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Table of Contents

Preface for Instructors 
Introduction for Writers

   Part 1   Working in the Technical-Communication Environment 
1     Introduction to Technical Communication 
What Is Technical Communication? 
Understanding Purpose 
Understanding Audience   
Why Technical Communication Skills Are Important in Your Career 
The Challenges of Producing Technical Communication 
Audience-Related Factors
Purpose-Related Factors 
Setting-Related Factors  
Document-Related Factors                    
Process-Related Factors  
Thinking Visually: Characteristics of a Technical Document  
Thinking Visually: Measures of Excellence in Technical Documents 
Skills and Qualities Shared by Successful Workplace Communicators 
■ Guidelines: Communicating Professionally  
■ Focus on Process: Writing Technical Documents  
A Look at Three Technical Documents 
Exercises 
Case 1: Using the Measures of Excellence in Evaluating a Résumé 
2     Understanding Ethical and Legal Obligations 
A Brief Introduction to Ethics 
Obligations to Your Employer 
Obligations to the Public 
Obligations to the Environment 
Your Legal Obligations 
Copyright Law 
■ Guidelines: Determining Fair Use  
■ Guidelines: Dealing with Copyright Questions 
■ Ethics Note: Distinguishing Plagiarism from Acceptable Reuse of Information 
The Role of Corporate Culture in Ethical and Legal Conduct 
Understanding Ethical and Legal Issues Related to Social Media 
■ Guidelines: Using Social Media Ethically and Legally 
Communicating Ethically Across Cultures 
Communicating with Cultures with Different Ethical Beliefs 
■  Document Analysis Activity: Presenting Guidelines for Using Social Media 
Communicating in Countries with Different Laws 
Thinking Visually: Principles for Ethical Communication 
Writer’s Checklist 
Exercises 
Case 2: The Ethics of Requiring Students to Subsidize a Plagiarism-Detection Service 
3     Writing Collaboratively 
Thinking Visually: Advantages and Disadvantages of Collaboration 
Managing Projects 
■ Guidelines: Managing Your Project 
Conducting Meetings 
Listening Effectively 
■ Guidelines: Listening Effectively 
Setting Your Team’s Agenda 
■ Guidelines: Setting Your Team’s Agenda 
■ Ethics Note: Pulling Your Weight on Collaborative Projects 
Conducting Efficient Meetings 
Communicating Diplomatically 
Critiquing a Team Member’s Work 
■ Guidelines: Communicating Diplomatically 
■ Guidelines: Critiquing a Colleague’s Work 
■ Document Analysis Activity: Critiquing a Draft Clearly and Diplomatically 
Using Electronic Tools in Collaboration 
Word-Processing Tools 
Messaging Technologies 
Videoconferencing 
■ Guidelines: Participating in a Videoconference 
Wikis and Shared Document Workspaces 
Crowdsourcing Platforms 
Strategies for Online Communication: Jenny Gilbert on Crowdsourcing Data and Information  
■ Ethics Note: Maintaining a Professional Presence Online 
Gender and Collaboration 
Culture and Collaboration 
Writer’s Checklist 
Exercises 
Case 3: Accommodating a Team Member’s Scheduling Problems

