English 393BL Definition PPT

1. DEFINITION

2. EXTENDED DEFINITION
Purpose
 Define a term related to your semester-long project
Length
 Audience Description = 200 words (approximately 1
paragraph)
 Extended Definition = 300 words (approximately 1
page)

3. DEFINITION BASICS
• Choose a term with which the audience is unfamiliar or terms that
may have multiple meanings which you need to narrow or specify.
• Begin with a one sentence definition that make your intent
clear to your readers and to give you a basis to build your extended
definition.
• Select 2-3 Tactics/Techniques of Definition to clarify your
extended definition specifically for your selected audience.

4. AUDIENCE
A member of your primary, secondary, or tertiary
audience
 Audiences will some familiarity of the field, but not an
expertise, are generally good ones for this assignment
 If your project audience is a group, pick one member
to target for the Definition assignment
 Fully describe your audience using traits that you can
connect to within the Definition

5. AUDIENCE
Example Audience
Tertiary audience for the project: students in ENME392
during the Fall 2014 semester
Audience for the Definition: John Chung, a Mechanical
Engineering junior, who is registered for ENME392 for the
Fall 2014 semester

6. EIGHT TECHNIQUES/TACTICS OF DEFINITION
The keys to unlocking meaning
1. Example
Provide concrete instances of a term to make it easier
to understand
Sample term: VOIP
Skype is an example of a second-generation
VOIP, while GoogleTalk is a third generation VOIP.

7. EIGHT TECHNIQUES/TACTICS OF DEFINITION
The keys to unlocking meaning
2. Compare and/or contrast
Describe similarities and differences
Sample term: VOIP
VOIP is like regular phone service, in that it allows you to
place calls to your family back home in Israel. Unlike
traditional long distance, VOIP is much cheaper. However,
you may find the call quality inferior to a land line or even
your cell phone.

8. EIGHT TECHNIQUES/TACTICS OF DEFINITION
The keys to unlocking meaning
3. Analogy
Compare two different things (for instance, likening a CPU to a brain)
Sample term: VOIP
“VoIP takes audio signals and turns (them) into small packets of
data. These packets of data are like multi-colored marbles
running through a serious of chutes or pipes…Using VoIP, these
marbles (i.e. spoken words) are placed in a timed sequence,
where they roll through the system of pipes, are split apart, mixed
with other marble collections from all over the world, and at the
end arrive in the exact order necessary to rebuild the original
spoken sentence.”1

9. EIGHT TECHNIQUES/TACTICS OF DEFINITION
The keys to unlocking meaning
4. Negation
Best used to clarify or highlight two things that may be confused
(such as explaining the differences between ambulatory and
ambulance)
Sample term: VOIP
VoIP is not merely another type of phone carrier, like Sprint
or AT&T.

10. EIGHT TECHNIQUES/TACTICS OF DEFINITION
The keys to unlocking meaning
5. Partition
Divide into smaller parts
Sample term: VOIP
A VOIP phone system allows you to merge your entire
communications network into one unified system – placing
your voice, data, wireless, and other business communication
tools on the same network.

11. EIGHT TECHNIQUES/TACTICS OF DEFINITION
The keys to unlocking meaning
6. Principle of Operation
Describe how something works
Sample term: Webinar
Webinars typically have audio and visual components. The
visual component of a webinar is shared through a web
conferencing tool or Internet browser. The audio portion of a
webinar is usually broadcast through the audience’s
computers or through the telephone. A webinar also allows the
moderator to interact with an audience: the audience can ask
the moderator questions in real-time through an instant
messaging tool.

12. EIGHT TECHNIQUES/TACTICS OF DEFINITION
The keys to unlocking meaning
7. Etymology
Give a history of the word itself
Sample term: Webinar
The term webinar is a combination of the words “web” and
“seminar.”

13. EIGHT TECHNIQUES/TACTICS OF DEFINITION
The keys to unlocking meaning
8. Graphic
Use a well-explained illustration targeted specifically to your
audience’s knowledge, needs, and interests
VOIP: Webinar:

14. FINAL THOUGHTS
As always, keep in mind the needs of your audience
• Format is appropriate to purpose.
• Language and vocabulary are appropriate for audience.
• Techniques are well-chosen for the term and audience.
• Techniques connect directly and specifically to the traits listed in
the audience description.
• Material is organized logically.
• Text is concise and correct.
• Graphics are effectively explained within the text.

15. RESOURCES
“Phones 101: What Exactly is VoIP anyway?” PhoneWorx.
http://www.phoneworx.com/phones-101-so-what-exactly-is-voip-anyway/
(cited at 1)
Markel, Mike. Technical Communication.
“Web Conferencing,” Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webinar