TECH COM 1-10

• Technical Writing

  • Also known as business writing
  • Created to inform/instruct and persuade/argue
  • Transactional writing with a specific purpose and goal
  • Used by most college graduates as part of their work
  • More likely to use technical writing than academic or creative writing
  • Formatting and Language are basic design elements of all technical documents
• Module 2: Technical Writing vs. Creative Writing

  • Creative Writing is a form of artistic expression
  • Technical Writing is writing on a specific topic that requires guidance, instruction, or explanation
  • The main purpose of technical writing is to provide complex information in an understandable way
  • Properties of Technical Writing: Accuracy, Clarity, Descriptiveness, Correctness
  • Technical communication is used to create various materials like brochures, instruction manuals, and product descriptions
  • 7 principles to guide technical writing: Purpose, Audience, Specific content, Clarity, Precision, Visuals, Ethics
• Types of technical writing

  • Legal
  • Medical
  • Scientific
  • Mechanical
  • Business
  • Expository
• Technical writing is always nonfiction, with the purpose of educating or instructing, while Creative writing can be fiction, nonfiction, or a combination of both, and it can serve any purpose
• Laws and Principles of Ethical Communication

  • Do’s and Don’ts of Technical Writing
  • Ethical communication is predicated upon certain business values like being truthful, concise, and responsible
  • Main principle of ethical communication is honesty
  • Consideration for any potential roadblocks: Language Use, Jargon, Accessibility to Technology, Development of Relationship
  • Examples of Ethical Communication
• Accessibility to Technology

  Some take accessibility to advanced technology for granted in this information and digital age
• Development of Relationship


  Communication allows people to express themselves in order to develop relationships
• Ethical Communication in the Medical industry


  • Principles ensure that all patients and fellow medical professionals have their rights protected
• Ethical Communication in the Property consulting industry

  • Revealing key pieces of information to would-be homeowners of a property, including "negative" truths about the property
• Ethical Communication in the Marketing industry

  • Revealing to clients that their business marketing applications are not optimal, and that a cheaper vendor, or a different form of marketing, will yield better results
• Emotional intelligence within the framework of ethical communication

  Allows one to understand the needs of others, and meet those needs in the most efficient manner possible as if you were in their shoes
• Steps of the Writing Process

  1. Step 1: Prewriting - decide exactly what you'll write about and do the necessary research

  2. Step 2: Doing the research - search for relevant sources and gather the information you need

  3. Step 3: Planning and outlining - use a logical structure to convey information & try to work out structure once you've already begun writing

  4. Step 4: Writing a first draft - The time to produce a full first draft

  5. Step 5: Redrafting and revising - Redrafting means substantially adding or removing content, while revising involves making changes to structure and reformulating arguments

  6. Step 6: Editing and Proofreading - Editing focuses on local concerns like clarity and sentence structure. Proofreading involves reading the text closely to remove typos and ensure stylistic consistency
• Expository essay


  A type of writing that aims to explain, inform, or describe a particular topic to the reader. It has an intro, body, and conclusion
• Types of expository writing

  • Descriptive essays
  • Process essays
  • Comparison essays
  • Cause/effect essays
  • Problem/solution essays
• Elements of expository writing

  • 1. Organization
  • 2. Topic Sentence, Thesis Statement, and Subtopics
  • 3. Transitions
  • 4. Evidence and Examples
  • 5. Conclusion
• Communication in Business and Organization

  Effective business communication is how employees and management interact with each other to reach organizational goals and be more aligned with the core company values
• Organizational Goal


  Defined as a desired state of affairs that the organization atte
• Effective business communication


  How employees and management interact to reach organizational goals and align with core company values
• Organizational Goal


  Desired state of affairs that the organization attempts to realize
• Company Core Values

  Deeply held principles that influence all of a company's actions and serve as cultural cornerstones
• Internal communication


  Communication among members of the same organization
• Main purposes of effective business communication

  • Improve organizational practices
  • Eliminate silos
  • Keep employees informed and reduce errors
• Main types of business communications

  • Internal upward communication
  • Internal downward communication
  • Internal lateral communication
  • External communication
• Reasons why effective business communication is powerful

  • Improves employee engagement
  • Eliminates communication overload
  • Eliminates communication silos
  • Increases employee productivity
  • Improves Interdepartmental Communication
  • Improves communication with remote workers
  • Reduces employee turnover
  • Improves knowledge sharing efforts
  • Increases employee advocacy
  • Improves customer satisfaction and retention
  • Builds better company culture
• Module 6: Characteristics and Elements of Business Letters

  Top 15 Characteristics of an Effective Business Letter: Simplicity, Conversational style, Clarity of goal, Public relations, The ‘You’ attitude, Courteous, Persuading, Sincere, Positive language, Due emphasis, Coherence, Care for culture, Tactful approach, Ethical standard, Brief but complete
• Module 7: Basic and Optional Parts of a Business Letter

  Modern business letters typically use one of two styles of punctuation: mixed punctuation and open punctuation. There are three main styles of business letter: Block style, Modified Block Style, Semi-Block Style. 14 Essential Parts of the Letter: Sender’s Address or Headings, Reference Number, Date, Recipient Address/Inside Address, Attention Line, Salutation, Subject Line, Body of the letter, Formal Close, Signature slot/block, Enclosures, Postscripts or P. S., Carbon Copy notation/copy furnished ‘C C’, Reference Initial
• Module 8: Types of Business Letter

  Types of Business Letters: Sales Letter, Order Letter, Complaint Letter, Adjustment Letter, Inquiry Letter
• Types of Business Letters

  • Sales Letter
  • Order Letter
  • Complaint Letter
  • Adjustment Letter
  • Inquiry Letter
  • Interview follow-up Letter
  • Letters of Recommendation
  • Acknowledgement Letter
  • Cover Letter
  • Offer Letter
  • Letter of Resignation
  • Letter of Intent
• 10 Tips for Writing a Formal Letter


  • Be concise
  • Use the right tone
  • Proofread
  • Use proper format and presentation
  • Present your ideas properly
  • Customize your letter
  • Be punctual with delivery
  • Consider the method of delivery
  • Choose the appropriate level of formality
  • Limit your letter to one page
• A memorandum is a short notice usually written by the management to address a certain policy or make a certain announcement or change in an organization
• A memo is used for internal communications regarding procedures or official business within an organization
• Writing Format of a Memo

  Header: Indicate it is a memo, Recipient addresses, Sender, Date, Title, Body
• How to write a good memo

  • Make it as short as possible
  • Use simple English
  • Use a captivating heading
  • Use bolding to emphasize
  • Use a different color for the heading
  • Avoid simple grammar and spelling errors
• Classification of Reports

  • Informal reports
  • Formal reports
• Types of technical reports

  • Technical-background report
  • Instructions
  • Feasibility, recommendation, and evaluation reports
  • Primary research report
  • Technical specifications
  • Report-length proposal
  • Business prospectus
• The Fundamental Principles of Report Writing

  • Be Relevant
  • Organize Logically
  • Report Accurately
  • Summarize Briefly
• 5 Principles of Report Design

  • Accuracy
  • Consistency
  • Appearance
  • Efficiency
  • Usability
• Business Memo Template

  • Header
  • Paragraph one
  • Paragraph two
  • Paragraph three
  • TO
  • FROM
  • DATE
  • SUBJECT
• Types of Memo

  • Request memo
  • Confirmation memo
  • Suggestive memo
  • Report memo
  • Informal results memo