LEARNING PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG MUNTINLUPA

MODULE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

University Road, Poblacion, Muntinlupa City
QR/CBA/0__ Course Title: Technical Writing / Business Correspondence
Issue No. 0 Revision No. 0 Effectivity Date 7 September 2020 Page No. 1

Lesson 2: Technical Writing and Editing: An Overview

Topics:
• Theories of Technical Writing
• Definition of Technical Writing
• Elements of Technical Writing
• Types of Technical Documents
• Technical Writing as a Profession

Theories of Technical Writing

Lily Sun enumerated in her work, ―A Study of Theories of Style in Technical Communication‖
enumerated the following theories:

Readers Addressed Theory – involves the absolute control of conveying the information in the hands
of the writer. The technical writer has absolute control in the presentation and has little regard for
what the audience needs and wants.

Kuhn’s Scientific Community Theory – before social strata or ‗paradigms' is established, all writing
should start with research for people to understand, people should be persuaded until the paradigm is
established. According to Thomas Kuhn, ―normal science‖ means research firmly based upon one or
more particular scientific achievements that some particular scientific community acknowledges for a
time as supplying the foundation for its future practice.

Fish’s Interpretive Community Theory – Stanley Fish's theory states that a text does not have
meaning outside of a set of cultural assumptions regarding both what the characters mean and how
they should be interpreted. This cultural context often includes authorial intent, though it is not limited
to it. Fish claims that we as individuals interpret texts because each of us is part of an interpretive
LEARNING PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG MUNTINLUPA
MODULE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
University Road, Poblacion, Muntinlupa City
QR/CBA/0__ Course Title: Technical Writing / Business Correspondence
Issue No. 0 Revision No. 0 Effectivity Date 7 September 2020 Page No. 2

community that gives us a particular way of reading a text. Furthermore, he claims, we cannot know
whether someone is a part of our interpretive community or not, because any act of communication
that we could engage in to tell whether we are part of the same interpretive community would have to
be interpreted. That is because we cannot escape our interpretive community, we can never really
know its limits.

Miller’s ―Writing is Rhetorical‖ Theory – in ―A Humanistic Rationale for Technical Writing,‖ she
argues that it ―presupposes a mechanistic and materialistic reality‖ which is non-existent. Reality is
the only thing that can be agreed upon in a given society; thus, ―effective technical writing is the
revelation of absolute reality, a persuasive version of the experience.‖ Hence, science is the
observation and description of discovery, and the truth is relative depending on who interprets it.

Technical Writing

Today technical writing encompasses all documentation of complex technical processes. It includes
reports, executive summary statements, and briefs. Any time technical information is conveyed in
writing at work, it is, by definition, technical writing.

This can include high-tech manufacturing, engineering, biotech, energy, aerospace, finance, IT, and
global supply chain.

The format is no longer bound to lengthy user manuals. Technical information must be distilled and
presented unambiguously. This can come in the form of technical reports, emails, policy, briefs, and
press releases.

The bottom line is if you work in a technical field you are most likely performing technical writing.

Elements of Technical Writing

a. Accuracy – to convey information that is crucial to the success of real-world tasks,

inaccurate technical documents ca result in physical, financial, or environmental
repercussions.

b. Conciseness – characterized by direct language that gets right to the point, it avoids
elaborate descriptions that can obscure meaning

c. Clarity – clear writing prevents confusion and gives the audience direction and
completion of the task; clarity is often defined by the audience and the context they have in
mind about the information being delivered.

Types of Technical Documents

LEARNING PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG MUNTINLUPA
MODULE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
University Road, Poblacion, Muntinlupa City
QR/CBA/0__ Course Title: Technical Writing / Business Correspondence
Issue No. 0 Revision No. 0 Effectivity Date 7 September 2020 Page No. 3

Technical writing is more than just writing manuals on how to use or repair your TV. It includes
various types of documents, even marketing ones. Read this article to learn more about technical
documentation; it will be useful for novice tech writers who want to decide what type of
documentation will be interesting.

A. Traditional Documentation

User guides, manual, how to guides, and the like are the most common types of technical
documentation and they are the ones that always come to people's minds when someone says
―technical documentation‖. Let me describe some types in detail:

User Guides
User guides help people use a particular system like a piece of hardware or software. They provide
clear and sensible information on common questions that users may face. User guides can also contain
information on possible malfunctions and ways to fix them. An example is online help for ClickHelp.
It describes features, possibilities, and use cases of this software documentation tool.

