Technical Communication Writing and the Workplace – Flashcards
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There are two types of writing in the workplace;
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Business and Technical writing.
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Business Writing includes:
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Letters, Memos and Business Reports.
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Technical Writing includes:
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Brochures, Academic Writing and researched based reports (essays.)
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Are letters to a customer sent internally or externally within an organization?
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Externally.
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Are memos sent internally or externally within an organization?
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Internally.
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What are the two most common writings in the workplace?
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Letters and memos.
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What are the three format types of memos?
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Memo, Letter and Report formatted.
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Reports are:
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A collection of information.
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Analytical
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To analyze, make sense of it.
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Memo formats are used for:
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A situation; internal consumption.
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Letter formats are used for:
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Clients; external consumption.
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What memo format is usually longer, buddy type, and informal within an organization?
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Letter format.
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Formal Memo
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More expensive to make than regular memos. Includes a cover, title, contents and are the longest to write.
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Who writes reports within an organization?
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Managers and supervisors write reports.
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Reports are written to:
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Keep people informed.
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If there is no money coming into the workplace there are also no:
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Raises and people are laid off.
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If you or someone else is writing a long memo or letter, then it is:
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A report.
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In a report you provide:
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Basic information.
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What does CC stand for?
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Carbon Copy notation.
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Who subpoenas all memos?
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The government.
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True or False? In the workplace, everything has to be saved.
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True.
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What are the three format types of letters?
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Full block, modified and signified formats.
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In a modified block format, what is required?
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Indenting.
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True or False? Quite often, business and technical writers do not know their audience so they must be cautious about what is said.
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True.
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True or False? Memos are indirect.
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False, they are direct.
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At the beginning of a letter you should:
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provide context.
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True or False? Both regular memos and letters are approximately one page in length maximum.
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True.
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At the end of a memo and/or letter, you should talk about:
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The future, or meeting again as a closing.
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In a memo, context is past, present, or future information to the client?
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Past information.
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True or False? Information is more valid when recent in date.
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True.
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In a memo, the intro is past, present, or future information to the client?
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Past information.
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In a memo, the body is past, present, or future information to the client?
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Present information.
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In a memo, the conclusion is past, present, or future information to the client?
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Future information.
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What's a positive written memo?
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The easiest memo. Gives news right away to celebrate or address in a positive manner based on the situation.
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What's a negative memo?
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The hardest memo. Cautiously written to address a negative or unfortunate situation in a timely manner.
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What's a neutral memo?
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The standard memo . Used to address events or activities within the workplace.
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Buffer
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Beginning with a positive note; sugar coat.
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In a sales letter:
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Everything is for the reader.
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A sales letter is a:
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Reader focused post.
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True or False? A sales letter uses the words you, me, and my, other than I, to other memos.
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True.
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A sales letter's goal is to:
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Make you think you deserve or need something when it is a bad deal.
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What does BC mean?
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Blocked Copy notation. Used when you're not telling the client that you have seen the document.
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True or False? Do not put BC on an original copy of the document. Only on copies.
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True.
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What does the writer do for the first stage of the technical communication writing process, the Planning stage? In order.
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Determining the Purpose, Analyzing your Readers, Collecting Information, Completing an Outline and Planning your layout and graphics.
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What does the writer do in the second stage of technical communication writing process, Drafting? In order.
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Write your initial drafts.
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What does the writer do for the third stage of the technical communication writing process, Revising? In order.
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Adjust your content, edit your style, edit your grammar, edit your mechanics and reviewing your layout graphics.
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How do you determine the purpose of your writing?
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Is it to please, sell, or punish the recipient? Be sure to inform the readers.
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How do you analyze your readers?
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Determine your audience. Boss, coworker, or someone who works for you.
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How do you determine which information to collect for your readers?
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First find out if your purpose is to inform the reader or not. Then determine whether or not to elaborate on the subject.
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How do you plan the layout and graphics of your composition?
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Determine how much information and graphics need to be put in. This includes anything non-text. May be up to 2 - 20 pages.
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How do you adjust the content of your composition?
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You add or take info out of your composition. (Editing)
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How do you edit the style of your composition?
