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Technical Communication A Reader-Centered Approach

by: Anderson, Paul V.

Technical Communication A Reader-Centered Approach

by: Anderson, Paul V.

ISBN 13:
9781413017700
ISBN 10:
1413017703
Edition: 6th
Format: Paperback
Copyright: 04/21/2006
Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing
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Summary

Thousands of students have successfully improved their writing and design skills using Anderson's TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION: A READER-CENTERED APPROACH. Known for its treatment of the rhetorical situation and coverage of usability and persuasion, this edition contains new chapters and an innovative design reflecting the visual orientation of today's students.

Preface

xvii

PART I INTRODUCTION

(62)

Communication, Your Career, and This Book

(22)

Communication Expertise Will Be Critical to Your Success

(1)

Writing at Work Differs from Writing at School

(5)

At Work, Writing Is an Action

(1)

The Main Advice of This Book: Think Constantly About Your Readers

(1)

Qualities of Effective On-the-Job Communication: Usability and Persuasiveness

(1)

The Dynamic Interaction between Your Communication and Your Readers

(6)

Some Reader-Centered Strategies You Can Begin Using Now

(1)

Communicating Ethically

(2)

What Lies Ahead in this Book

(1)

Guidelines, Your Creativity, and Your Good Judgment

(3)

Exercises

(1)

Case: Selecting the Right Forklift Truck

(2)

Overview of the Reader-Centered Communication Process: Obtaining a Job

(38)

Central Principles of the Reader-Centered Approach

(1)

A Reader-Centered Approach to Writing Your Resume

(14)

Writer's Tutorial: Using Tables to Design a Resume

(5)

Electronic Resumes: Special Considerations

(4)

A Reader-Centered Approach to Writing Your Job Application Letter

(9)

Ethical Issues in the Job Search

(1)

Writing for Employment in Other Countries

(1)

Conclusion

(4)

Exercises

(1)

Case: Advising Patricia

(3)

PART II DEFINING YOUR COMMUNICATION'S OBJECTIVES

(34)

Defining Your Communication's Objectives

(32)

The Importance of Defining Objectives

(1)

Guideline 1: Focus on What You Want to Happen While Your Readers Are Reading

(2)

Guideline 2: Define Your Usability Goal: Analyze Your Readers' Reading Tasks

(3)

Guideline 3: Define Your Persuasive Goal: Analyze Your Readers' Attitudes

(2)

Guideline 4: Learn Your Readers' Personal Characteristics

(3)

Global Guideline 5: Learn Your Readers' Cultural Characteristics

(6)

Guideline 6: Study the Context in Which Your Readers Will Read

(1)

Guideline 7: Ask Others to Help You Understand Your Readers and Their Context

(1)

Guideline 8: Learn Who All Your Readers Will Be

(4)

Guideline 9: Identify Any Constraints on the Way You Write

(2)

Identity Your Communication's Stakeholders

(2)

Expertise in Action: An Example

(4)

Conclusion

(4)

Exercises

(1)

Case: Announcing the Smoking Ban

(3)

PART III PLANNING

(100)

Planning for Usability

(19)

Your Goal When Planning for Usability

100

(1)

Guideline 1: Identify the Information Your Readers Need

101

(1)

Guideline 2: Organize around Your Readers' Tasks

101

(5)

Guideline 3: Identify Ways to Help Readers Quickly Find What They Want

106

(1)

Guideline 4: For a Complex Audience, Plan a Modular Communication

106

(2)

Guideline 5: Look for a Technical Writing Superstructure You Can Adapt

108

(1)

Guideline 6: Plan Your Graphics

108

(1)

Global Guideline 7: Determine Your Readers' Cultural Expectations about What Makes a Communication Usable

109

(2)

Guideline 8: Outline, If This Would Be Helpful

111

(1)

Guideline 9: Check Your Plans with Your Readers

112

(2)

Investigate Stakeholder Impacts

112

(2)

Conclusion

114

(4)

Exercises

116

(1)

Case: Filling the Distance Learning Classroom

116

(2)

Planning Your Persuasive Strategies

118

(33)

