DEFINE TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION

What Is Technical Communication?

Communication Use words, pictures, video, sound and animation

Technical Refer to any body of knowledge not commonly understood.

Information Include user guides, manuals, recommendation reports, progress reports, SOPs, and so on.

Specific purpose Can be informative, instructive, or persuasive.

Specific audience Range from beginners/non-technical to seasoned veterans/technical.

Needs Require specific needs for information. Need background on a topic, instructions for equipment, recommendations on which product to purchase, etc

Specific situation Business, professional or industrial applications – solves a workplace problem or a need.

Tools Use various communication methods to convey their message – print, online, on screen

Types Of Technical Writing

1. Technical object or mechanism description

2. Directional process

3. Informational process

4. SOP

5. Recommendation & feasibility report

Let’s Speak

• Without naming the object, describe it to your class. Can they guess the object?

• For example: You use this in the kitchen. You use it when you’re cooking potatoes or carrots. It’s easy to use and safer than a knife. It’s made from metal. It doesn’t need batteries. It’s not expensive.

What is Technical Description?

• A mechanism or technical description explains and describes an object or a system.

• A mechanism or technical description can vary from basic to elaborate, from miniscule to large, and from inanimate to living.

• A description may have any number of parts, and each part has a specific function. The parts work together toward a definite purpose.

Subject of Description

1. Tools and machinery (a claw hammer consists of a handle, claw, cheek, neck, and face)

2. Organisms (a tree consists of roots, leaves, and bark)

3. Substances (automotive paints contain chemicals such as toners, reducers, and hardeners)

4. Locations (a construction site includes terrain and buildings)

5. Systems (a plant includes its reproductive system)

3-minute Talk

Search the internet for a technical description of one of the following objects:

1. Claw hammer

2. Tree

3. Bow saw

4. Flower

A Claw Hammer

Face • Flat surface used to drive a nail

into a material. Cheek • The sides of the hammer head,

between the claw and the face. Eye • Hollowed-out part of the

hammer head into which the handle is inserted.

Claw • The cleaved peen can be used

to extract bent or partially driven nails.

A Tree

Lily

Common names: lily, Asiatic lily, Oriental lily

Description: Trumpet-shaped flowers grow to a 6-inch diameter. Stems grow to 3 feet long, carrying four to eight blossoms. Sparse foliage is dark green. Because blooms open at various times, most lilies live one to two weeks. Colors include white, yellow, pink, red and orange; many have a deeper color (freckles) on the inner petal.

Special care: To prevent pollen from staining petals or clothing, remove stamens.

Sources Of Description

• Purpose • Size• Shape• Color• Texture/Finish – rough,

smooth, wavy, shiny, dull, dark, glossy

• Dimensions – l, h, w, d, w• Materials – wood, steel

• Methods of attachment – screwed, nailed, glued, welded

• Orientation of parts to each other – above, below, to the left/right

• Capacity/Volume/Amount• Pattern/Design• Smell/Odor• Age

Let’s Read

1. Micro Floppy Disc

• Focus on outline, sources of description and language (tense used, active vs passive voice, parts of speech, sentence structures, transitions)

Organizing Technical Description

Spatialtop to bottom

outside to inside

exterior to interior

part by part

component by component

Sources of Description1. Purpose 2. Size3. Shape4. Color5. Texture/Finish – rough, smooth, wavy,

shiny, dull, dark, glossy6. Dimensions – l, h, w, d, w7. Materials – wood, steel8. Methods of attachment – screwed,

nailed, glued, welded9. Orientation of parts to each other –

above, below, to the left/right10. Capacity/Volume/Amount11. Pattern/Design12. Smell/Odor13. Age

Organizing Technical Description(part-by-part approach)

See how many parts you can name for one of the following objects:

1. Reading glasses

2. Camera

3. Handphone

4. Watch

Organizing Technical Description(part-by-part approach)

refer Kitchen King Toaster

CONCLUSION

Sum up the main parts and how it works

DESCRIPTION of MAIN PARTS

(each part) Details of each main part (purpose, size, shape, dimensions, attachment methods, color, texture, materials, location, orientation, etc)

INTRODUCTION State definition/purpose of object, general description (color, size, weight, etc), overview of parts

Let’s Read

1. Rayovac Flashlight

• Focus on outline, sources of description and language (tense used, active vs passive voice, parts of speech, sentence structures, transitions)

Let’s Speak

Describe and talk about one of the following:

Time given is three minutes.

1. CAMERA 4. WATCH

2. LAPTOP 5. THUMBDRIVE3. HANDPHONE 6. EAR PHONE

Parts of Speech – Basic Building Blocks(adj, adv, art, conj, n, prep, pro, v)

Miriam (n) is (v) a (art) very (adv) nice (adj) young (adj)

woman (n). She (pro) comes (v) from (prep) Iran (n),

and (conj) she (pro) is (v) studying (v) at (prep)

our (adj) school (n).

Parts of Speech

• Based on a reading text, list as many nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs as possible within 60 seconds. Refer Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W120.

NOUNS VERBS ADJECTIVE ADVERB

Organizing Technical Description

CONCLUSION

Sum up the main parts and how it works

DESCRIPTION of MAIN PARTS

(each part) Details of each main part (purpose, size, shape, dimensions, attachment methods, color, texture, materials, location, orientation, etc)

INTRODUCTION State definition/purpose of object, general description (color, size, weight, etc), overview

of parts

Organizing Your Speech

Assessment 1 (3-min. presentation of an object)

Contents (8 marks) • Introduction • Main points & supporting

points• Conclusion

Language (16 marks) • Transition signals• Specific language in describing

an object • Tenses • Pronunciation

Delivery (16 marks) • Non- verbal cues - Vocal characteristics- Facial expressions - Postures , gestures &

appearance - Visual aids