Product Manuals
Product manuals are created to describe the basic operations of a product, its main features, general
maintenance, and more. Here is an example — a page from a wristwatch manual:

Science Papers, Research, and Reports

Technical writers also work with professionals from other spheres like medicine, science, aerospace,
engineering, and so on.
LEARNING PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG MUNTINLUPA
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QR/CBA/0__ Course Title: Technical Writing / Business Correspondence
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B. Technical Marketing Documentation

Speaking of science and medicine, researchers write papers with the results of their work but those
results can be hard to explain to the broad audience, so authors ask tech writers to help them interpret
and organize findings. These are published in journals, and because of that accuracy and content
organization are very important — and tech writers are best for this job.

Technical writers also assist business owners to help them create reports because clarity and accuracy
of content are also required.

Technical writing includes marketing content as well. Tech writers can create easy-to-interpret and
concise articles that help clients understand how to properly operate a product. White papers, case
studies, proposals are examples of technical marketing documentation.

White Papers
The main goals of a white paper are to highlight a company's success and help to promote the
products or services of a company. As a marketing tool, white papers collect information on facts and
logical arguments about why this company and its product are the best. White papers usually focus on
new solutions to an old problem, or the benefits of the company's product or service.
Case Study
A case study is an analysis of a company, product, or a project that identifies a solution or situation
that contributed to failure or success. Case studies allow potential buyers to see your product in
action. They focus on a customer‘s experience to show how a particular product or a service can help
you and your business.
Proposals
Technical writers also create proposals for companies. Technical writers help to persuade the reader to
approve a proposed project or implement a proposed plan. It may contain recommendations, results of
surveys, technical background, information about feasibility, and so on.

Technical Writing as a Profession

All professional people must write to some extent as part of their jobs. Many companies hire people
whose exclusive duties are to write documents to accompany the products they manufacture, or to
write business proposals, edit newsletters, publicity releases, and so on.

Technical writers must not only be skillful with language; they must be knowledgeable about what
they are writing documents for. Here are some general characteristics of the technical writing
profession:
1. Corporate technical writing is directly or indirectly, an aspect of product or service marketing.

 When the directions for using and maintaining a product such as cellular phones are
presented with clarity and precision.
LEARNING PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG MUNTINLUPA
MODULE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
University Road, Poblacion, Muntinlupa City
QR/CBA/0__ Course Title: Technical Writing / Business Correspondence
Issue No. 0 Revision No. 0 Effectivity Date 7 September 2020 Page No. 5

 When software documentation is easily referable because of coherent formatting and

detailed indexing.

2. Corporate technical writing is inherently interactive.

 A technical writer almost always must interact with other professionals, within the
organization such as engineers, managers, craftspeople, and the like.
 Continual review and testing procedures are as necessary before the documents can
be published before the product can be marketed.

3. Corporate technical writing as audience-specific writing

 Almost all kinds of expository-writing contexts require authors to have a clear sense
of whom they are writing for.
 Writing in a corporate environment is done safely the needs if designated readers.

4. Technical writers must have these characteristics:

 A bachelor's degree in communication, English, or related courses

 Course work in computer science
 Familiarity with the mechanical and electronic systems about which one is writing
 Familiarity with desktop publishing and graphic designs
 Strong oral communication skills
 Good interviewing skills
 Excellent command of written English
 Familiarity with the report, letter, and memo writing
LEARNING PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG MUNTINLUPA
MODULE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
University Road, Poblacion, Muntinlupa City
QR/CBA/0__ Course Title: Technical Writing / Business Correspondence
Issue No. 0 Revision No. 0 Effectivity Date 7 September 2020 Page No. 6

Learning Activity Sheet: Write an article about any of the following topics.

1. Cooking
a. What dish do you like to cook?
b. What are the ingredients of this dish?
c. What are the processes involved in cooking this dish?

2. Sports
a. What sports do you like?
b. Describe your favorite sport.
c. How do you prepare before engaging in this sport?

3. Interior Design
a. What part of your house did you design or want to design?
b. How will you design your chosen part of the house?
c. What will it look like after you design it?

4. Entertainment
a. What was the last movie you watched?
b. What did you like/dislike about the movie?
c. What are the strong and weak points of the movie?
d. Would you recommend the reader to watch it or not? Why?