Effective Business Writing and Communications

Archive for the ‘Professional and Technical Communications’ Category

Morally based consciousness used as a behavioral regulation mechanism is the best “shoot from the hip” definition of ethics that I can pull out of my little suitcase of words. As legalism is ruled by physical consequence, it is the social member that is aware of their own social quality that acts ethically. Society wide implications are at the core of one’s ethical presence in writing. The lifetime scope of a manuscripts audience is uncertain.

The utilitarian component of the ethically aware writer focuses on the macro social, post publication condition of the audience and future potential literate recipients. The motivations behind any publication that can be considered a “concern for the masses” would be utilitarian by ethical design.

The justice theories concentrate on social equality which is a good set of guidelines and principles that governs all social members. Wide spread social inclusiveness occupies the apex of this particular third slice of the ethical pie. I believe that political correctness would be a topic of thought and discussion for the justice theorist.

Honesty is an ethical principle that technical writers should adhere to and promote. It is the responsibility of the technical writer to give truthful and accurate information. The writer should not omit pertinent information that would change the audience’s perception of the information they are receiving.In technical writing it is important to not over emphasize or under emphasize facts to persuade a reader or an audience.  An example of this is omitting losses in earnings charts.  By omitting the information on years where the company did not realize profits, they could persuade investments that would not have been made if the facts were all present for review.. Honesty in technical writing is important to other ethical principles such as, legal and professional ethics. A technical writer has the obligation to research the laws both nationally and internationally and abide by those laws. Furthermore, a technical writer needs to understand moral ethics whether legal or not and communicate the information appropriately.

Confidentiality is one ethical principle that should be a guide in technical communications.  To divulge trade secrets, formula’s and confidential information about a company and it’s practices is unethical as long as the company is acting within moral and ethical boundaries and may also present legal issues.

The basic understanding of ethical principles help employees think about dilemmas on the job and make right decisions. Wherever the initiative comes, from you or higher instances, dishonesty is always a lie. When the employee is pressed to hide negative information or mislead by exaggerating or communicating the information in a way the product sounds better than it is, this leads to an unethical behavior.

A technical communicator has the obligation to help his organization treat its customers fairly, by providing safe and effective products or services. Fairness mean avoiding conflicts of interests that fit your own goals which are against the company ones. It’s also required to treat people equally regardless of their sex. religion, ethnicity, race, physical or mental ability.

Oatmeal & Uranium

There are two things that any writer needs to have (technical or otherwise) in order to be viable:

1. Something to write about
2. Someone to write it for.

Even if one were to write in a journal, it is written for somebody including one’s future self. A technically concise composition is the homogenization of content simplification and detail accentuation.

Let’s act as if we were to write a technical handbook on the process of cooking oatmeal. As a fictional oatmeal expert, all of the compositional subject matter is swimming around in our (the writers) heads. My potential recipient audience sits at the opposing side of a metaphorical valley.

The goal of the writer is to bridge this gap through organized phraseology.
Realizing the needs and expectations of the audience is another critical point for the technical writer at large. Most writings are scripted in order to inform, inspire or entertain. The technical script is a superficial informer. However, seasoning one’s stereo instructions with a little entertaining spice will help the critical information to  “stick” to the reader.

Back to oats. The process of cooking oatmeal is saturated with steps that need no explanations (washing dishes, opening containers and using serving bowls just to name a few). It is important for us to weed out the  secondary information from the specialized information. Details like cooking times, salt induction and stirring frequency are vital points to be made in our oats manual.
Let’s now make a small jump from oats to uranium. The process of creating synthetic divisions of atomic nuclei is complicated to say the least and I say this as an enthusiast, not an expert. Within the nuclear engineering community, items like feed water valves or reactor core levels are commonplace. Critical mass for the nuclear physicist is as familiar to them as a rolling boil is to the oatmeal chef.

The relational nature of the audience is critical when writing of technicalities. A cook will know what to do to achieve a rolling boil without the concentrated details of holding a pot, filling it with water, putting it on the burner, being specified in the oatmeal instructional manual. In this case, it seems that is not only what one writes, but also what one does not write as well.

A successful technical writer’s skill begins with the ability to write clearly and concisely, has good organizational skills, and the ability to persuade. A technical writer may write reports, manuals, or other company documents, that may contain complex information, and a successful writer has the ability to analyze his or her audience and is able to convey the information clearly with proper tone and logic.

A successful technical writing should posses a wide array of tools to convey his point of view. One important tool is a writer’s diction or vocabulary, well placed words can be very helpful and descriptive. Another key facet to a writer’s arsenal is proper punctuation and format. These things will help any writer push the envelope. In certain technical writings there is a need for an active imagination as well. This is important to a writers versatility

Attention to detail, information gathering and the ability to write clearly would be vital to becoming a successful technical writer. As a technical writer, there are ethical and legal obligations that a writer will encounter, and having these responsibilities, a technical writer will need to have a clear understanding of laws, as well as an understanding of morale ethics. A technical writer should also possess strong skills in using tools such as page layout programs, word processors and publishing tools.