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More from Aimee Kendall Roundtree (20) Week 021. Week 2: Audiences, Research,
Organization, Proposals, Definitions &
Descriptions
ENG 3302
Winter
Roundtree
Chapter 5. Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose Ā©
2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's
2. Table of Contents
Analyzing Your Audience and Purposeā¦ā¦.ā¦slide 3
Researching Your Subjectā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦...ā¦.slide 16
Organizing Your Informationā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦....slide 39
Writing Proposalsā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦.ā¦..slide 54
Writing Definitions, Descriptions Instructionsā¦.slide 72
Chapter 5. Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose Ā©
2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's
3. Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose
Chapter 5. Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose Ā©
2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's
4. Determine four important
characteristics of your audience:
ā¢ Who are your readers?
ā¢ Why is your audience reading your
document?
ā¢ What are your readersā attitudes and
expectations?
ā¢ How will your readers use your document?
Chapter 5. Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 4
5. Consider six factors about
your most important readers:
ā¢ the readerās education
ā¢ the readerās professional experience
ā¢ the readerās job responsibility
ā¢ the readerās personal characteristics
ā¢ the readerās personal preferences
ā¢ the readerās cultural characteristics
Chapter 5. Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 5
6. Classify your readers into three categories:
ā¢ a primary audience of people who will use
your document in carrying out their jobs
ā¢ a secondary audience of people who need to
stay aware of developments in the
organization but who will not directly act on or
respond to your document
ā¢ a tertiary audience of people who might take
an interest in the subject of the document
Chapter 5. Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 6
7. Your readers have
attitudes and expectations:
ā¢ attitudes toward you
ā¢ attitudes toward the subject
ā¢ expectations about the document
Chapter 5. Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 7
8. Why and how will your
readers use your document?
ā¢ Why is the reader reading your document?
ā¢ How will the reader read your document?
ā¢ What is the readerās reading skill level?
ā¢ What is the physical environment in which the
reader will read your document?
Chapter 5. Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 8
9. Learn about your audience:
ā¢ Determine what you already know about your
audience.
ā¢ Interview people.
ā¢ Read about your audience online.
ā¢ Search social media for documents your
audience has written.
Chapter 5. Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 9
10. Understand seven cultural
variables that lie āon the surfaceā:
ā¢ political
ā¢ economic
ā¢ social
ā¢ religious
ā¢ educational
ā¢ technological
ā¢ linguistic
Chapter 5. Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 10
11. Understand six cultural variables
that lie ābeneath the surfaceā:
ā¢ focus on individuals or groups
ā¢ distance between business life and private life
ā¢ distance between ranks
ā¢ nature of truth
ā¢ need to spell out details
ā¢ attitudes toward uncertainty
Chapter 5. Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 11
12. Consider four points about
cultural variables ābeneath the surfaceā:
ā¢ Each variable represents a spectrum of
attitudes.
ā¢ The six variables do not line up in a clear
pattern.
ā¢ Different organizations within the same culture
can vary greatly.
ā¢ An organizationās cultural attitudes are fluid,
not static.
Chapter 5. Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 12
13. Use these eight strategies when
writing for readers from other cultures:
ā¢ Limit your vocabulary.
ā¢ Keep sentences short.
ā¢ Define abbreviations and acronyms in a
glossary.
ā¢ Avoid jargon unless you know your readers are
familiar with it.
Chapter 5. Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 13
14. Use these eight strategies when writing
for readers from other cultures (cont.):
ā¢ Avoid idioms and slang.
ā¢ Use the active voice whenever possible.
ā¢ Be careful with graphics.
ā¢ Be sure someone from the target culture reviews
the document.
Chapter 5. Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's
15. Determine your purpose:
Ask yourself:
ā¢ What do I want this document to accomplish?
ā¢ What do I want readers to know or believe?
ā¢ What do I want readers to do?
