Chapter #1
"Characterizing Workplace Communication"
Due Week 2
pg. 3-35
Main Headings:
1) Importance of Effective Communication
2) Defining Technical Communication
3) Context of Constructing Meaning
4) Accessibility, Comprehensibility, and Usability
5) Communication in the Workplace
6) Constraints that Communicators Encounter
7) Individual and Collaborative Assignments
Chapter 1 discusses Technical Communiction and all its components. Technical Communication defines, describes, and directs activities in business and industry, government and research institutions, hospitals and farms. Almost all professions have technical documents, oral presentations, and visuals. No matter what field of study or profession technical communication is every where.
Importance of Technical Communication
Technical communicators has responsibility to design, develop and produce documents, oral and visual presentations.
To achieve a career success and have greater job satisfaction one should communicate effectively. Even the surveys reports shows how much is speaking and writting skills important for success. For effective communication, everything should be logically, gramatically correct and appealing. The person possessing these skills are more effective in communication. With effective commmunication, one can handle a person, a team, or an organization.
Definition of Technical Communication
Technical communicataion is defined rhetorical based on rhetorical elements like content, context, purpose, audience, organization, visuals, document designs, uability, language, and conventions. These above elememts should be considered by an experienced communicators. An effective technical communication can define, direct, and describe activities and members inside a workplace or in different sectors of a community.
Context of Constructing Meaning
A communicators delievers something but the meaning is constructed by the audience. So, the interpretation of the audience varies. It can be affected by exuberance which means the interpretation always adds something not intended and deficiency which means the interpretation always ignores things that have been noticed. We can say that the information and situation in constructing a meaning is dynamic, the respond varies in a particular situation.
i. Technology and Ethics in technical communication
Technical word relates to technology, so is the fast growing technology is affecting Technical communication. One of the technology that is fast growing is Computer-mediated Communication. Its a way to communicate, interact with, retrieve and interpret information in variety of context and shape communication for variety of purposes. The technology can influence several factors though.
a> take notes, sustain reading lengthy notes, keep track of yourself where you are.
b> managing active windows.
c> privacy- monitoring the activities in a workplace, work under privacy laws.
d> Immediacy - Based on time delays, there are two communication. Synchronus communication is simulataneous at real time like chat room, white board environment.
Asynchronus communication is digital communication like voice mail, e-mail, or online which may have certain time delay but this type of communication allows more time for
reflection and can be more productive.
e> Permanency - Backing up data files helps retrieving the erased data. A main server can be kept the data that we might think is erased and can be referenced in future.
Besides having purpose to inform and persuade audience, an effective communicator consider factors considering himself in situation of an audience. He should know how an audience will feel and interpret to his ideas. So, his ideas must construct a meaning. Technical communicators have to make difficult decisions but there might various way to resolve it. But dealing with ethical dilemmas is not always easy and they obviously exist. But one should be aware of and avoid ethical violation in a workplace so that it might not affect your belief and standing in your workplace. The information to be included or excluded depends on ethics.
Accesibility, Comprehensibility, and Usability
Documents, audio-visual presentation must meet the criterias for reader, listener, and viewer i.e. should be
i] accessible- can be seen and heard.
ii] comprehensible- can be understood.
iii] usable- can be used easily and productively.
Physical factors of audience, environment, text, oral and visual presentations affect the accessibility, comprehensibility, and usability of the information.
Communication in the Workplace
Communicating in the workplace exist through different forms. Each situation requires some form of technical document, oral presentation, or visual aid and the list could go on and on because the terminology is not standardized. There are five standard workplace documents a technical brochure, a Power Point Presentation, a technical report, a Web site, and a set of instructions.
Standard Elements you can use or look for in your own communication:
1) Preview what's to come.
2) Define critical terms.
3) Use headings to call attention to key points.
4) Select details appropriate for the audience's level of understanding.
5) Use a design that contributes to accessiility, comprehensibility, and usability.
6) Select typographic devices (such as bullets, italics, and boldfacing) to call attention to information.
7) Use visuals (such as a table) to reinforce, illustrate, or explain the text.
Constraints that Communicators Encounter
No matter what type of document you will be creating there will always be constraints to work in.
1) Time constraints
2) Subject and Format Constraints
3) Audience Constraints
4) Collaboration as a Constraint
5) Constraints in Data Collection
6) Constraints in Technology
7) Constraints Caused by Noise
Individual and Collaborative Assignments
A guide to help teach employees and other about technical communication.
1) Define technical communication
2) Identify general audiences
3) Identify accessibility, comprehensibility, and usability?
-Who's the sponsor?
-Who are the intended audiences?
-How accessible is the site?
-How easy is the site to understand?
-How easy is the site to use?