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Make sure that your information is strictly written informally or formally. (Editing)
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How do you edit the grammar of your composition?
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Spell check everything within your composition. Be sure to revise it by both spell check, and yourself for minor missed errors. (Editing)
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How do you edit for mechanisms?
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Paginate, include picture charts and check for all attachments. (Editing)
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Finally, how do you review the layout and graphics of your composition?
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Make sure that you're relying on more graphics than texts to do the explanations or breakdown of procedures.
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True or False? Academic writing is when you are "getting something done" within an organization.
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False.
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True or False? Workplace writing communicates what the student already knows about the topic to earn a "high grade".
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False.
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Academic writing communicates:
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what the student already knows about the topic to earn a "high grade".
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Workplace writing is when you are:
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"getting something done" within an organization.
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What is the writers knowledge of the topic in academic and workplace writing?
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"Less than the teacher" who evaluates the writing; usually more than the readers knowledge.
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Who is the audience in academic and workplace writing?
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The teacher who assigned the project; often several people with differing professional backgrounds.
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What is the criteria for evaluating academic and workplace writing?
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Depth, logic, clarity, unity, supporting evidence, and grammar; clear content organization, appropriate to the needs of busy readers, "time is money".
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What are the graphic elements for academic and workplace writing?
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1) Sometimes used to explain and persuade, not the real world and can take another semester, receive an F. 2) Frequently used to help readers find information and understand ideas, productivity is key, real world and cannot undo once you've decided what to do, can end up in prison or pay out of pocket.
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To communicate effectively, use:
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Graphics. Easy to understand, instant, and universal; which is not so with text.
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True or False? Third world nations get the worst of unethical decisions.
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True.
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Ethics are:
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Very important. If something is not allowed then do not do it.
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What are Humane Resources?
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Organization-wide campaign to encourage employees to adopt healthy habits.
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What is an example of site analysis?
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Found asbestos throughout the basement in old pipe coverings.
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What is an example of office equipment?
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Provides information about printers and plotters that are used in the office.
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True or False? Do we need definitions and descriptions?
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Yes, because our audiences need to know the knowledge of technical subjects. As well as using processes.
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The more help your reader needs, you need to be more:
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elaborate with explanations.
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When writing definitions take note of:
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Keeping them simple, formal vs informal, tangible vs intangible (for more complex terms) and use the ABC format to expand definitions.
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Triaxial Compression
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A soil test, which determines the amount of soil.
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When using definitions:
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Be accurate and objective. Don't be biased. Be objective, not subjective.
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When using descriptions:
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Be scientific and accurate with your explanations.
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What is the meaning of the description ABCs?
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No one who doesn't know background information on the topic is allowed to comment. Organization planned.
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When writing a description, you should review the:
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Professional background and experience of your audience or client, if the description is supported by public research, details from the site, or if an object is being described.
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Organization plans should be written:
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Part to part.
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How do you test the effectiveness of your description?
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Give it the visualizing test. Read it to someone unfamiliar with the material who is about your level of knowledge as your reader.
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Which structure allows you touch base with readers or clients? The abstract, body, or conclusion?
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The abstract.
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Even if writing a negative letter, end on what type of note?
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A positive note.
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True or False? The abstract takes place in the past, the body takes place in the present and the conclusion/closing takes place in the future.
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True.
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Descriptions are used for:
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Longer details, and includes examples.
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Definitions are:
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Precise.
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Definitions and descriptions can appear in:
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Any part of a document, from the introduction to the appendix.
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What is the main difference between definitions and descriptions?
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The length.
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Descriptions go through:
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A process.
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During your career, you will use terms known:
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Only to those in your profession.
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Triaxial compression tests help:
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To determine the strength of soil samples.
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Single-sourcing allows:
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A limited creation of multiple documents from the same original text.
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Description
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An easier, special type of definition that focuses on parts, functions or other features. Emphasizes physical details.
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Definitions
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Supports findings, conclusions, and recommendations throughout your document.
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Graphic interface
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Used so that non-techinical audiences can visualize how objects work. Accompany definitions with an illustration.
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Wind Turbine
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A turbine having a large vaned wheel rotated by the wind to generate electricity.
