Republic of the Philippines

Commission on Higher Education

Region V
LIGAO COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Tomolin, Ligao City, 4504
Email – Address: [email protected]
Tel. No.: (052) 202 – 0634 / (052) 202 - 1891

ENGLISH 106 - TECHNICAL WRITING

FIVE TRAITS
OF TECHNICAL WRITING
(Written Report)

Prepared by:
Nikyla Alcaldeza
Jay Ann De Luna
Christine Rose Mansanades
Shervy Ann Ondevilla
BSED ENGLISH 2A
Submitted to:
Mr. Bryan E. Novio
INSTRUCTOR
 FIVE TRAITS OF TECHNICAL WRITING
OBJECTIVES
At the end of the discussion, the students should be able to;
1. Determine the five traits of technical writing
2. Determine what five trait rubric is and its relation to technical writing and;
3. Identify errors in a technical document
I. ACTIVITY
Before starting the discussion, the discussants will first conduct an activity called “ Guess What”.
The mechanics are as follows;
1. The class would be divided into five groups, each group must have one representative.
2. Each representative will be given a photo that they will show to their members, however,
they are not allowed to look at it.
3. The members will describe what they see in the picture, but they are not allowed to tell what
the answer is. The representatives will be the ones who will guess the answer/analyze the
meaning behind the picture.
4. Points will be deducted from the group if the member spoiled the answer.
5. Each group will be timed and the group with the shortest amount of time to consume will be
given five points in recitation, four points to the second group with the shortest amount of time
consumed, and so on.
II. ANALYSIS
The photos provided by the discussants encompasses the five traits of technical writing.
Through the activity, the class had an idea about what will be the discussion.
III. DISCUSSION PROPER
1. CLARITY
 Clarity is the paramount in technical writing. The language used should be precise and
unambiguous, avoiding jargon and technical terms that may not be familiar to the target
audience. Sentences should be short and to the point, with a logical flow of ideas. Clear
headings, subheadings, and bullet points enhance readability and help readers quickly
locate the information they need.
 Clarity in technical writing is mandatory.
 Clarity achieved through reporter’s question.
 Clarity is achieved through specificity.
This flawed memo written by a manager Using the reporter’s question checklist
to a newly hired employee highlights as a prewriting tool, this memo can
the importance of clarity. achieve greater clarity.

2. CONCISENESS
 Technical writers strive for brevity without sacrificing clarity. Every word should serve a
purpose, and unnecessary details or redundancies should be eliminated. Concise writing
saves readers time and effort, making it easier for them to grasp the essential information.
 Conciseness involves avoiding redundancy, avoiding prepositional phrases, and avoiding
passive voice.
 Conciseness is achieved through short sentences.
 Conciseness is achieved through short words.
 Successful technical writing should help the reader understand the text not present
challenge to understanding.
3. ACCESSIBILITY
 In technical writing, accessibility refers to the ability for users to search, acquire, download,
and understand complex communications. The case in which the readers can locate the
information they seek. It ensures that information is available and usable for the widest
possible audience.
 Technical writing should be accessible to its intended audience. This means considering the
reader's level of technical knowledge and tailoring the language, style, and format
accordingly. Using visuals like diagrams, charts, and tables can enhance comprehension and
make complex information more engaging.
The paragraph consists of 84 words and 10 sentences. The writing is concise and clear due to
specificity of detail, however; despite the clarity and conciseness the writing fails. It is because
the paragraph is unintelligible. The page layout makes it nearly impossible to understand the
text.
Using highlighting techniques such as graphics (tables & figures), white space, boldface texts,
headings & subheadings, italics, underlining, varied font styles & sizes, bullets, and numbered
lists can make information leap off the page by making the content accessible.
Revised copy of the information presented;