Persuasion to Influence Attitudes and Action

119

(1)

Persuasion to Help a Team Develop Knowledge and Ideas Collaboratively

119

(1)

How Persuasion Works

120

(1)

The Sources of This Chapter's Advice

121

(1)

Guideline 1: Listen---And Respond Flexibly To What You Hear

121

(1)

Guideline 2: Focus on Your Readers' Goals and Values

121

(4)

Guideline 3: Address- And Learn From---Your Readers' Concerns and Counterarguments

125

(2)

Guideline 4: Reason Soundly

127

(5)

Guideline 5: Organize to Create a Favorable Response

132

(2)

Guideline 6: Build an Effective Relationship with Your Readers

134

(3)

Guideline 7: Determine Whether To Appeal to Your Readers' Emotions

137

(2)

Global Guideline 8: Adapt Your Persuasive Strategies to Your Readers' Cultural Background

139

(6)

Employ Ethical Persuasive Techniques

144

(1)

Conclusion

145

(6)

Exercises

147

(3)

Case: Debating a Company Drug-Testing Program

150

(1)

Conducting Reader-Centered Research

151

(46)

Special Characteristics of On-the-Job Research

152

(1)

Guideline 1: Define Your Research Objectives

152

(1)

Guideline 2: Create an Efficient and Productive Research Plan

153

(2)

Guideline 3: Check Each Source for Leads to Other Sources

155

(1)

Guideline 4: Carefully Evaluate What You Find

155

(1)

Guideline 5: Begin Interpreting Your Research Results Even as You Obtain Them

156

(1)

Guideline 6: Take Careful Notes

157

(4)

Observe Intellectual Property Law and Document Your Sources

157

(4)

Conclusion

161

(4)

Exercises

161

(4)

Writer's Reference Guide: Using Five Reader-Centered Research Methods

165

(32)

Exploring Your Own Memory and Creativity

166

(6)

Searching the Internet

172

(6)

Writer's Tutorial: Three Ways to Search Efficiently on the Internet

178

(2)

Using the Library

180

(5)

Interviewing

185

(1)

Writer's Tutorial: Conducting Efficient Library Research

186

(4)

Conducting a Survey

190

(7)

PART IV DRAFTING PROSE ELEMENTS

197

(126)

Drafting Paragraphs, Sections, and Chapters

199

(58)

Drafting Usable, Persuasive Prose

200

(1)

Guideline 1: Begin by Announcing Your Topic

201

(3)

Guideline 2: Present Your Generalizations before Your Details

204

(2)

Guideline 3: Move from Most Important to Least Important

206

(1)

Guideline 4: Consult Conventional Strategies When Having Difficulties Organizing

206

(1)

Global Guideline 5: Consider Your Readers' Cultural Background When Organizing

207

(1)

Guideline 6: Reveal Your Communication's Organization

208

(11)

Guideline 7: Smooth the Flow of Thought from Sentence to Sentence

219

(4)

Examine the Human Consequences of What You're Drafting

222

(1)

Conclusion

223

(6)

Exercises

224

(2)

Case: Increasing Organ Donations

226

(3)

Writer's Reference Guide: Using Seven Reader-Centered Organizational Patterns

229

(28)

Formal Classification (Grouping Facts)

230

(3)

Informal Classification (Grouping Facts)

233

(3)

Comparison

236

(4)

Description of an Object (Partitioning)

240

(2)

Description of a Process (Segmenting)

242

(4)

Cause and Effect

246

(5)

Problem and Solution

251

(3)

Combinations of Patterns

254

(1)

Exercises

255

(2)

Developing an Effective Style

257

(23)

Creating Your Voice

258

(1)

Guideline 1: Find Out What's Expected

258

(2)

Guideline 2: Consider the Roles Your Voice Creates for Your Readers and You

260

(1)

Guideline 3: Consider How Your Attitude Toward Your Subject Will Affect Your Readers

261

(1)

Guideline 4: Say Things in Your Own Words

261

(1)

Global Guideline 5: Adapt Your Voice To Your Readers' Cultural Background

262

(1)

Avoid Stereotypes

262

(1)

