical writing must be correct.
 Use the computer’s spell check.
 Be objective about your own writing.
 Use peer evaluations—other’s see errors
we miss.
 Read it aloud.
 Read it backwards.