4. AUDIENCE RECOGNITION
 Audience recognition, who is writing to whom? What does the audience know? Need to know, and
want to know? You will adapt your writing to the needs and interests and backgrounds of the
readers who will be reading your writing. When your audience fails to understand the text, you have
failed to communicate. Successful technical writers know that they can only achieve clarity by
recognizing their audiences.
Writing effectively to these three types of audience levels requires different
techniques.
High Tech Peers
 Know just as much about a subject as you do. They have the same education, same job
title, same level of expertise, and the same years of experience.
Example: The research paper on quantum mechanics was well-received by my colleagues at the
physics conference.
Example: The software engineer discussed the implementation of AI algorithms with other
members of the development team.
Low Tech Peers
 Who work inside your company know something about the subject. They may not have the
same education, job title, level of expertise, or years of experience.
Example: The project manager explained the timeline for the new product launch to team
members in the marketing department.
Example: The HR manager provided training on workplace safety policies to employees in the
operations team.
Lay Readers
 Are your customers. They are completely out of the loop.
Example: The teacher explained the concept of photosynthesis to her 5th-grade students using
a simple diagram.
Example: The IT support specialist provided step-by-step instructions on how to reset a
password for users in the customer service department.
5. ACCURACY
 Technical writing demands a high level of accuracy and precision in conveying information.
This includes providing correct and up-to-date data, consistent terminology, accurate
measurements, and properly citing sources.
 Successful technical writing must be accurate, whether grammatically, electronically, etc.
Your errors in technical writing can make you and your school look bad. More Importantly,
your mistakes can lead not just to embarrassment and misunderstandings but also to
damages, injuries, and lawsuits; hence you must deeply understand the importance of
proofreading. You can apply the following proofreading techniques to ascertain the
accuracy of your technical documents.
 Proofreading is essential in ensuring that your writing is clear, coherent, and error-free.
Students must understand the importance of proofreading to improve their writing skills and
effectively communicate their ideas.

Use your computer's spell check, however; that a spell check will not catch from if you
mean form, too if you mean to, or accept if you mean except.
1. The spell check didn't catch the error in the sentence "he rode his bike two the park" (two
instead of to).
2. The spell check didn't catch the error in the sentence "she excepted the offer" (excepted
instead of accepted).

Read it aloud - sometimes, you can hear errors.

1. Reading the document out loud helped the student catch a missing word in a sentence.
2. Speaking the words aloud revealed a repetitive phrase that could be revised for better flow.
Let it sit for a day or a weekend: This technique involves taking a break from a document
and coming back to it with a fresh perspective after some time has passed.
1. Upon rereading their essay after a weekend break, the student noticed a missing comma in a
particular sentence.
2. Taking a day off from writing their report allowed the student to catch a repeated phrase
that they had missed before.
Read it backward - then you read words out of context. You cannot anticipate the next word.
1. Reading the document backwards helped the student notice a misspelled word that had been
overlooked.
2. Going through the text in reverse order revealed a missing conjunction in a particular
sentence.
3. Reading the document backwards allowed the student to catch a repeated phrase that
needed to be revised
Using peer evaluations: This involves having a classmate or peer review your writing to
catch errors that the writer may have missed.
1. A classmate pointed out that the word "your" was used incorrectly instead of "you're" in a
sentence.
2. A peer noticed that a sentence was unclear and needed to be rephrased to improve clarity.
FIVE TRAIT RUBRIC
RUBRIC
 is a tool used to evaluate student’s performance. These are also called “criteria sheets”,
“grading schemes”, or “scoring guides”.
Parts of Rubric
1. Title - The title tells what the rubric is all about.
2. Description - This contain the details about the tasks that students need to perform.
3. Criteria/Component - This part shows which aspect the student’s will be marked. This
contain the factors that the teacher will look for in the student’s performance or output.
4. Scale/Scoring - This shows the mastery level of the students in every criteria or
component.
5. Performance Descriptor - This describes and interpret the quality of performance that the
students demonstrated in every criteria and scoring.
WHY USE RUBRICS?
Rubrics help teachers to;
 Assess assignments consistently from student-to-student.
 Give timely, effective feedback and promote student learning in a sustainable way.
 Refine teaching methods by evaluating rubric results.
Rubrics helps students;
 Understand expectations and components of an assignment.
 Become more aware of their learning process and progress.

 Improve work through timely and detailed feedback.

IV. APPLICATION
One student per group will have to sum up what they have learned in the discussion in a sixty-
second speech.