Constructing Sentences

263

(1)

Guideline 1: Simplify Your Sentences

264

(1)

Guideline 2: Put the Action in Your Verbs

265

(1)

Guideline 3: Use the Active Voice Unless Your Have a Good Reason to Use the Passive Voice

266

(1)

Guideline 4: Emphasize What's Most Important

267

(1)

Guideline 5: Vary Your Sentence Length and Structure

268

(1)

Global Guideline 6: Adapt Your Sentences For Readers Who Are Not Fluent In Your Language

269

(1)

Selecting Words

269

(1)

Guideline 1: Use Concrete, Specific Words

270

(1)

Guideline 2: Use Specialized Terms When---And Only When---Your Readers Will Understand Them

271

(1)

Guideline 3: Use Words Accurately

272

(1)

Guideline 4: Choose Plain Words over Fancy Ones

273

(1)

Guideline 5: Choose Words with Appropriate Associations

274

(1)

Global Guideline 6: Consider Your Readers Cultural Background When Choosing Words

275

(2)

Use Inclusive Language

276

(1)

Conclusion

277

(3)

Exercises

277

(3)

Beginning a Communication

280

(17)

Introduction to Guidelines 1 Through 3

281

(1)

Guideline 1: Give Your Readers a Reason to Pay Attention

281

(4)

Guideline 2: State Your Main Point

285

(1)

Guideline 3: Tell Your Readers What to Expect

286

(1)

Guideline 4: Encourage Openness to Your Message

287

(2)

Guideline 5: Provide Necessary Background Information

289

(1)

Guideline 6: Include a Summary Unless Your Communication Is Very Short

290

(1)

Guideline 7: Adjust the Length of Your Beginning to Your Readers' Needs

291

(3)

Global Guideline 8: Adapt Your Beginning to Your Readers' Cultural Background

294

(1)

Begin to Address Unethical Practices Promptly---And Strategically

294

(1)

Conclusion

295

(2)

Exercises

296

(1)

Ending a Communication

297

(8)

Guideline 1: After You've Made Your Last Point, Stop

298

(1)

Guideline 2: Repeat Your Main Point

299

(1)

Guideline 3: Summarize Your Key Points

299

(1)

Guideline 4: Refer to a Goal Stated Earlier in Your Communication

300

(1)

Guideline 5: Focus on a Key Feeling

301

(1)

Guideline 6: Tell Your Readers How to Get Assistance or More Information

302

(1)

Guideline 7: Tell Your Readers What to Do Next

302

(1)

Guideline 8: Identify Any Further Study That is Needed

302

(1)

Guideline 9: Follow Applicable Social Conventions

303

(1)

Conclusion

303

(2)

Exercises

303

(2)

Writing Reader-Centered Front and Back Matter

305

(18)

How Transmittal Letters, Covers, and Front and Back Matter Increase Usability and Persuasiveness

306

(1)

Guideline 1: Review The Ways Your Readers Will Use the Communication

307

(1)

Guideline 2: Review Your Communications Persuasive Goals

307

(1)

Guideline 3: Find Out What's Required

307

(1)

Guideline 4: Find Out What's Expected

308

(1)

Guideline 5: Evaluate and Revise Your Front and Back Matter

308

(1)

Conventions and Local Practice

308

(1)

Writing a Reader-Centered Transmittal Letter

308

(1)

Writing a Reader-Centered Cover

309

(1)

Writing Reader-Centered-Front Matter

309

(8)

Writing Reader-Centered Back Matter

317

(6)

PART V DRAFTING VISUAL ELEMENTS

323

(76)

Creating Reader-Centered Graphics

325

(47)

A Reader-Centered Approach to Creating Graphics

327

(1)

Guideline 1: Look for Places Where Graphics Could Increase Your Communication's Usefulness and Persuasiveness

327

(1)

Writer's Tutorial: Graphics Help Readers Understand and Use Information

328

(2)

Guideline 2: Select the Type of Graphic That Will Be Most Effective at Achieving Your Objectives

330

(3)

Guideline 3: Make Each Graphic Easy to Understand and Use

333

(5)

