2. What should be considered to be an effective
communicator?
To be an effective technical communicator you must consider:
o Purpose of document
oYour target audience
oThe context in which you are writing or presenting.
3. Considerations determines:
• Knowing purpose helps the writer to know what format or style of
writing the writer needs to use.
• Considering the audience helps the writer or presenter to meet the
needs of that audience and communicate with her/his appropriately.
• Context largely determines how the reader or listener receive and
interpret the message and helps writer to select appropriate format
or way for delivering message.
4. 1.Purpose
• The first consideration of any technical communicator should be the
purpose of document or presentation.
• The technical communication is designed to be useful or practical.
• It may function to motivate the reader or the listener to make
decision.
• Purpose helps writer to select correct format.(ex. complaint letter)
• It may function to inform the audience about a policy or procedure.
So the writer should know the goal of the
communication to convey the message effectively.
5. Example:
If a technical writer is creating a user guide
• The document should be well detailed to answer all the questions
that audience may have.
• It should have a clear and detailed table of content to fulfill all the
needed information in an easy and effective way.
• It should have clear headings.
• Should include all definitions and explanations.
Because
It is an exhaustive work
6. Example: if a client has requested to create a document to include
mission statement of company, rules, regulation and information
about employee performance guideline
• An email is not enough because it is too brief and informal.
• A proposal is not appropriate.
Because
• its purpose is to inform the audience not to persuade
So a policy or procedure manual can be the best format.
It means that technical communicator should have working knowledge
of general formats to select appropriate format based on the purpose.
7. Audience Analysis
At beginning of project writer should consider audience.
Writer should know:
• Who will be the audience?
• What are their individual needs?
• What will the audience will do with the information from presentation or
document?
• What is the knowledge level of audience?
• What does the audience already know and what is still needed?
Answer of these questions help writer to select the content, format, and way
of delivering information.
9. Audience
• As a technical communicator it is hard to create effective document if the
audience is not clear.
• Technical communicator should know that the audience is a professional or
unprofessional person.
• Knowing audience helps writer for addressing audience appropriately.
• The used language by writer for a technical expert audience and an
audience who has limited technical knowledge should be different.
• For example: if the audience is a technical expert the writer can use the
needed terminologies but if not writer should use different examples to
define the complex terms or explain the terms for better understanding.
10. Different types of Audience
1. Technical audiences
2. Non- Technical audiences
3. Mixed audiences
4. International audiences
11. 1. Technical Audience
When the audiences are those who have technical knowledge and are
familiar with the subject:
• Definitions are largely unnecessary unless new terms are used.
• An expert audience may be annoyed with explanations which are common
in the industry.
• A good technical communicator will not annoy and waste time of expert
audience by using unnecessary information.
12. 2.Non-technical audiences
• If the audience is not familiar with terms and subject writer should
use definitions and it needs time.
• Clear examples with real models are very effective.
• Definitions break the technical terms to small and easy parts.
13. 3.Mixed Audiences
If the audiences are sharing different levels of knowledge:
• It is important that the technical communicator should researches all
abilities of audiences before creating documents.
• Should know who are the minority and majority based on that should
make a decision.
14. 4.International Audiences
International audience means audiences from different culture and
different ethnic groups.
Writer should consider the following points:
• language: some terminologies may be universal but others are not, in
such case communicators should use definitions.
• Avoid using slangs.( It is not taught in second language classes).
• Consider cultural differences
• Technical communicator should research about all these points to
convey the message effectively.