Chapter 5. Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 15
17. Understand the differences between
academic and workplace research:
ā¢ In academic research, your goal is to find
information that will help you answer a
scholarly question.
ā¢ In workplace research, your goal is to find
information that will help you answer a
practical question, usually one that involves
the organization for which you work.
Chapter 6. Researching Your Subject Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 17
18. The research process consists of 12 steps:
ā¢ Analyze your audience.
ā¢ Analyze your purpose.
ā¢ Analyze your subject.
ā¢ Visualize the deliverable.
ā¢ Work out a schedule and a budget.
ā¢ Determine what information will need to be
part of that deliverable.
Chapter 6. Researching Your Subject Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 18
19. The research process
consists of 12 steps (cont.):
ā¢ Determine what information you still need to
acquire.
ā¢ Create questions you need to answer in your
deliverable.
ā¢ Conduct secondary research.
ā¢ Conduct primary research.
ā¢ Evaluate your information.
ā¢ Do more research.
Chapter 6. Researching Your Subject Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 19
20. Choose appropriate research methods:
ā¢ What types of research media might you use?
ā¢ What types of research tools might you use?
ā¢ What types of primary research might you
conduct?
Chapter 6. Researching Your Subject Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 20
21. Follow three guidelines
when researching a topic:
ā¢ Be persistent.
ā¢ Record your data carefully.
ā¢ Triangulate your research methods.
Chapter 6. Researching Your Subject Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 21
22. Know the four types of information media:
ā¢ print
ā¢ online databases
ā¢ Web sites
ā¢ social media
Chapter 6. Researching Your Subject Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 22
23. Know how to use six basic research tools:
ā¢ online catalogs
ā¢ reference works
ā¢ periodical indexes
ā¢ newspaper indexes
ā¢ abstract services
ā¢ government information
Chapter 6. Researching Your Subject Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 23
24. Understand these five forms of social media:
ā¢ discussion boards
ā¢ wikis
ā¢ blogs
ā¢ tagged content
ā¢ RSS feeds
Chapter 6. Researching Your Subject Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 24
25. Look for information that is . . .
ā¢ accurate
ā¢ unbiased
ā¢ comprehensive
ā¢ appropriately technical
ā¢ current
ā¢ clear
Chapter 6. Researching Your Subject Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 25
26. When evaluating print and online
sources, examine these five factors:
ā¢ authorship
ā¢ publisher
ā¢ knowledge of the literature
ā¢ accuracy and verifiability of the information
ā¢ timeliness
Chapter 6. Researching Your Subject Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 26
27. Understand the seven techniques
of primary research:
ā¢ observations and demonstrations
ā¢ inspections
ā¢ experiments
ā¢ field research
ā¢ interviews
ā¢ inquiries
ā¢ questionnaires
Chapter 6. Researching Your Subject Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 27
28. Conducting an experiment
consists of four phases:
ā¢ establishing a hypothesis
ā¢ testing the hypothesis
ā¢ analyzing the data
ā¢ reporting the data
Chapter 6. Researching Your Subject Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 28
29. Field research is vulnerable
to two common problems:
ā¢ the effect of the experiment on the behavior
you are studying
ā¢ bias in the recording and analysis of the data
Chapter 6. Researching Your Subject Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 29
30. Consider three factors
when choosing a person to interview:
ā¢ What questions do you want to answer?
ā¢ Who could provide the information you need?
ā¢ Is the person willing to be interviewed?
Chapter 6. Researching Your Subject Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 30
31. Prepare for the interview:
ā¢ Do your homework.
ā¢ Prepare good questions.
ā¢ Check your equipment.
Chapter 6. Researching Your Subject Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 31
32. Begin the interview:
ā¢ Arrive on time.
ā¢ Thank the respondent.
ā¢ State the subject and purpose of the interview.
ā¢ If you want to record the interview, ask
permission.
Chapter 6. Researching Your Subject Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 32
33. Conduct the interview:
ā¢ Take notes.
ā¢ Start with prepared questions.