Guideline 4: Use Color to Support Your Message

338

(3)

Guideline 5: Use Graphics Software and Existing Graphics Effectively

341

(1)

Guideline 6: Integrate Your Graphics with Your Text

342

(1)

Guideline 7: Get Permission and Cite the Sources for Your Graphics

343

(1)

Writer's Tutorial: Creating Reader-Centered Graphs with a Spreadsheet Program

344

(2)

Global Guideline 8: Adapt Your Graphics When Writing to Readers in Other Cultures

346

(3)

Avoid Graphics That Mislead

347

(2)

Conclusion

349

(2)

Exercises

349

(2)

Writer's Reference Guide: Creating Eleven Types of Reader-Centered Graphics

351

(21)

Tables

352

(2)

Time Graphs

354

(2)

Bar Graphs

356

(2)

Pictographs

358

(2)

Pie Charts

360

(2)

Photographs

362

(2)

Drawings

364

(2)

Screen Shots

366

(2)

Flowcharts

368

(2)

Organizational Charts

370

(1)

Schedule Charts

371

(1)

Designing Reader-Centered Pages and Documents

372

(27)

A Reader-Centered Approach to Design

374

(1)

Design Elements of a Communication

374

(1)

Guideline 1: Begin by Considering Your Readers and Purpose

374

(1)

Guideline 2: Create a Grid to Serve as the Visual Framework for Your Pages

375

(1)

Writer's Tutorial: Designing Grid Patterns for Print

376

(3)

Introduction to Guidelines 3 Through 6

379

(1)

Guideline 3: Align Related Elements with One Another

380

(2)

Guideline 4: Group Related Items Visually

382

(3)

Guideline 5: Use Contrast to Establish Hierarchy and Focus

385

(3)

Using Word Processors to Create Page Designs

388

(1)

Guideline 6: Use Repetition to Unify Your Communication Visually

389

(2)

Guideline 7: Select Type That Is Easy to Read

391

(1)

Guideline 8: Design Your Overall Document for Base of Use and Attractiveness

392

(1)

Conclusion

393

(6)

Exercises

393

(6)

PART VI REVISING

399

(38)

Revising Your Drafts

401

(20)

The Three Activities of Revising

402

(1)

Checking Your Draft Yourself

403

(1)

Guideline 1: Check from Your Reader's Point of View

403

(1)

Guideline 2: Check from Your Employer's Point of View

403

(1)

Guideline 3: Distance Yourself from Your Draft

404

(1)

Guideline 4: Read Your Draft More Than Once, Changing Your Focus Each Time

404

(1)

Guideline 5: Use Computer Aids to Find (But Not to Cure) Possible Problems

405

(2)

Consider the Stakeholders' Perspective

406

(1)

Reviewing

407

(1)

Guideline 1: Discuss the Objectives of the Communication and the Review

408

(1)

Guideline 2: Build a Positive Interpersonal Relationship with Your Reviewers or Writer

408

(2)

Guideline 3: Rank Suggested Revisions---and Distinguish Matters of Substance from Matters of Taste

410

(1)

Guideline 4: Explore Fully the Reasons for All Suggestions

410

(1)

Guideline 5: Use Computer Aids for Reviewing in a Reader--Centered Way

411

(3)

Review from the Stakeholders' Perspective

412

(2)

Guidelines for Managing Your Revising Time

414

(1)

Guideline 1: Adjust Your Effort to the Situation

414

(2)

Guideline 2: Make the Most Significant Revisions First

416

(2)

Guideline 3: Be Diplomatic

418

(1)

Guideline 4: To Revise Well, Follow the Guidelines for Writing Well

418

(1)

Guideline 5: Revise to Learn

418

(1)

Conclusion

419

(2)

Exercises

419

(2)

Testing Drafts for Usability and Persuasiveness

421

(16)

The Logic of Testing

423

(1)

Guideline 1: Establish Your Test Objectives

423

(1)

Guideline 2: Pick Test Readers Who Truly Represent Your Target Readers

424

(1)

Guideline 3: Focus on Usability: Ask Your Test Readers to Use Your Draft the Same Way Your Target Readers Will

