Chapter: 2

Technical Communication
What is technical communication?
• Communication of technical information
• Technical:
 scientific
Engineering
Products
Services
Medical etc.
Computer applications
• involves the delivery of clear, consistent, and factual information, usually about
product and services
• a task performed by specialized employees or consultants.
• For example, a professional writer may work with a company to produce a user
manual.
• is a genre of non-fiction writing
• encompasses not only technical materials such as manuals, instructions,
specifications, and software documentation
• also includes writing produced in day-to-day business operations such as
correspondence, proposals, internal communications, media releases, and
many kinds of reports
 Evolution of Technical
Communication
• History dates back to ancient Greece, Rome and Sumerian civilizations
• Descriptions of scientific and astronomical observations used to be given
orally
• During the Renaissance period( 1400-1600 AD), Copernicus, Leonardo Da
Vinci, and Newton provided technical details and drawings on how to use and
operate their inventions
• Samuel Chandler Earle: Father of Technical Communication
• Wrote a book The Theory and Practice of Technical Writing( 1911)
• Technical communication gained more focus after World War I
• Western governments spent large amounts of money writing manuals and
instructions on how to use modern weapons and other defense products
• After the war, large telecom and car manufacturing companies established
technical communication departments within their organizations
• First computer related technical manual( 1949) by Joseph D. Chapline
• Technical communication gained further momentum after the expansion of
technical industries especially electronics and computer industries
• Legislations made it compulsory for organizations to produce certain technical
documents
• Technical communication was existent even in the ancient period
• Ayurveda( dating back to more than 5000 years ago) is full of instructional
technical information
• Manusmriti: equally technical in nature
• The expansion of telecommunication companies and growth of technology has
widened the scope of technical communication in Nepal
 Forms of Technical
Communication
There are many different forms of technical communication. Some of these forms are
as follows:
• Television
• Radio
• Teleconferencing
• videoconferencing
• Speeches
• Online Documents
• Manuals
• Email
• Webinars etc..
• Some of these forms are thought of more often, like manuals and email, when
thinking of technical communication.
• Other forms, such as television and radio, can also be used to communicate
technical communication.
• The fundamental form of technical communication is still either oral( as in
telephone conversation, video conferencing, presentations) or written( as in
reports, brochures, blogs etc.
• The oral form offers:
Immediacy
Flexibility
Spontaneous feedback
Receptivity
Interactivity
A high level of transparency etc..
• It is time-saving and effective in resolving problems
• Its disadvantages:
Less authentic( no records maintained)
Messages can be long and distorted
Requires long receptivity and attentiveness( limitation of human memory)
• Written form is better for evidence and record
• It is
More organized
Precise
Permanent
Allows for clarification and verification
Reliable for lengthy content and data
• Its demerits:
Costly in production and delivery
Involves paperwork and burden
Requires skilled human resources to write
 Domains of Technical Communication
• originated in the field of engineering and construction
• Mostly takes place in the field of new technologies today
• Has been diversified and is used in almost all the fields like Mathematics,
sciences, politics and law, and so on
• All the areas like government, private sector, NGOs, INGOs require regular
correspondence, writing technical reports etc.
• Some language and style differences in certain domains like legal and
bureaucratic field
• In the modern-day work environments, all the domains interact within the
society
• Interactions across highly specialized fields are frequent these days
 Principles of Effective Technical Communication
1. Know your purpose
2. Know your audience
3. Be simple, clear and concise in language
4. Be specific, concrete and accurate in details
5. Adopt appropriate format, approach, style and tone
6. Show, just don’t tell
7. Adhere to ethical and legal principles, and respect cultural sensitivities
8. Make your communication accessible, relevant and easy to use
9. Collaborate
10. Be prepared to correct errors
11. Be creative
 Types of Technical Communication
• Anything such as speech by an engineer, a business letter, a driving guide book
a job application , a manual etc. is the example of technical communication
• Technical communication is classified on the basis of domains:
Technical communication in workplace
Profession
Academia
Business
Technology sector
Types
1. Mail/correspondence
 All the business, official and professional letters and memos
 For example: sales letters, letters of enquiry, order letters, circular letters, cover letters,
acceptance letters, acknowledgement letters, application letter, complaint letter etc
2. Documentation/Records
 Meeting minutes, bookkeeping, transcription of interview, lecture notes, speech or
presentations etc.
3. Forms/receipts
 Work-order form, survey questionnaire form, record keeping form, tax form, progress
record form, evaluation form etc
4. Planning
 Meeting agenda, event schedule, itinerary, business plan, action plan etc.
5. Instructions/Manuals /Guides
 User guides, training manuals, operational guides, travel guides, instructions, safety
guidelines, installation guides etc.
6. Proposals/agreements/ policies
 Call for proposals, request for proposals, sales proposal, project grant or research
proposals, contracts, memorandum of understanding etc.
7. Oral/presentation/group work
 Oral presentations, oral reports, group discussions, speeches, presentations, webinars,
videoconferencing etc
8. Reports
 Progress report, field visit report, lab reports etc
9. Evaluation
 Monitoring and evaluation report, performance report, audit report, feasibility report
etc.
10. promotion/outreach/informative
 Leaflets, flyers, brochures, advertisements, banners, posters, newsletters etc.
• All these types of technical writing have persuasive approaches
• Four approaches are common:
Descriptive
Instructional
Persuasive
Evaluative
 Importance of Technical
Communication
• Personal Value
Essential for using new media technologies
New media technologies( smartphones, computers etc. ) as integral part of our lives for
basic personal communication
Necessary to become a good communicator( with good language use and interpersonal
communication skills)
• Workplace communication
Every organization depends on communication
The volume of formal communication in large organizations is bigger
Formal communication requires good technical communication skills
Technical communication: hand in hand with product development
• Complex environments
Communication in modern day organizations: increasingly becoming complex
Business: advancing globally
Workforce in organizations: diversified
Organizations : becoming more and more complex in size, structures and areas of work
Need of a well-coordinated communication process
Technical communication needed to bridge the gap between experts and the general
public
 Career prospects
• Many career prospects worldwide
• World is getting digitalized
• Most opportunities in electronics and ICT sector
• Also in government, law, medicine and tourism sector
• In Nepal, good opportunities in software industries and NGOs and INGOs
• People with language, translation and new media skills have good prospects
• Growth of outsourcing business in Nepal has improved options for technical
communicators
• Quite a challenging job ( requires long hours of work on computers)
• Prospects as technical writers and editors, content writers, instructional
designers, indexers, teachers and researchers of technical communication etc.
 Questions
Short-answer Questions
a. What is technical communication?
b. What are some of the main forms of technical communication?
Long-answered Questions
c. Write a few paragraphs about the evolution of technical communication.
d. What are the principles of effective technical communication? Discuss.
e. Write in your own words an essay on ‘Importance of Technical
Communication’.
f. Write a few paragraphs about the career prospects in technical
communication. What specific skills does a person require in order to
become a good technical communicator?