INTRODUCTION TO
TECHNICAL TEXTS
Unit One
WHAT IS THE TECHNICAL WAY OF
DESCRIBING SOMETHING?
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Group A: How might a poet describe this object?
Group B: How might an advertiser describe this
object?
Group C: Who might a furniture designer
describe this object?
WHAT IS TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION?
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Good communication is good business. Every
day, business people write, read, speak, and
listen to do their work – sending e-mail
messages, reporting on projects, making
presentations, and developing proposals. The
success of their work – and yours – often depends
on the quality and speed of communication.
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Write for Business, pg. iii
COMMUNICATION
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The process of sending and receiving messages.
Communication is effective when others
understand your message correctly and respond
to it in a way you want.
It also helps you manage your work flow,
improves business relationships, enhances your
professional images, and provides a variety of
other important benefits.
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Excellence in Business Communication, pg. 2
THE BIG QUESTIONS…
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What is the importance of effective
communication in your job?
What kind of writing do you do in your job?
*** Let’s ask people in their workforce to get a better
idea of what types of jobs are out there and how
technical communication is part of any workforce.
FREE-WRITE
Describe any work or volunteer experiences that
you have had.
AND/ OR
 Describe any work or volunteer experiences that
you are interested in having.
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Remember: write in complete sentences and
answer the question as fully as you can!
TECHNICAL WRITING
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Includes everything from business
correspondence to scientific reports.
The purpose of this kind of writing is first and
foremost to convey information; the conventions
that surround its various forms are designed to
help writers communicate this information with
clarity and brevity (shortness).
The focus is on factual information, but it
follows the same writing process as any other
type of good writing.
• Technical Communication, pg. ix
CAROUSEL
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A) Who is a technical writer?
B) What types of forms of writing are used for
technical purposes?
C) What are some characteristics of effective
communication?
READING A TECHNICAL DOCUMENT
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1) Establishing a purpose for reading
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2) Previewing
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3) Reviewing
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4) Following up on unanswered questions.
CODE THE TEXT – A READING STRATEGY
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“Reading furnishes our mind only with materials
of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we
read ours.”
- John Locke
The SQ3R Strategy – get used to it!
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S – Survey
Q – Question
R – Read
R - Recite
R – Review
“HOW TO” GROUP ACTIVITY
Choose one of the tasks from the board.
 Discuss how to complete the task – and practice.
 Analyse your audience.
 Think about what to call things (labeling).
 Think about the order of the steps.
 Write down the steps of the procedure.
 Use diagrams and call-outs.
 Another group will test your procedure.
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Examples – how to knit, how to tie your shoelaces
ANALYSING A TECHNICAL TEXT
WRITING A TECHNICAL DOCUMENT
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What do you need to think about before creating
a technical document or text?
FREE-WRITE
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Write TWO short texts, addressing the new
students of Garden City Collegiate. In one of the
texts, you are going to focus on all of the positive
of GC; in the other, you will focus on some of the
negatives. In other words, one text will welcome,
the other with warn.
6 CHARACTERISTICS OF
EFFECTIVE TECHNICAL WRITING
Clarity
 Accuracy
 Comprehensiveness
 Accessibility
 Conciseness
 Correctness
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We will be reviewing these characteristics in more
depth in the next three units.
EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS
What are employers looking for?
 How do you give that to them?
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Review of Top 20 Labour Market Skills
How can this list be updated?
 Which ones do you have?
 Which ones are you interested in updating/ acquiring?
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