Technical Communication
Technical Communication
Technical audience-
Example- patient C/O Of SOB secondary to MVA
Semi- technical audience- this type of audience has some technical
training or works in the industry, but not directly in the field, such as
those working in related departments or those with training in related
technical areas. This might even include personnel in marketing,
finance, or administration of a technical company. The semi-technical
audience needs some explanation of concepts, jargons. Writers use
technical terms only if they are common in the company or industry.
For this audience, you might provide an orientation to the subject and
explain or interpret the terms and information.
Example- patient complains of shortness of breath, secondary to motor
vehicle accident.
Types of Audience
Planning:
Define your purpose: Determine why you are communicating and what
you want to achieve. Are you explaining a process, providing
instructions, or presenting data?
Identify your audience: Understand who your audience is, their level of
technical knowledge, their needs, and their expectations. This will help
you tailor your communication appropriately.
Set objectives: Clearly define what you want to accomplish with your
communication. Are you aiming to educate, persuade, inform, or guide
your audience?
Stages of technical communication
Gathering Information:
Research: Collect all the necessary information related to the topic
you're communicating about. This could involve reading technical
documents, conducting experiments, interviewing experts, or studying
relevant materials.
Organizing:
Structure: Determine the most effective way to organize your
information. This might involve creating an outline, dividing content into
sections or chapters, and deciding on a logical flow.
Hierarchical organization: Arrange your content in a hierarchical manner,
with headings, subheadings, and bullet points to make it easier for your
audience to navigate and understand.
Stages of technical communication
Creating Content:
Writing: Craft your content using clear and concise language. Use appropriate
technical terminology, but also make sure to explain complex terms or
concepts for a non-technical audience.
Visual aids: Incorporate diagrams, charts, graphs, images, and other visual
aids to enhance understanding. Visuals can often simplify complex
information.
Editing and Revising:
Review for clarity: Ensure your content is easy to understand and follow.
Remove any ambiguities , jargon that might confuse your audience.
Check accuracy: Verify that the technical information you're presenting is
accurate and up to date. Errors in technical communication can lead to
misunderstandings or even safety issues.
Stages of technical communication
Passive Voice: While active voice is generally preferred for clarity, there are
instances in formal writing where passive voice can be used to emphasize the action.
Proofreading and Editing: Thoroughly proofread and edit your work to eliminate
grammatical errors, typos, and inconsistencies.
Formatting: Adhere to the appropriate formatting guidelines for your specific type
of formal writing, whether it's an academic paper, a business report, or a formal letter.
Hedging Language: In academic or cautious writing, use hedging language to
indicate degrees of certainty (e.g., "may," "might," "could").
Objective Analysis: Present your arguments or analysis objectively, supporting your
claims with evidence and logical reasoning.
Balanced Arguments: When presenting opposing viewpoints, provide a balanced
and fair representation before refuting them.
Respectful Address: If addressing individuals or groups, use appropriate titles and
honorifics (Mr., Mrs., Dr., Professor) to convey respect.
Importance of effective writing
Read Regularly
Write Every Day
Study Grammar and Style
Seek Feedback
Experiment with Different Genres
Methods of improving technical
writing skills
Study Technical Documents: Analyze well-written technical documents in your
field, such as research papers, technical reports, and user manuals. Pay attention to
their structure, clarity, and use of technical terminology.
Understand Your Audience: Always consider your target audience when writing
technical documents. Tailor your language and level of detail to match their
knowledge and expertise.
Master Technical Jargon: Familiarize yourself with the specialized terminology of
your field. Use technical terms appropriately and consistently, but also provide clear
explanations when necessary for non-expert readers.
Follow a Style Guide: Many technical fields have specific style guides (e.g., APA,
IEEE, Chicago) that dictate formatting, citations, and other writing conventions.
Adhere to these guides to maintain consistency and professionalism.
Stay Current: Stay up-to-date with the latest developments in your field.
Technology and terminology evolve, so your technical writing should reflect current
standards and practices.
MEANING
The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be
understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them.
Process of listening
Types Of Listening
APPRECIATIVE
CRITICAL
COMPREHENSIVE
EVALUATIVE
EMPATHETIC
SUPERFICIAL
TYPES OF LISTENERS
people-oriented listener
Action-oriented listeners
Content-oriented listeners
time-oriented listening
Why Listening Is Difficult
Physical Noise
Psychological Noise
Physiological Noise
Semantic Noise
Attention Span
Receiver Biases
Ways to Improve Listening
Speaking skills are the skills that give us the ability to communicate
effectively.
These skills allow the speaker, to convey his message in a passionate,
thoughtful, and convincing manner.
Speaking skills also help to assure that one won't be misunderstood
by those who are listening
1. Give yourself a few seconds to think what you’ll say before you
start to speak
2. Remember to say words in the same way as you heard them, not
how you see them written
3. Speak reasonably slowly at first but as naturally as you can
4. Get extra practice by participating in group conversation lessons
and activities that involve
talking about certain topics, or acting out real-life situations like
buying a train ticket, or doing a job interview.
THE FOUR ELEMENTS OF SPEAKING
SKILLS
Pronunciation- pronunciation is the way to speak a language and a
way in which a word is pronounced.
Vocabulary- Vocabulary is one of five speaking ability components,
which has an important role in speaking English skill. If the students
have a lot of vocabularies, their speaking will be fluent and they are
not confused in pronouncing or producing a lot of words just because
have many vocabularies.
Grammar- grammar is a description of the rules that govern how a
language’s sentences are formed. Is mean that Grammar is the study
of how to combine words into a sentence and the forms of words. If
the students mastering grammar, someone can master speaking of
language.
Fluency:Fluency is the ability to hear words and understand them
straight away
Types of Speech Delivery
Extemporaneous speeches
Manuscript speeches
Memorized speeches
Aristotle’s Appeals
The Three Ws
The Importance Of Speaking
Skills
Getting Them To Say ‘Yes’
Developing A Career Edge
Becoming An Expert