Module 3

Notes on Technical Communication

Technical communication is the process of conveying information about technical or complex

subjects to an audience in a clear, concise and understandable manner. Examples of technical
communication include user manuals, technical reports, scientific papers, engineering
specifications, software documentation and business proposals.

What does technical communication involve?

There are several key elements of technical communication which make it distinct:

 Clarity and Conciseness: Technical communication aims to make complex

information clear and easily understandable for the target audience. This involves
using straightforward language, avoiding unnecessary jargon, and organising
information logically to convey information efficiently.

 Audience Analysis: Understanding the needs, knowledge level, and expectations of

the audience is crucial. Tailoring the content to the audience helps ensure that the
information is relevant.
 Purpose: Technical communication serves various purposes, such as informing,
instructing, persuading, or documenting. The purpose guides the structure and content
of the communication.

 Document Design: Effective technical communication often involves thoughtful

document design. This includes the use of headings, lists, graphics, and other visual
elements to enhance comprehension and make the information more accessible.

 Medium Selection: Technical communication can take various forms, including

written documents, presentations, videos, and online content. Choosing the
appropriate medium for the message and audience is crucial.

 Revision and Editing: Technical documents often undergo multiple rounds of

revision and editing to refine the content, correct errors, and improve clarity. This
ensures that the final document meets high standards of quality.

Importance of Technical Communication:

Maintain good customer–client relations (follow-up letters).
• Ensure that work is accomplished on time (directive memos or e-mail).

• Provide documentation that work has been completed (progress reports).

• Generate income (sales letters, brochures, and fliers).

• Keep machinery working (user manuals)
• Ensure that correct equipment is purchased (technical descriptions).

• Participate in teleconferences or videoconferences (oral communication).

• Get a job (resumes).

• Define terminology (online help screens).

• Inform the world about a company’s products and services (Internet Web sites and blogs)

Elements of Technical Writing:

The ability to communicate clearly is the most important skill engineers and scientists should
have. Best work will be lost if it is not communicated appropriately. So essential elements are
to be considered while writing Technical Communication.

 Presentation and Tone

 Number, Voice and Tense

 Conciseness

 Unambiguity

 Accuracy

 Clarity

 Sentence Length

 Paragraphing

 Use of Acronyms

Types of Technical Communication:

ORAL WRITTEN

Face to Face Communication Technical Reports Telephone

Conversations Industrial Reports

Seminars Project Proposals

Conferences Business Proposals

Instructions Project Reports

Presentations Lab Reports

Group Discussions Synopsis

Interviews Thesis
 Voice-Conferences Dissertations

Video-Conferences Abstracts

Casual Conversations Research Papers

Formal Conversations Scientific Papers

Social Interactions Business Letters

Public Speeches Faxes

Announcements Electronic mailing

Radio Memos

Television Programs Notices

Speeches Online Documents

News Reports Circulars

Small talks on local topics Agenda

Negotiating Social Situations Minutes

Conversation tasks in a given Social Milieu Bulletins

Asking for opinions Brochures

Expressing general comments,

criticism, objections, doubts Manuals

Agreeing and disagreeing Journals

Seeking / giving suggestions Technical Abstracts

Stating points of view Job Applications – CV’s

Types of Technical Proposals

There are 4 kinds of technical proposals:

1. Solicited Proposals: An organization identifies a situation it wants to improve or

problem that it wants to solve and issues an RFP (Request for Proposals) asking for
proposals on how to address it. The requesting organization will vet proposals and
choose the most convincing one, often using a detailed scoring rubric or weighted
objectives chart to determine which proposal best responds to the request.

2. Unsolicited Proposals: The writer perceives a problem or an opportunity and takes

the initiative to propose a way to solve the problem or take advantage of the
 opportunity (without being requested to do so). This can often be the most difficult
kind of proposal to get approved.

3. Internal Proposals: These are written by and for someone within the same
organization. Since both the writer and reader share the same workplace context, these
proposals are generally shorter than external proposals, and usually address some way
to improve a work-related situation (productivity, efficiency, profit, etc.). As internal
documents, they are often sent as memos, or introduced with a memo if the proposal
is lengthy.

4. External Proposals: These are sent outside of the writer’s organization to a separate
entity (usually to solicit business). Since these are external documents, they are
usually sent as a formal report (if long), introduced by a cover letter (letter of
transmittal). External proposals are usually sent in response to a Request for
Proposals, but not always.

Technical Report Writing

The main purpose of a technical report is to present research findings, propose a solution to a
problem, or provide a technical analysis of a system or process. Knowing the purpose will
help you structure your report and determine the appropriate content.

Technical reports are based on solid research and evidence. Conduct thorough research on the
topic of your report using reputable sources such as scholarly journals, textbooks, and reliable
websites. Collect all the relevant information you need for your report. This may include
data, research papers, case studies, and technical specifications. Make sure you use credible
sources and keep track of where you found each piece of information.

Structure of a technical report

 Title page
Include title, your name, the course name and student number, school and university, date
of the submission

 Abstract
A technical report summary (or executive summary, or abstract) should include a brief
overview of your investigation, results, and recommendations. It must include all the key
information your reader needs to make a decision without having to read your full report.
Don’t treat your summary as an introduction; it should act as a stand-alone document.

• Purpose - a short version of the report and a guide to the report

• Length - short, typically not more than 100-300 words

• Content - provide information, not just a description of the report
• Table of contents
Help your reader quickly and easily find what they are looking for by using informative
headings, subheadings and careful numbering of your sections and sub-sections.

 Introduction
In your introduction, you must present readers the following information

• Define the problem

• Discuss relevant previous research

• Objectives and goals (what are you trying to achieve?)

• Motivation (why is it interesting and important?)

• Describe the key features of your approach and results

• Any constraints you faced

•Literature Review

It is important to carry out a review of the literature to allow you to acquire an understanding
of your topic. Writing a literature review you can become aware of the key issues, and
relevant research that has already been done relating to your topic and find out the latest
information. A literature review is a piece of academic writing (or part of another
report/dissertation) that critically evaluates material relevant to the research project. It
demonstrates subject knowledge and an understanding of your position in relation to other
academic work.

 The body of the report

In that part you should:

• Present the information from your research logically under appropriate headings

• Describe interesting and important observations

• Highlight the originality of your research

• Divide into numbered and headed sections. These sections separate the different main
ideas in a logical order

Use diagrams, tables, figures and formulae to illustrate your point and make your report more
visually appealing. Integrate them into the main body.

 Conclusion
Conclusion should be a strong, effective, and brief summing up of the essential features of
your research including:

• Whether you have achieved your main goal

• Summarise your key findings
 • Focus on the most important outcomes of your research and their significance

 Recommendations
In this section you will include the results of tests and experiments, specific design problems,
and practical problem solutions. When giving an answer to your problem, be sure to include
any limitations to your findings.

 References
Acknowledge all the information and ideas you’ve incorporated from other sources into your
report using a consistent referencing style. This includes data, tables and figures.

 Appendices
You can include any further material which is essential for full understanding of your report
in appendices. If you have data that is too detailed or lengthy to include (e.g. raw data,
diagrams, comprehensive drawings, specifications) in the report itself, include it in the
appendix.