   Part 2   Planning and Drafting the Document 
4     Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose 
Understanding Audience and Purpose 
Using an Audience Profile Sheet 
■ Choices and Strategies: Responding to Readers’ Attitudes 
Techniques for Learning About Your Audience 
Determining What You Already Know About Your Audience 
Interviewing People 
Reading About Your Audience Online 
Searching Social Media for Documents Your Audience Has Written 
Analyzing Social-Media Data 
Thinking Visually: Determining the Important Characteristics of Your Audience 
Communicating Across Cultures 
Understanding the Cultural Variables “on the Surface” 
Understanding the Cultural Variables “Beneath the Surface” 
Considering Cultural Variables as You Write 
■ Guidelines: Writing for Readers from Other Cultures 
Using Graphics and Design for Multicultural Readers 
Applying What You Have Learned About Your Audience 
■ Document Analysis Activity: Examining Cultural Variables in a Business Letter 
■ Ethics Note: Meeting Your Readers’ Needs Responsibly 
Writing for Multiple Audiences 
Determining Your Purpose 
Writer’s Checklist 
Exercises 
Case 4: Focusing on an Audience’s Needs and Interests 
5     Researching Your Subject 
Understanding the Research Process 
■ Guidelines: Planning for the Research Process 
■ Guidelines: Researching a Topic 
Choosing Appropriate Research Methods 
■ Choices and Strategies: Research Questions and Methods 
Conducting Secondary Research 
Understanding Research Tools 
Types of SEcondary Research Sources 
Using Social Media and Other Interactive Resources      
Evaluating the Information 
■ Guidelines: Evaluating Print and Online Sources 
Conducting Primary Research 
Analysis of Social-Media Data 
■ Document Analysis Activity: Evaluating Information from Internet Sources 
Observations and Demonstrations 
Inspections 
Experiments 
Field Research 
Interviews 
■ Guidelines: Conducting an Interview 
Inquiries 
Questionnaires 
■ Choices and Strategies: Choosing Types of Questions for Questionnaires 
■ Ethics Note: Reporting and Analyzing Data Honestly 
Writer’s Checklist 
Exercises 
Case 5: Revising a Questionnaire 
6     Writing for Your Readers 
Presenting Yourself Effectively 
■ Guidelines: Creating a Professional Persona 
Using Conventional Patterns of Organization 
■ Choices and Strategies: Choosing Effective Organizational Patterns 
Writing Clear, Informative Titles  
Writing Clear, Informative Headings  
■ Guidelines: Revising Headings 
Writing Clear, Informative Paragraphs 
Structure Paragraphs Clearly 
■ Ethics Note: Avoiding Burying Bad News in Paragraphs 
■ Guidelines: Dividing Long Paragraphs 
Use Coherence Devices Within and Between Paragraphs 
Writing Grammatically Correct Sentences 
Avoid Sentence Fragments 
Avoid Comma Splices 
Avoid Run-On Sentences 
Avoid Ambiguous Pronoun References 
Compare Items Clearly 
Use Adjectives Clearly 
Maintain Subject-Verb Agreement 
Maintain Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement 
Use Tenses Correctly 
Structuring Effective Sentences 
Emphasize New and Important Information 
Write Effective Sentence Lists 
■ Guidelines: Creating Effective Lists 
Choose an Appropriate Sentence Length 
Focus on the “Real” Subject 
Focus on the “Real” Verb 
Use Parallel Structure 
Use Modifiers Effectively 
Choosing the Right Words and Phrases 
Select an Appropriate Level of Formality 
Be Clear     
Use Active and Passive Voice Appropriately 
■ Ethics Note: Euphemisms and Truth Telling 
Be Concise 
■ Document Analysis Activity: Revising for Conciseness and Simplicity 
Use Inoffensive Language 
■ Guidelines: Avoiding Sexist Language 
■ Guidelines: Using the People-First Approach 
Writer’s Checklist 
Exercises 
Case 6: Emphasizing Important Information in a Technical Description

   Part 3   Designing User-Friendly Documents and Websites 
7     Designing Print and Online Documents 
Goals of Document Design 
Planning the Design of Print and Online Documents 
■ Guidelines: Planning Your Design 
Understanding Design Principles 
Designing Print Documents 
Navigation Aids 
■ Choices and Strategies: Creating Navigation Aids 
Page Layout 
■ Guidelines: Understanding Learning Theory and Page Design 
Typography 
■ Tech Tip: Why and How To Format Columns 
■ Ethics Note: Using Type Sizes Responsibly 
Titles and Headings 
Other Design Features 
■ Tech Tip: Why and How To Create Borders and Screens
Designing Online Documents 
Use Design To Emphasize Important Information 
■ Document Analysis Activity: Analyzing a Page Design 
Create Informative Headers and Footers 
Help Readers Navigate the Document 
■ Guidelines: Making Your Document Easy To Navigate 
Include Extra Features Your Readers Might Need 
Help Readers Connect with Others 
Consider Matters of Accessibility 
■ Guidelines: Designing Accessible Websites 
Design for Multicultural Audiences 
■ Ethics Note: Designing Legal and Honest Online Documents 
Aim for Simplicity 
■ Guidelines: Designing Simple, Clear Web Pages 
Make the Text Easy to Read and Understand 
■ Guidelines: Designing Easy-to-Read Text 
Create Clear, Informative Links 
■ Guidelines: Writing Clear, Informative Links 
         Combining Print and Online Documents 
STRATEGIES FOR ONLINE COMMUNICATION: Calvin Jones on Using Multiple Modalities
Writer’s Checklist 
Exercises 
Case 7: Designing a Flyer 
8     Creating Graphics 
The Functions of Graphics 
Thinking Visually: Characteristics of an Effective Graphic 
■ Ethics Note: Creating Honest Graphics 
Understanding the Process of Creating Graphics 
Planning Graphics 
Producing Graphics 
■ Tech Tip: Why and How To Insert and Modify Graphics 
Revising Graphics 
Citing Sources of Graphics 
Using Color Effectively 
Choosing the Appropriate Kind of Graphic 
■ Choices and Strategies: Choosing the Appropriate Kind of Graphic 
Illustrating Numerical Information 
■ Guidelines: Creating Effective Tables 
■ Guidelines: Creating Effective Bar Graphs 
■ Guidelines: Creating Effective Infographics 
■ Tech Tip: Why and How To Use Drawing Tools 
■ Guidelines: Creating Effective Line Graphs 
■ Guidelines: Creating Effective Pie Charts 
Illustrating Logical Relationships 
■ Document Analysis Activity: Analyzing a Graphic 
Illustrating Process Descriptions and Instructions 
Illustrating Visual and Spatial Characteristics 
■ Guidelines: Presenting Photographs Effectively 
■ Tech Tip: Why and How To Create and Insert Screen Shots 
Creating Effective Graphics for Multicultural Readers 
Writer’s Checklist 
Exercises 
Case 8: Creating Appropriate Graphics To Accompany a Report