425

(4)

Guideline 4: Focus on Persuasiveness: Learn How Your Draft Affects Your Readers' Attitudes

429

(1)

Guideline 5: Interview Your Test Readers after They Have Read and Used Your Draft

430

(1)

Guideline 6: Avoid Biasing Your Test Results

430

(1)

Guideline 7: Interpret Your Test Results Thoughtfully

431

(1)

Guideline 8: Test Early and Often

432

(1)

Global Guideline 9: With Communications for Readers in Other Cultures, Choose Test Readers from the Culture

432

(1)

Obtain Informed Consent from Your Test Readers

433

(1)

Conclusion

433

(4)

Exercises

436

(1)

PART VII APPLICATIONS OF THE READER-CENTERED APPROACH

437

(86)

Creating Communications with a Team

439

(20)

Varieties of Team Structures

440

(1)

Guideline 1: Develop a Shared Understanding of the Communication's Objectives

441

(1)

Guideline 2: Make and Share Detailed Plans

442

(2)

Guideline 3: Make a Project Schedule

444

(1)

Guideline 4: Share Leadership Responsibilities

445

(2)

Guideline 5: Make Meetings Efficient

447

(1)

Guideline 6: Encourage Discussion, Debate, and Diversity of Ideas

448

(3)

Guideline 7: Use Computer Tools for Collaboration

451

(3)

Global Guideline 8: Be Sensitive to Possible Cultural and Gender Differences in Team Interactions

454

(2)

Conclusion

456

(3)

Exercises

456

(3)

Creating and Delivering Listener-Centered Oral Presentations

459

(25)

Guideline 1: Define Your Presentation's Objectives

460

(1)

Guideline 2: Plan the Verbal and Visual Parts of Your Presentation as a Single Package

461

(3)

Writer's Tutorial: Creating a Listener-Centered Presentation

464

(3)

Guideline 3: Focus on a Few Main Points

467

(2)

Guideline 4: Use a Simple Structure---and Help Your Listeners Follow It

469

(1)

Guideline 5: Speak in a Conversational Style

470

(1)

Guideline 6: Create Easy-to-Read, Understandable Graphics

471

(3)

Guideline 7: Involve Your Audience in Your Presentation

474

(2)

Guideline 8: Prepare for Interruptions and Questions---and Respond Courteously

476

(1)

Global Guideline 9: Adapt Your Presentation Strategies to Your Audience's Cultural Background

477

(2)

Guideline 10: Rehearse

479

(1)

Guideline 11: Accept Your Nervousness---and Work with It

479

(1)

Making Team Presentations

480

(2)

Conclusion

482

(2)

Exercises

482

(2)

Creating Reader-Centered Web Pages and Websites

484

(23)

How the World Wide Web Works

485

(1)

Guideline for Defining Objectives

486

(1)

Guideline 1: Learn about Your Site's Readers and Define Its Purpose

486

(1)

Guideline for Planning

Guideline 2: Create the Map for a Site That Includes What Your Readers Want and Enables Them to Get It Quickly

487

(1)

Guideline 3: Gather the Information Your Readers Need

487

(1)

Writer's Tutorial: Creating a Web Page in HTML Code

488

(3)

Respect Intellectual Property and Provide Valid Information

490

(1)

Guidelines for Drafting

491

(1)

Guideline 5: Design Pages That Are Easy to Use and Attractive

491

(1)

Writer's Tutorial: Designing Grid Patterns for Web Pages

492

(5)

Guideline 6: Provide Navigational Aids That Help Your Readers Move Quickly Through Your Site to the Information They Want

497

(3)

Guideline 7: Unify Your Site Verbally and Visually

500

(1)

Guideline 8: Construct a Site That Readers with Disabilities Can Use

500

(2)

Global Guideline 9: Design Your Site for International and Multicultural Readers

502

(1)

Guideline 10: Help Readers Find Your Site on the Internet

503

(1)

Revising Guideline

504

(1)

Guideline 11: Test Your Site Before Launching It

504

(3)

Exercises

504

(3)

Managing Client and Service-Learning Projects

507

(16)

