Technical Communication:

Process and Product

Eighth Edition

Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson

Chapter 3: Objectives in
Technical Communication

Copyright 2014 , 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Learning Objectives
Understand that if your technical communication
is unclear, your readers may do a job wrong,
damage equipment, injure themselves, or
contact you for further explanations
Use details, specify, and quantify to ensure
reader understanding
Answer who, what, when, where, why, and how
(the reporters questions) to help determine
which details to include

Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e

Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson

Copyright 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Learning Objectives (continued)

Avoid words that are not commonly used
including legalese and outdated terms
Avoid passive voice constructions, which tend to
lengthen sentences and confuse readers
Use short, simple words (always considering
your readers level of technical knowledge)
Limit the length of sentences by deleting
expletives, be verbs, shun words,
camouflaged words, and more

Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e

Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson

Copyright 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Learning Objectives (continued)

Use Microsoft Word to determine your texts
readability
Use different organizational patternsspatial,
chronological, importance, comparison/contrast,
and problem/solutionto help you explain
material

Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e

Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson

Copyright 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Four Major Objectives

The four major objectives in technical
communication are:
1. Achieving clarity
2. Simplifying for conciseness
3. Achieving accuracy
4. Organizing

Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e

Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson

Copyright 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Achieving Clarity
Unclear technical communication can lead to
missed deadlines, damaged equipment, inaccurate
procedures, incorrectly filled orders, or danger to
the end user. To achieve clarity:
Provide specific detail
Answer the reporters questions
Use easily understandable words

Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e

Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson

Copyright 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Clarity: Provide Specific Detail

One way to achieve clarity is by supplying
specific, quantified information
Avoid vague, abstract adjectives or adverbs,
which your readers will interpret in different ways.
Unclear: Put enough air in your tires. (How much air is
enough?)
Clear: Fill your tires to 32 pounds per square inch.

Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e

Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson

Copyright 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Clarity: Answer the Reporters

Questions
A second way to write clearly is to answer the
reporters questionswho, what, when, where,
why, and how:
Unclear: We bought a new machine to solve the
problem. (who is we, what is the new machine, when
was the purchase made, where was the machine located,
why was the purchase made, how much did the machine
cost?)
Clear: The marketing department bought a new
AABco laser printer ($595) on June 10 for our production
room. This printer will produce double-sided, color copies
unlike our prior printer.
Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e
Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson

Copyright 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Clarity: Use Easily Understandable

Words
Another key to clarity is using words that your
readers can understand easily.
Avoid obscure words and be careful when you
use acronyms, abbreviations, and jargon.
Unclear: We are cognizant of your need for issuance of
citations pursuant to code 18-B1 CPR violations.
Clear: We know you need to send citations because of
code 18-B1 Continuing Property Record violations.

Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e

Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson

Copyright 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

Simplifying for Conciseness

A second major goal in technical communication
is conciseness, providing detail in fewer words.
Conciseness is important, because conciseness
saves time, technology demands conciseness,
and conciseness improves readability
Three ways to achieve conciseness are to limit
word length, limit sentence length, and limit
paragraph length

Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e

Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson

Copyright 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

10

Conciseness: Limit Word Length

To achieve conciseness, try to use one and
twosyllable words versus words with three or
more syllables, though sometimes you will
need to use longer words.

Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e

Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson

Copyright 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

11

Conciseness: Limit Sentence

Length
For conciseness and improved readability, limit
the length of your sentences, using the
following techniques:
Delete be verbs: Is, are, were, would, will, am

Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e

Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson

Copyright 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

12

Conciseness: Limit Sentence

Length (continued)
Use active voice versus passive voice

Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e

Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson

Copyright 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

13

Conciseness: Limit Sentence

Length (continued)
Delete the expletive pattern: Sentences
beginning with there or it

Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e

Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson

Copyright 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

14

Conciseness: Limit Sentence

Length (continued)
Avoid shun words: ending in tion or sion

Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e

Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson

Copyright 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

15

Conciseness: Limit Sentence

Length (continued)
Avoid camouflaged words

Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e

Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson

Copyright 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

16

Conciseness: Limit Sentence

Length (continued)
Limit wordy prepositional phrases

Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e

Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson

Copyright 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

17

Conciseness: Limit Sentence

Length (continued)
Use the meat cleaver method of revision: cut
sentences by a third or half

Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e

Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson

Copyright 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

18

Conciseness: Limit Paragraph

Length
An excessively long paragraph is ineffective.
A paragraph in effective technical
communication should consist of no more than
four to six typed lines.
In a long paragraph, you force your reader to
wade through many words and digest large
amounts of information.
In contrast, shorter paragraphs invite reading
and help your readers understand your content.

Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e

Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson

Copyright 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

19

Achieving Accuracy
If your writing is clear and concise but incorrect you
have misled your audience and destroyed your
credibility. Proofread to catch and correct errors:
Let someone else read it
Let it sit
Print it out
Use technology
Read it out loud

Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e

Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson

Copyright 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

20

Organizing
In addition to being clear, concise, and accurate,
use an appropriate organizational pattern:
Analysis
Spatial organization
Chronology
Importance
Comparison/Contrast
Problem/Solution
Cause and effect
Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e
Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson

Copyright 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

21

Chapter Highlights
1. If your technical communication is unclear, your
readers may misunderstand you and then do a job
wrong, damage equipment, injure themselves, or
contact you for further explanations.
2. Use details to ensure reader understanding.
Whenever possible, specify and quantify your
information.
3. Answering who, what, when, where, why, and
how (the reporters questions) helps you determine
which details to include.
Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e
Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson

Copyright 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

22

Chapter Highlights (continued)

4. Avoid words that are not commonly used
(legalese, outdated terms, etc.).
5. Avoid passive voice constructions, which tend to
lengthen sentences and confuse readers.
6. When possible, use short, simple words (always
considering your readers level of technical
knowledge).
7. Limit the length of sentences by deleting
expletives, be verbs, shun words, camouflaged
words, and more.
Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e
Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson

Copyright 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

23

Chapter Highlights (continued)

8. Use Microsoft Word to determine your texts
readability.
9. Proofreading is essential to effective technical
communication.
10. Different organizational patternsspatial,
chronological, importance, comparison/contrast,
and problem/solutioncan help you explain
material.

Technical Communication: Process and Product, 8/e

Sharon Gerson and Steven Gerson

Copyright 2014, 2012, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc.

24