   Part 4   Learning Important Applications 
9     Corresponding in Print and Online 
Understanding the Process of Writing Correspondence 
■ Focus on Process: Correspondence 
■ Choices and Strategies: Choosing a Type of Correspondence 
Presenting Yourself Effectively in Correspondence 
Use the Appropriate Level of Formality 
Communicate Correctly 
Project the “You Attitude” 
Avoid Correspondence Clichés 
Communicate Honestly 
■ Ethics Note: Writing Honest Business Correspondence 
Writing Letters 
Elements of a Letter 
Common Types of Letters 
Writing Memos 
■ Guidelines: Organizing a Memo 
Writing Emails 
■ Tech Tip: Why and How To Use Email for Business Correspondence 
■ Guidelines: Following Netiquette 
Writing Microblogs 
■ Document Analysis Activity: Following Netiquette in an Email Message 
■ Guidelines: Representing Your Organization on a Microblog 
Writing Correspondence to Multicultural Readers 
Writer’s Checklist 
Exercises 
Case 9: Writing a Memo 
10   Applying for a Job 
Establishing Your Professional Brand 
■ Guidelines: Building the Foundation of Your Professional Brand 
Crafting Your Professional Brand 
■ Guidelines: Presenting Your Professional Brand 
■ Ethics Note: Writing Honest Job-Application Materials 
Finding the Right Position 
Understanding Job Search Strategies 
■ Guidelines: Using LinkedIn’s Employment Features 
Writing Résumés 
Elements of the Chronological Résumé 
■ Guidelines: Elaborating on Your Education 
Elements of the Skills Résumé 
Preparing a Plain-Text Résumé 
■ Guidelines: Formatting a Plain-Text Résumé 
■ Document Analysis Activity: Preparing a Résumé 
Considering Nontraditional Résumés 
■ Guidelines: Planning a Nontraditional Résumé 
Writing Job-Application Letters 
Preparing for a Job Interview   
  ■ Guidelines: Preparing for a Job Interview 
  ■ Guidelines: Preparing for an Online Job Interview 
Writing Follow-up Letters or Emails After an Interview 
Writer’s Checklist 
Exercises 
Case 10: Writing a Cover Letter 
11   Writing Proposals 
The Logistics of Proposals 
■ Focus on Process: Writing Proposals 
Internal and External Proposals 
Solicited and Unsolicited Proposals 
The “Deliverables” of Proposals 
Research Proposals 
Goods and Services Proposals 
Persuasion and Proposals 
Understanding Contexts 
Describing What You Plan To Do 
Demonstrating Your Professionalism 
■ Guidelines: Demonstrating Your Professionalism in a Proposal 
■ Ethics Note: Writing Honest Proposals 
The Structure of the Proposal 
Summary 
Introduction 
■ Guidelines: Introducing a Proposal 
Proposed Program 
Qualifications and Experience 
■ Document Analysis Activity: Writing the Proposed Program 
Budget 
Appendixes 
Task Schedule   
■ Tech Tip: Why and How To Create a Gantt Chart 
Description of Evaluation Techniques       
Sample Internal Proposal 
Writer’s Checklist 
Exercises 
Case 11: Revising An Introduction for a Proposal 
12   Writing Informational Reports 
■ Focus on Process: Writing Informational Reports 
Writing Directives 
■ Document Analysis Activity: Writing a Persuasive Directive 
Writing Field Reports 
■ Guidelines: Responding to Readers’ Questions in a Field Report 
Writing Progress and Status Reports 
■ Ethics Note: Reporting Your Progress Honestly 
Organizing Progress and Status Reports 
Concluding Progress and Status Reports 
■ Guidelines: Projecting an Appropriate Tone in a Progress or Status Report 
Sample Progress Report 
Writing Incident Reports 
Writing Meeting Minutes 
Writer’s Checklist 
Exercises 
Case 12: Writing a Directive 
13   Writing Recommendation Reports 
Understanding the Role of Recommendation Reports 
Using a Problem-Solving Model for Preparing Recommendation Reports 
Identify the Problem or Opportunity 
Establish Criteria for Responding to the Problem or Opportunity 
Determine the Options 
Study Each Option According to the Criteria 
Draw Conclusions About Each Option 
Formulate Recommendations Based on the Conclusions 
■ Ethics Note: Presenting Honest Recommendations 
Writing Recommendation Reports 
Writing the Body of the Report 
■ Guidelines: Writing Recommendations 
Writing the Front Matter 
■ Tech Tip: Why and How To Make a Long Report Navigable 