ā¢ Be prepared to ask follow-up questions.
ā¢ Be prepared to get the interview back on
track.
Chapter 6. Researching Your Subject Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 33
34. Conclude the interview:
ā¢ Thank the respondent.
ā¢ Ask for a follow-up interview.
ā¢ Ask for permission to quote the respondent.
Chapter 6. Researching Your Subject Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 34
35. After the interview, do two tasks:
ā¢ Write down the important information while the
interview is fresh in your mind.
ā¢ Send a brief thank-you note.
Chapter 6. Researching Your Subject Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 35
36. Questionnaires are
vulnerable to three problems:
ā¢ Some of the questions will misfire.
ā¢ You wonāt obtain as many responses as you
want.
ā¢ You cannot be sure the respondents are
representative.
Chapter 6. Researching Your Subject Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 36
37. Using questionnaires effectively
calls for four steps:
ā¢ Ask effective questions.
ā¢ Test the questionnaire.
ā¢ Administer the questionnaire.
ā¢ Present questionnaire data in your document.
Chapter 6. Researching Your Subject Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 37
38. Understand the six
common types of questions:
ā¢ multiple choice
ā¢ Likert scale
ā¢ semantic differentials
ā¢ ranking
ā¢ short answer
ā¢ short essay
Chapter 6. Researching Your Subject Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 38
40. Understand three principles for
organizing technical information:
ā¢ Analyze your audience and purpose.
ā¢ Use conventional patterns of organization.
ā¢ Display your organizational pattern
prominently in the document.
Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 40
41. Ask four questions when you
study documents from other cultures:
ā¢ Does the text follow expected organizational
patterns?
ā¢ Do the introductions and conclusions present
the kind of information you would expect?
ā¢ Does the text appear to be organized linearly?
ā¢ Does the text use headings? If so, does it use
more than one level?
Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 41
42. Display your organizational
pattern prominently:
ā¢ Create a detailed table of contents.
ā¢ Use headings liberally.
ā¢ Use topic sentences at the beginnings of your
paragraphs.
Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 42
43. Understand eight typical
patterns of organization:
ā¢ chronological
ā¢ spatial
ā¢ general to specific
ā¢ more important to less important
ā¢ comparison and contrast
ā¢ classification and partition
ā¢ problem-methods-solution
ā¢ cause and effect
Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 43
44. Follow these three guidelines for
organizing information chronologically:
ā¢ Provide signposts.
ā¢ Consider using graphics to complement the
text.
ā¢ Analyze events where appropriate.
Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 44
45. Follow these three guidelines for
organizing information spatially:
ā¢ Provide signposts.
ā¢ Consider using graphics to complement the
text.
ā¢ Analyze events where appropriate.
Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 45
46. An example of
information organized spatially
Source:
Metropolitan
Museum of Art,
2010
<www.metmuseum.
org/toah/world-
regions/#/09/World-
Map>.
Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 46
47. Follow these two guidelines for organizing
information from general to specific:
ā¢ Provide signposts.
ā¢ Consider using graphics to complement the
text.
Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 47
48. Follow three guidelines for organizing information
from more important to less important:
ā¢ Provide signposts.
ā¢ Explain why one point is more important than
another.
ā¢ Consider using graphics to complement the
text.
Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 48
49. Follow these four guidelines for organizing
information by comparison and contrast:
ā¢ Establish criteria for the comparison and
contrast.
ā¢ Evaluate each item according to the criteria
you have established.
ā¢ Organize the discussion.
ā¢ Consider using graphics to complement the
text.
Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 49
50. Follow these six guidelines for organizing
information by classification or partition:
ā¢ Choose a basis of classification or partition that fits
your audience and purpose.
ā¢ Use only one basis of classification or partition at a
time.
ā¢ Avoid overlap.
ā¢ Be inclusive.
ā¢ Arrange the categories in a logical sequence.
ā¢ Consider using graphics to complement the text.
Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 50
51. An example of information
organized by partition
Source: Canon, 2010
<www.usa-
canon.com/cusa/cons
umer/products/camera
s/digital_cameras/pow
ershot_sx210_is#Box
Content>.
Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 51
52. Follow these five guidelines for organizing
information by problem-methods-solution:
ā¢ In describing the problem, be clear and specific.
ā¢ In describing your methods, help your readers
understand what you did and why you did it that
way.
ā¢ In describing the solution, donāt overstate.
ā¢ Choose a logical sequence.
ā¢ Consider using graphics to complement the text.
Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 52
53. Follow these four guidelines for
organizing information by cause and effect:
ā¢ Explain your reasoning.
ā¢ Avoid overstating your argument.
ā¢ Avoid logical fallacies.
ā¢ Consider using graphics to complement the
text.
Chapter 7. Organizing Your Information Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 53
55. Writing a proposal requires seven steps:
ā¢ Analyze your audience.
ā¢ Analyze your purpose.
ā¢ Gather information about your subject.
ā¢ Choose the appropriate type of proposal.
ā¢ Draft the proposal.
ā¢ Format the proposal.
ā¢ Revise, edit, proofread, and submit the proposal.
Chapter 16. Writing Proposals Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 55
56. The logistics of proposals
Chapter 16. Writing Proposals Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 56
57. Solicited and unsolicited
proposals respond to different needs:
ā¢ Solicited proposals are sent in response to an
information for bid (IFB) or a request for
proposal (RFP).
ā¢ Unsolicited proposals are submitted by a
supplier who believes that the prospective
customer has a need for goods or services.
Chapter 16. Writing Proposals Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 57
58. Proposals lead to two kinds of deliverables:
ā¢ research
ā¢ goods and services
Chapter 16. Writing Proposals Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 58
59. A successful proposal
is a persuasive argument:
ā¢ Show that you understand your readersā
needs.
ā¢ Show that you have decided what you plan to
do and that you are able to do it.
ā¢ Show that you are a professional and that you
are committed to fulfilling your promises.
Chapter 16. Writing Proposals Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 59
60. Follow these six suggestions
when writing international proposals:
ā¢ Understand that what makes an argument
persuasive can differ from one culture to another.
ā¢ Budget enough time for translating.
ā¢ Use simple graphics, with captions.
ā¢ Write short sentences, using common vocabulary.
ā¢ Use local conventions regarding punctuation,
spelling, and mechanics.
ā¢ Ask if the prospective customer will do a read-
through.
Chapter 16. Writing Proposals Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 60
61. Follow these four guidelines
to demonstrate your professionalism:
ā¢ Describe your credentials and work history.
ā¢ Provide your work schedule.
ā¢ Describe your quality-control measures.
ā¢ Include your budget.
Chapter 16. Writing Proposals Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 61
62. Avoid these four
common dishonest practices:
ā¢ saying that certain qualified people will
participate in the project, even though they will
not
ā¢ saying that the project will be finished by a
certain date, even though it will not
ā¢ saying that the deliverable will have certain
characteristics, even though it will not
ā¢ saying that the project will be completed under
budget, even though it will not
Chapter 16. Writing Proposals Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 62
63. There are three reasons
to write honest proposals:
ā¢ to avoid serious legal trouble stemming from
breach-of-contract suits
ā¢ to avoid acquiring a bad reputation, thus
ruining your business
ā¢ to do the right thing
Chapter 16. Writing Proposals Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 63
64. To follow through on a proposal,
you need three categories of resources:
ā¢ personnel
ā¢ facilities
ā¢ equipment
Chapter 16. Writing Proposals Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 64
65. A typical proposal includes six sections:
ā¢ summary
ā¢ introduction
ā¢ proposed program
ā¢ qualifications and experience
ā¢ budget
ā¢ appendixes
Chapter 16. Writing Proposals Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 65
66. An introduction answers seven questions:
ā¢What is the problem or opportunity?
