• The extended definition that you are writing should provide someone who knows nothing about your field with a clear understanding of what your job will involve. Pay particular attention to the strategies on pages 362–66, which demonstrate different ways you can organize your definition.

• Instructions follow very specific formats, with numbered steps and imperative verbs (commands). Pay particular attention to the information on page 377 about open, airy design. Also notice the details on adding appropriate warnings and the use of signal words. Finally, follow the guidelines for “Drafting steps in Instructions,” on pages 382–383.

• A glossary usually uses sentence definitions, so pay attention to the information on pages 361–362 if you decide to complete that document. Remember that a glossary should be alphabetized and that the layout should make the defined terms stand out. Someone should be able to look at your glossary and know immediately what it is by the design and layout. There’s an excerpt of a glossary on page 330.

Reading Quiz

After reading the chapter, complete the reading quiz in Scholar for Chapter 14.

Photo: Genius instructions by Satish Krishnamurthy, on Flickr

You will find that the information in the textbook is generally discussing more complex proposals than what you are doing, so you need to read the chapter with your goals in mind. You need to learn about proposals generally, as you will probably write them once you graduate; but you also need to glean the specific information for the proposal you are writing for this course.

The assignment outlines the parts that your proposal needs to include and the relevant details on each section in the text:

• summary (p. 282–283)
• introduction, which explains the findings of your research and your needs (p. 283)
• proposed tasks, that is what you propose to create for Project 4 (p. 283–286)
• task schedule (p. 287–289)
• evaluation techniques (p. 289), which outlines three levels of work for Project 4:
  • Average Work ( a C project)
  • Above-Average Work (a B project)
  • Excellent Work (an A project)

Those are the pages in the chapter to pay the most attention to. You will need to adapt the information to fit what you are doing, but the general information is all there.

Reading Quiz

After reading the chapter, complete the reading quiz in Scholar for Chapter 11.

Photo: Tucker Torpedo, Proposed Center Steering by Alden Jewell, on Flickr

Although you may not be writing a résumé and cover letter for Project 4, you will certainly have to write these documents and keep them updated over the course of your career. Since that’s the case, I want to spend a little time pointing out some useful information you can use when you do work on job application materials.

• There’s good information in chapter 10 of Markel, including details on how to adjust your documents for electronic submissions.

• Use the example résumés and cover letters in the 2014–2015 Career Planning Guide. Career Services publishes information on exactly what recruiters who come to Virginia Tech are looking for. Be sure to take advantage of the resources that Career Services offers. They have workshops, presentations, and even advising appointments.

• Pay attention to the Professional Communication section of the 2014–2015 Career Planning Guide for tips on not just cover letters, but also the other kinds of communication you will need to make.

Reading Quiz

After reading the chapter, complete the reading quiz in Scholar for Chapter 10.

Photo: Application – pen2 by Flazingo Photos, on Flickr

Types of Correspondence

The table in the textbook on p. 219 outlines the differences between types of correspondence. Use the information there as a guideline, but also pay attention to the practices where you work. It’s completely possible for one company to rely on formal letters and another company to rely almost exclusively on email messages. There is no universal right decision. Instead, there are decisions that are right because they match a company’s or organization’s standard practices. Let the company’s practices and culture be your guide.

Remember that the “Writer’s Checklist” (pp. 238-239) gives you a nice summary of the important concepts in the chapter. If you are writing the optional memo for Project 2, be sure to use the Memos section of the checklist as you write and revise.

Using You Attitude

You Attitude is the concept of focusing on the needs and interests of the reader in technical and business writing. It’s all about seeing things from the audience’s perspective and situating information so that readers understand and accept it.

The textbook has a short explanation on pp. 220–221, and you can find more information in “What Is the ‘You Attitude’?”

Reading Quiz

After reading the chapter, complete the reading quiz in Scholar for Chapter 9.

Photo: Invitation letter by John S. Quarterman, on Flickr

The choice of a spreadsheet for Project 2 demonstrates how design choices can make information more readable and useful to an audience. Spreadsheets (or tables in a Word Processor) are frequently used in the workplace to present information that the audience will compare. For instance, you might create a spreadsheet for benchmarking purposes, to compare different features of competitor’s websites, or to compare contractors for a project to find the best choice.

As you read chapter 7, pay attention to the CRAP design principles, the details on designing documents (such as using layout, columns, and typography), and the information on analyzing page designs.