■ Guidelines: Writing an Executive Summary 
Writing the Back Matter 
■ Document Analysis Activity: Analyzing an Executive Summary 
Sample Recommendation Report 
Writer’s Checklist 
Exercises 
Case 13: Writing a Recommendation 
14   Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions 
■ Focus on Process: Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions 
Writing Definitions 
Analyzing the Writing Situation for Definitions 
■ Choices and Strategies: Choosing the Appropriate Type of Definition 
Writing Sentence Definitions 
■ Guidelines: Writing Effective Sentence Definitions 
Writing Extended Definitions 
Writing Descriptions 
Analyzing the Writing Situation for Descriptions 
Indicating Clearly the Nature and Scope of the Description
Introducing the DEscription Clearly                 
Providing Appropriate DEtail   
■ Guidelines: Providing Appropriate Detail in Descriptions 
Ending the Description with a Brief Conclusion 
A Look at Several Sample Descriptions 
Writing Instructions 
Strategies for Online Communication: Suzanne Barnhill on Moderating User Forums  
Understanding the Role of Instructional Videos 
Designing a Set of Instructions 
■ Guidelines: Designing Clear, Attractive Pages 
Planning for Safety 
■ Ethics Note: Ensuring Your Readers’ Safety 
Drafting Effective Instructions 
■ Guidelines: Drafting Introductions for Instructions 
■ Guidelines: Drafting Steps in Instructions 
■ Guidelines: Testing Instructions for Usability 
Revising, Editing, and Proofreading Instructions 
A Look at Several Sample Sets of Instructions 
Writing Manuals 
■ Document Analysis Activity: Presenting Clear Instructions 
Writer’s Checklist 
Exercises 
Case 14: Writing Instructions 
15   Making Oral Presentations 
Understanding the Role of Oral Presentations 
Preparing the Presentation 
■ Focus on Process: Oral Presentations 
Analyzing the Speaking Situation 
Organizing and Developing the Presentation 
■ Guidelines: Introducing the Presentation 
■ Guidelines: Concluding the Presentation 
Preparing Presentation Graphics 
■ Tech Tip: Why and How To Create a Presentation Template 
■ Tech Tip: Why and How To Set List Items To Appear and Dim During a Presentation 
Choosing Effective Language 
■ Document Analysis Activity: Integrating Graphics and Text on a Presentation Slide 
■ Guidelines: Using Memorable Language in Oral Presentations
Rehearsing the Presentation 
Thinking Visually: Delivering the Presentation 
Presenting to All Audiences 
Answering Questions After a Presentation 
■ Ethics Note: Answering Questions Honestly 
Speaker’s Checklist 
Exercises 
Case 15: Writing an Oral Presentation

   Appendix: Reference Handbook 
A    Documenting Your Sources 
Note Taking 
APA Style 
IEEE Style 
MLA Style 
B    Editing and Proofreading Your Documents 
Punctuation 
Mechanics 
Proofreading Symbols and Their Meanings 
References 
Index 
Index of Features

Authors

Mike Markel

Mike Markel was director of technical communication at Boise State University. The former editor of IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, he is the author of numerous articles and six books about technical communication, including Ethics and Technical Communication: A Critique and Synthesis.

Stuart A. Selber

Stuart A. Selber is a Professor of English at Penn State and Director of The Penn State Digital English Studio. He is a past president and Fellow of the Association of Teachers of Technical Writing, a past president of the Council for Programs in Technical and Scientific Communication, and a past chair of the CCCC Committee on Technical Communication. Selber is the author of Institutional Literacies: Engaging Academic IT Contexts for Writing and Communication, Multiliteracies for a Digital Age, co-editor of Central Works in Technical Communication and Solving Problems in Technical Communication, and editor of Rhetorics and Technologies: New Directions in Writing and Communication, among other works. He has received several national awards for outstanding research publications including, most recently, the 2021 Jay R. Gould Award for Excellence in Teaching Technical Communication.

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