4) Assess a short memo
-weekly progress
5) Assess a technical explanation
Chapter Summary
This chapter is full of information of what should be considered and how to go about creating technical documents. The lists of what things to be considered in your documents I found to be most valuable. Hopefully, you will better understand what things you need to start creating technical documents.
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26 comments:
Very well broken up with the main points emphasized. The chapter talked of using bullets and numbering to help point out the important information and such methods helped to enhance this summary. The entire chapter itself works great as an opening to this book. Not only does it give the how, but also the why. There are a lot of underlying concepts to technical communication that many people do not see or fully understand. Having at least the basic knowledge of such will not only help you in future employment, but also in you everyday life. Overall, I thought that the chapter was very informative and that the summary was well written and covered all the most important concepts of the reading.
Laughing as I read the bulleted section of page 11, I realized that I have been living this exact section since the start of Spring semester. Sustaining reading of lengthy text, keeping track of your place in the text, managing multiple, active on-screen windows, locating difficult or confusing information, and checking other places in the text and returning to your original place, has been a daily occurrence in each and every area. When this semester is over, providing I survive, BRING IT ON!
Technical communication is vital for employment to all sort of industry.Many things which this subject helps was more imporatant to develop future. The way this doing the work like designing and developing is more focused and imply in this days.This communication is mainly in the skills of people who present it and also it indentify the important part by way of using effects like italics,bullets etc. This gives more systemic and easy to understand.And way of representing this chapter was more impotant because of the keys points. And the summary was good and made it more clear.This reading made me more informative in this field and i think it will help me futher.
After reading this summary, I now feel a lot more sure about the exact meaning of technical communication. We all use it in our classes and will more than likely continue to use it in our future professions. It's crazy how fast technology is changing, there's always something new. So it can be hard to keep up at times but it's also very helpful. It helps with scheduling, resumes, and other documents. Technology makes it easy to share these documents with others very quickly. I enjoy using technical communication because I can get things done a lot faster.
The summary of chapter one was very well organized. I think that we still have a lot to learn from technology just becuase of the fact that it grows at such a fast rate. Once you get something there is always something else new in the next month. I think the main thing is to keep updated on current technical communication becuase it will increase the probability that you may get the job you want in the future and it pays to have this at your finger tips everyday.
Technical communication a very important in this modern technological world. The cahpter summery is successful to present the importance in the field of the employement as well as persons daily use. These all most all the company is looking for the person will good technical communication skill, at least having the basic knowledge. Technology enables to present one view or idea in an organised way where we can use the different rhetorical elements more meaningful and comprehensible. This well organised chapter summery helped me a lot to know more about the technical communication, which will help me in my future.
The 6 comments that are posted so far on Chapter 1 are interesting. Karen has a humorous but realistic reaction to workplace communication. That is clearly a personal connection with the chapter topic. That is our aim with the comments: make the topics in the chapter connect with your own experience at work or at university.
I think that technical communication is one of the most import things an employer will look at during an interview. When I have gone in to an interview, I try to clear up my speech and instead of trying to talk a lot I try to get right to the point. As people get more knowledge in technical communication I feel that it will be a help for them when they do graduate and go to get there first job in their field. This was a very good chapter summer of all the main points.
i think that this is a good summary of chapter 1. it was broken down into clear sections and was simple to read. i couldnt find any spelling or grammar errrors. i agree that technical communication is an important tool for communicating in the workplace. i think that this chapter did succeed in helping understand how to create a technical document and how to share information with my peers in the workplace
I think this chapter brought out some very important points to the way you should communicate. thechnical communication is a very important part of our economy today and we need to learn how to use it efficiently. i have not used technical communication in the workplace since i only work at a gas station, but i have a few times here at school. i have had to give a few different powerpoint presentations in class. i think that these presentations can really help people out if they do not have the proper skills to get up infront of alot of people and just talk.
Techinical Communication, along with any form of communication, is without a doubt the most important thing to any society. None of us would be hear with out it. As far as technical communication it is important to the buisness aspects of our lives because it helps accomplish things more efficiently.
technical communication is a very important thing in our lives. it helps us organize ourselves and inform us on things that we may not be so familiar with. technical communication could come in handy if you needed directions to an area that you didnt know how to get to. by looking at a map you can figure out how to get to your destination. maps are a form of tech. comm. because they give you certain information such as distance, directions, streets, and main land marks
I have used technical communication all of my life. Although we dont really realize technical communication is part of our everyday lives. Technical communication is very important because it is a very professional way to make things look better. For example text, images, animation, models are a huge factor in reaching an audience that is unaware of what is going on. Technical communication ties into almost everything we do it just takes the learning tool to realize it.