ā¢What is the purpose of the proposal?
ā¢What is the background of the problem or opportunity?
ā¢What are your sources of information?
ā¢What is the scope of the proposal?
ā¢What is the organization of the proposal?
ā¢What key terms will you use in the proposal?
Chapter 16. Writing Proposals Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 66
67. Task schedules are
presented in one of three formats:
ā¢ table
ā¢ bar chart or Gantt chart
ā¢ network diagram
Chapter 16. Writing Proposals Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 67
68. An example of a task schedule as a table
Chapter 16. Writing Proposals Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 68
69. An example of a task
schedule as a bar chart
Chapter 16. Writing Proposals Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 69
70. An example of a task
schedule as a network diagram
A network diagram provides more useful information than either a
table or a bar chart.
Chapter 16. Writing Proposals Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 70
71. There are several techniques
for evaluating completed work:
ā¢ quantitative evaluations
ā¢ qualitative evaluations
ā¢ formative evaluations
ā¢ summative evaluations
Chapter 16. Writing Proposals Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 71
73. What are definitions,
descriptions, and instructions?
ā¢ A definition is typically a brief explanation of
an item or concept using words and
(sometimes) graphics.
ā¢ A description is typically a longer explanation,
usually accompanied by graphics, of an
object, mechanism, or process.
ā¢ A set of instructions is a kind of process
description intended to enable a person to
carry out a task.
Chapter 20. Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 73
74. Definitions have two main uses:
ā¢ Definitions clarify a description of a new
development or a new technology in a
technical field.
ā¢ Definitions help specialists communicate with
less knowledgeable readers.
Chapter 20. Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 74
75. Use these four strategies when defining
terms for readers from another culture:
ā¢ Add a glossary (a list of definitions).
ā¢ Use Simplified English and easily
recognizable terms in definitions.
ā¢ Pay close attention to key terms.
ā¢ Use graphics to help readers understand a
term or concept.
Chapter 20. Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 75
76. There are three types of definitions:
ā¢ parenthetical
ā¢ sentence
ā¢ extended
Chapter 20. Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 76
77. Sentence definitions follow a typical pattern:
Item = category + distinguishing characteristics
Chapter 20. Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 77
78. Follow these four guidelines to
write effective sentence definitions:
ā¢Be specific in stating the category and the
distinguishing characteristics.
ā¢Donāt describe a specific item if you are defining a
general class of items.
ā¢Avoid writing circular definitions.
ā¢Be sure the category contains a noun or a noun phrase
rather than a phrase beginning with when, what, or
where.
Chapter 20. Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 78
79. Eight techniques are
used in extended definitions:
ā¢ graphics
ā¢ examples
ā¢ partition
ā¢ principle of operation
ā¢ comparison and contrast
ā¢ analogy
ā¢ negation
ā¢ etymology
Chapter 20. Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 79
80. Decide where to place the definition:
ā¢ in the text
ā¢ in a marginal gloss
ā¢ in a hyperlink
ā¢ in a footnote
ā¢ in a glossary
ā¢ in an appendix
Chapter 20. Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 80
81. Descriptions are verbal and visual
representations of three items:
ā¢ objects
ā¢ mechanisms
ā¢ processes
Chapter 20. Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 81
82. Follow these four principles
when writing descriptions:
ā¢ Clearly indicate the nature and scope of the
description.
ā¢ Introduce the description clearly.
ā¢ Provide appropriate detail.
ā¢ Conclude the description.
Chapter 20. Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 82
83. Answer these five questions to introduce
object or mechanism descriptions:
ā¢ What is the item?
ā¢ What is the function of the item?
ā¢ What does the item look like?
ā¢ How does the item work?
ā¢ What are the principal parts of the item?
Chapter 20. Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 83
84. Answer these six questions to
introduce process descriptions:
ā¢ What is the process?
ā¢ What is the function of the process?
ā¢ Where and when does the process take place?
ā¢ Who or what performs the process?