Reading Quiz

After reading the chapter, complete the reading quiz in Scholar for Chapter 7.

Photo: This is C.R.A.P. by Matt Katzenberger, on Flickr

• Choosing Effective Organizational Patterns (pp.107–108)
  Be sure to look through the chart in the book that talks about different ways to set up your writing. You may have noticed that some of the bios you examined use chronological order, but other options could work as well. For example, some of the bios also move from “More important to less important” information. Use the chart on these pages this term to remember the options available.

• Writing Coherent Titles and Headings (pp.108–111)
  The right title can draw someone into your text, and effective headings chunk the text into manageable sections that increase understanding as they guide people through what you write. Pay particular attention to the Guidelines on p. 111. As you look at the information think about how some of the examples used these strategies to chunk the details in the bios. The examples from “Meet the Team” Pages: Examples and Trends use the person’s name and title as headings, for instance. You might also arrange your informal bio as a kind of Q&A, with the questions as headings.

• Using Lists (pp.117–120)
  Like headings, lists can make a remarkable difference in readability. Pay attention to the guidelines in this section for examples that show what lists contribute to a piece of technical writing. You may not use lists at all in your bios (though you can if they make sense for what you are doing). Keep the strategy in mind for future projects.

Reading Quiz

After reading the chapter, complete the reading quiz in Scholar for Chapter 6.

Photo:Perry coaster hub .. by Mark Gell, on Flickr

Importance of Audience and Purpose

For audience, Chapter 4 identifies four key questions to answer for any writing project:

• Who are your readers?
• Why is your audience reading your document?
• What are your readers’ attitudes and expectations?
• How will your readers use your document?

Pay attention to the details on those questions in your reading, as well as the idea of primary, secondary, and tertiary audiences. As you read about purpose in the Chapter 4, be sure you understand the details on these four questions:

• Why is the reader reading your document?
• How will the reader read your document?
• What is the reader’s reading skill level?
• What is the physical environment in which the reader will read your document?

These questions will help you make decisions about the information in writing projects as well. For instance, the reading skill of your reader will help you decide if your technical jargon is appropriate.

At the end of the chapter, be sure to notice the “Writer’s Checklist” (pp. 76-77). You will find a checklist at the end of nearly every chapter in the book. These lists are a nice summary of the important concepts in the chapter. For some of the projects we will work on, we will use the checklists for peer review and feedback on what you write.

Reading Quiz

After reading the chapter, complete the reading quiz in Scholar for Chapter 4.

Photo: 00020-Construction Engineering Brochure-5078 by Jared Horn, on Flickr

Using Digital Tools to Collaborate

Chapter 3 of Practical Strategies for Technical Communication discusses how social media and other electronic tools such as messaging technologies, wikis, and shared document workspaces can be useful for collaboration in the workplace. As a technical writer, you should learn how to use the comment, revision, and highlighting features of their word-processing software so that you can email files back and forth among team members.

For this course, you will use at least three different tools to collaborate with me and your classmates:

• Email to communicate with me.
• Google Drive to comment and revise your course projects.
• Online Forums to share your documents and discuss readings.

As you read Chapter 3, pay particular attention to the section on Discussion Boards (pp. 48–49). The tools discussed on those pages are similar to the online forums we will use in class, and you should follow the Guidelines in the textbook as well as those in the Forum Posts & Participation page when you write on the forums.

Reading Quiz

After reading the chapter, complete the reading quiz in Scholar for Chapter 3.

Photo: Wendt WisCEL: students collaborating by college.library, on Flickr

Characteristics of Technical Writing

Chapter 1 of Practical Strategies for Technical Communication outlines 6 characteristics of technical writing:

• It addresses particular readers.
• It helps readers solve problems.
• It reflects the organization’s goals and culture.
• It is produced collaboratively.
• It uses design to increase readability.
• It consists of words or images or both.

We’ll return to these six characteristics a lot during the term. We’ll use them to analyze examples of tech writing, including the texts that you write yourself. Read chapter 1 for all the details on how they work.

Of these six characteristics, the one that causes the most questions is that tech writing is produced collaboratively. Think of it as a very wide idea of collaboration, and read that part of the chapter closely.

Required Work

After reading the chapter, complete the reading quiz in Scholar for Chapter 1.

Photo: How the Eagle Landed — the Grumman Construction Log by Steve Jurvetson, on Flickr