I feel that this group did a good job of summarizing this chapter and explaining exactly what technical communications are. I never realized how much material was covered by technical communications. I also like the way the summary was organized and clean. I feel that as technology continues to grow we all are going to have to adapt with it and our skills in technical communications will definitely going to help us do that.
I feel that this group did a good job of summarizing this chapter and explaining exactly what technical communications are. I never realized how much material was covered by technical communications. I also like the way the summary was organized and clean. I feel that as technology continues to grow we all are going to have to adapt with it and our skills in technical communications will definitely going to help us do that.
Seykora's and Rajbhandari's blog on chapter one contained some useful and practical information. Like the blog said, it is obvious that technical communication abilities are in high demand within the work sector. In fact, I recall a recent survey of skills that companies are seeking in new employees. The number one skill was communications skills. This was above motivation and team work- which most people belive are the top skills employers seek. Another important aspect in the chap 1 blog to note on is the fact that communication is up for interpretation. That is, audiences may percieve your presentation differently than what you had initially intended. Therefor, it is important to use correct word choices and carefully review and plan out your work. Lastly, I would like to comment on the difference between synchronous and asynchronous communication. It is apparent that asynchronous communication is becoming the dominant form of communication. It is imperative to be familiar with asynchronous communication techniques to strive in this age of technology.
When I first heard about technical communication, I associated it with certain professions like engineering. This is because when engineers design, build a product, they have to write documents that describe the operation and also instructions on how to use it. Technical communication as stated in the book, defines, describes, and directs activities in business and industry, government and research institutions, hospitals and farms. It’s not just specific to certain professions but it’s used by all. As a professional in any field, technical communication skills are important if you were to effectively communicate with others not in your profession. This involves considering your audience, language, context, and content.
The authors who summarized this chapter did a very good job of breaking down the main ideas into several topics and more specific pieces of information. Knowing the proper and effective way to create a technical document is always crucial in communicating in and outside of the workplace. It shows a very effective way to create and present a technical document. It also ties in the chapter I wrote on about being able to communicate in the workplace. This chapter summary will be helpful to ANYONE who wants to create a document for work or school. They did a good job summarizing this chapter.
This is a great chapter summary, all the information is there for everyone to read and understand. The only thing i would change is making things pop out at the reader, i got a little lost and wasnt sure what the main parts were, use bolds or indents to emphasize. I thought all the summarizing was well done on communication and have learned a lot from the summary.
Communication can be the deciding factor sometimes on whether you get a job or not. I feel not only does this relate to me but it relates to anyone looking for a career down the road. Not only does this break down each main idea it shows you a step by step process that will help me for years to come. For people having problems with talking in public this would be a great step In helping out an old habit or conquering a fear and I think I need to use this more to have a lot more ease with pressure situations.
Chapter one was once again well done by Bradley Seykora and Sachin Rajbhandari. Communication is probably the most important part of our everyday life because nothing can really be done without it. They do a nice job of going through and talking about what kinds of different communications there are and also what type of communication is right for the right time. Listening is just as important as talking or doing and they hit the nail on the head when they explained about how different people take things differently so when you are communicating in the workplace, you need to think of all the parties involved.
Whether we realize it or not we all deal with technical communication every day. THere are good ways and bad ways of communicating, however. I think this chapter (and the summary) did a good job of giving some tips and guidelines that will help us communicate more effectively. In the workplace this is especially important, and becoming more important every day.
being able to communicate well in the work place is one of the most imprtant things that a group of people in the work place can have. this is so very crucial to a business because when a company has good comunication, the company is going to be alot more productive, which makes the company more money. good communication also reduces the amount of errors that the company will encounter, which also brings in more money,and that will make everybody more happy, thus a better, happier work environment
Communicating effectively can be achieved with many different approaches. This chapter specifically focuses on the technical aspect of communication. A few good ways to do this is using visuals, like in a power point presentation, or by using a word processor to create a message that others would be able to read, as well as keeping your document proofread. Doing this correctly would include many of the same topics brought up with planning and drafting, such as defining critical ideas and selecting the right details to show a specific audience. Showing too much technical data could confuse your client or associates.
Almost every job requires some kind of technical communication. It is a very important topic in understanding not only communication but also this class. They did a good job describing what technical communication is and how it is used in various situations. I think the section on communication in the work place is very important because we need to know how to communicate with everyone we work with and around. The summary was very good and can help us understand more about technical communication.
No matter what term of your life you're in, communication in the workplace is important. In my own life, I have seen the days of forms that had to be filled out with the instruction at the top of the page "Press hard, 5 copies, black ink only," to the days of filling in the blanks of the same form on the computer. The message is still the same, only the presentation has changed. In today's world you don't call someone a f*&^%#g idiot, you say he is mentally challenged.
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