Overall Project Management Strategy

509

(1)

Guideline 1: Determine Exactly What Your Client Wants and Why

509

(1)

Guideline 2: Develop Your Own Assessment of the Situation

510

(1)

Guideline 3: Create a Project Management Plan

511

(2)

Guideline 4: Submit a Written Proposal to Your Client---and Ask for Written Agreement

513

(1)

Guideline 5: Communicate with Your Client Often---Especially at All Major Decisions

514

(5)

Guideline 6: Advocate and Educate, but Defer to Your Client

519

(1)

Guideline 7: Hand Off the Project in a Helpful Way

520

(1)

Conclusion

520

(3)

Exercises

520

(3)

PART VIII SUPERSTRUCTURES

523

(148)

Writing Reader-Centered Correspondence: Letters, Memos, and E-mail

525

(14)

Guideline 1: Adopt A Reader-Centered ``You-Attitude''

526

(1)

Guideline 2: State Your Main Point Up Front---Unless Your Readers Will React Negatively

527

(1)

Guideline 3: Keep It Short

527

(1)

Guideline 4: Give Your Readers the Background They Need

528

(1)

Guideline 5: Use Headings, Lists, and Graphics

528

(1)

Global Guideline 6: Learn the Customs of Your Readers' Culture

528

(1)

Guideline 7: Follow Format Conventions

529

(1)

Writing Reader-Centered Letters

529

(1)

Writer's Tutorial: Writing Letters

530

(2)

Writing Reader-Centered Memos

532

(1)

Writing Reader-Centered E-mail

533

(1)

Writer's Tutorial: Writing Memos

534

(1)

Writer's Tutorial: Writing E-mail

535

(4)

Writing Reader-Centered Reports

539

(79)

Your Readers Want to Use the Information You Provide

540

(1)

Readers' Six Basic Questions

540

(1)

General Superstructure for Reports

541

(5)

Sample Outlines and Report

546

(11)

Writer's Reference Guide: Creating Three Types of Special Reports

557

(61)

Empirical Research Reports

558

(28)

Feasibility Reports

586

(21)

Progress Reports

607

(11)

Writing Reader-Centered Proposals

618

(24)

The Variety of Proposal-Writing Situations

619

(2)

Proposal Readers Are Investors

621

(1)

The Questions Readers Ask Most Often

622

(1)

Strategy of the Conventional Superstructure for Proposals

622

(2)

Superstructure for Proposals

624

(9)

Sample Proposal

633

(9)

Writing Reader-Centered Instructions

642

(29)

Four Important Points

643

(1)

Superstructure for Instructions

644

(14)

Physical Construction of Instructions

658

(1)

Online Instructions

659

(1)

Sample Instructions

659

(12)

Exercises

669

(2)

Appendix A Documenting Your Sources

671

(15)

Choosing a Format for Documentation

672

(1)

Deciding Where to Place In-Text Citations

672

(1)

Writing APA In-Text Citations

673

(1)

Writing An APA References List

674

(5)

Writing MLA In-Text Citations

679

(1)

Writing an MLA Works Cited List

680

(6)

Appendix B Projects

686

(13)

Project 1 Resume and Job Application Letter

687

(1)

Project 2 Informational Website

688

(1)

Project 3 Informational Page

689

(1)

Project 4 Unsolicited Recommendation

689

(2)

Project 5 Brochure

691

(1)

Project 6 Instructions

691

(1)

Project 7 User Test and Report

692

(1)

Project 8 Project Proposal

693

(1)

Project 9 Progress Report

694

(1)

Project 10 Formal Report or Proposal

694

(2)

Project 11 Oral Briefing I: Project Plans

696

(1)

Project 12 Oral Briefing II: Project Results

697

(2)

Credits

699

(6)

References

705

(4)

Index

709

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

Technical Communication A Reader-Centered Approach

Technical Communication A Reader-Centered Approach

9781413017700

1413017703

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

Write a Review

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

Technical Communication A Reader-Centered Approach

Technical Communication A Reader-Centered Approach

9781413017700

1413017703

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

Write a Review

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