ā¢ How does the process work?
ā¢ What are the principal steps of the process?
Chapter 20. Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 84
85. Provide appropriate detail in
mechanism and object descriptions:
ā¢ Choose an appropriate organizational
principle:
ļ§ functional
ļ§ spatial
ā¢ Use graphics.
Chapter 20. Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 85
86. Provide appropriate detail
in process descriptions:
ā¢ Structure the step-by-step description
chronologically.
ā¢ Explain causal relationships among steps.
ā¢ Use the present tense.
ā¢ Use graphics.
Chapter 20. Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 86
87. An example of a process
description based on a graphic
Chapter 20. Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 87
88. Consider five questions
when designing a set of instructions:
ā¢ What are your readerās expectations?
ā¢ Do you need to create more than one set of
instructions for different audiences?
ā¢ What languages should you use?
ā¢ Will readers be anxious about the information?
ā¢ Will the environment in which the instructions
are read affect the document design?
Chapter 20. Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 88
89. Follow these two guidelines
to design clear, attractive pages:
ā¢ Create an open, airy design.
ā¢ Clearly relate the graphics to the text.
Chapter 20. Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 89
90. Examples of cluttered
and attractive page designs
Source: Slide- Source: Anthro,
Lok, 2005 2005
<www.slide- <www.anthro.com/
lok.com/ assemblyinstructio
assembly/P246 ns/300-5237-
8/P2468.pdf>. 00.pdf>.
Chapter 20. Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 90
91. Understand the four signal words
used in manuals and instructions:
ā¢ Danger indicates an immediate and serious hazard
that will likely be fatal.
ā¢ Warning indicates the potential for serious injury or
death or serious damage to equipment.
ā¢ Caution indicates the potential for anything from
moderate injury to serious equipment damage or
destruction.
ā¢ Note indicates a tip or suggestion to help readers
carry out the procedure successfully
Chapter 20. Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 91
92. An example of a safety label
Chapter 20. Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 92
93. A typical set of instructions
includes these four elements:
ā¢ title
ā¢ general introduction
ā¢ step-by-step instructions
ā¢ conclusion
Chapter 20. Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 93
94. Write effective titles for instructions:
Effective titles:
ā¢ How-to. āHow to Install the J112 Shock
Absorberā
ā¢ Gerund. āInstalling the J112 Shock Absorberā
Ineffective titles:
Noun strings. āJ112 Shock Absorber Installation
Instructionsā
Chapter 20. Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 94
95. Consider answering these six questions
when drafting introductions for instructions:
ā¢ Who should carry out this task?
ā¢ Why should the reader carry out this task?
ā¢ When should the reader carry out this task?
ā¢ What safety measures or other concerns should
the reader understand?
ā¢ What items will the reader need?
ā¢ How long will the task take?
Chapter 20. Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 95
96. Follow these six guidelines
when drafting steps in instructions:
ā¢ Number the instructions.
ā¢ Present the right amount of information in each
step.
ā¢ Use the imperative mood.
ā¢ Donāt confuse steps and feedback statements.
ā¢ Include graphics.
ā¢ Do not omit articles (a, an, the) to save space.
Chapter 20. Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 96
97. Typical elements in the
front matter of a manual:
ā¢ introduction or preface
ā¢ overview of the contents
ā¢ conventions section
ā¢ āwhere to get helpā section
ā¢ list of trademarks
Chapter 20. Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 25
98. Typical elements in the
back matter of a manual:
ā¢ set of specifications
ā¢ list of safety regulations and industry
standards
ā¢ tips on maintenance and servicing
ā¢ copyright page
ā¢ index
ā¢ glossary
Chapter 20. Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 26
99. Consider these three questions when
writing instructions for multicultural readers:
ā¢ In what language should the information be
written?
ā¢ Do the text or graphics need to be modified?
ā¢ What is the readerās technological
infrastructure?
Chapter 20. Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions Ā© 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 99