SlideDoc of the important topics discussed in technical communication.

1. Reflections on Technical
Communication
John Toland
ENGL 2311

2. RHETORIC01
Table of Contents
02
CULTURALCONSIDERATIONS03
04 ETHICS
COLLABORATION

3. 3
What is technical communication?
"Information expressed in words and
images that allows individuals to perform
work. These words and images may be
conveyed using multiple forms of
media." - Cargile Cook, Baehr, 2015.
Technical communication plays a very important role in
today’s business world. With communication growing more
electronic and visual, now is the time to develop good
technical writing skills. People in today’s business world
are all connected via the internet. The majority of
communication between professionals is some form of
technical writing.
There are many different forms of technical
communication. It entails all different mediums besides
electronic. Including paper, audio and video.
ENGL 2311 is the course number for the technical
communication class at Texas Tech University. The course
work includes the studying and practicing the use,
efficiency, and effectiveness of good technical
communication skills. This class is a way to prepare for the
level of organization expected in todays business world.
The following are a few examples of course work: cover
letters, CV's, resumes, PowerPoint presentations,
proposals, memos, and instruction sets.
Introduction

4. 4
Rhetoric Holds Paramount
Rhetoric is used in everyday life decision as well as
business decisions. Rhetoric is the method making
inferences based upon knowledge to communicate
information. The coursework involved in this class
required me to experiment with different ways rhetoric
comes about in life i.e. communication amongst
professionals, employers, peers, group members and
clients.
The individual assignments were fashioned to target
the different audiences that arises in the business
world. Some good examples of rhetoric in this class
are the usability test and the multimodal instruction
set. My group’s instruction set helped students apply
for graduate school .
More specifically, graduate school in the department
of computer science at TTU. During our usability test
more than one user had difficulty determining the
number of steps needed for completion of application.
We corrected the problem by introducing a clear
diagram of the steps.
Originally our instruction set was for a financial aid
booth. This proved problematic due to the many
constraints of material and inventory needed to
complete the instruction set full circle. Therefore my
group decided it best to change course and create the
instruction set for applying to graduate school. This
instruction set appealed to the entire class. It not only
reached the computer science audience it continued
to include any undergraduate students at TTU, due to
diverse information available in the instruction set.
Rhetoric
section 01

5. 5
The usability test proved very helpful. Providing
information that was previously over looked. Knowing
what needed to be done, the proper alterations were
made.
Our instruction set titled, How to Apply to Graduate
School: Department of Computer Science, was
originally the seconded best proposal in our rank. We
first thought an informational video on were to go on
campus to apply was necessary. After interviewing a
few current graduate students my group found it true
that this was not necessary, every step can be done
online.
We decided to create a screen capture of the online
application process required to be done. Along with a
flowchart that could be used as a handout or poster
and an in depth guide for the student to acquire more
information.
With the diverse medium we are able to reach any
type of learner. The screen capture provides visual
and audio, along with closed captions. The flowchart
and guide allow for the information to be provided at
all outlets i.e. offices, hallways, and internet.
This project is a great example of developing
documents and using these documents to solve
individual problems respectively. It was also a good
lesson in the importance of remembering to reach all
types of audiences.
We used QuickTime software for our screen capture.
Garageband and iMovie were used for audio and
visual editing. PowerPoint was used for developing
slides for presentation, slidedoc and the flowchart.
In conclusion, the usability test and the instruction set
allowed me to gain skills needed in computer science.
In my workspace I will need to collaborate and
communicate with my team on a daily basis.
Rhetoric
section 01

6. 6
”Collaboration is simply good
business;
good businesses
collaborate."
- Forbes MagazineIBM and CISCO recently collaborated together to
deliver advanced collaboration and communication
tools for increased productivity in the workspace via the
cloud.
The instructor of the class used methods that reveal personality traits in each
student. This process allowed the instructor to identify who will work well with one
another. We were then placed into groups based upon the compatible traits of
our group members. Our first task was to rank our fellow group members
proposal to find which proposal could be agreed as the best proposal. We then
delegated the jobs needed to be completed by assigning roles to each group
member. Roles were assigned based upon the individual group member’s
background and/or interest. The group collaborated on the design and
development involved in each task.
Agile Model
Planning
Design
Implementatio
n
Testing
Evaluation
*Delegation of jobs within the group
Collaboration
section 02

7. 7
Constructive Conflict
Conflict Amongst Members
• This group experience was almost oddly perfect.
•Usually you run into some sort of disagreement when
working with other individuals.
• Members understood their roles in the group.
•Members understood each task assigned to them and had
the respective task finished before the deadline.
• My group never met outside of class. We only needed to
stay after class a couple of days to collaborate.
•We used GoogleDocs to work on collaborative materials.
Members understood what was expected of them by the
following day before dispersal of all class meetings.
Overcoming Obstacles
•Many obstacles were in our way when implementing the
financial aid booth, prior to the switch to the instruction set
on how to apply to graduate school.
•Meeting some of these obstacles seeming to create at
least one more item that needed a multi-modal conversion.
This drove us to change course and adopt the instruction
set for applying to graduate school My group was then put
to the test. Hard work was mandatory to make up for the
lost time.
•More extensive rehearsal was need for the presentation,
I'm afraid. Although the presentation was successful, I
placed too much faith in my group members ability to
improvise. The time allotted was plenty to explain the
information and needed small talk and story telling to fill
the gaps respectively. I also was not aware that I, myself,
acted with too much haste at the beginning of the
presentation. Realizing that we were about to finish early, I
improvised to fill the gaps with respective information.
Collaboration
section 02

8. 8
Diversify Your Life
Intercultural communication is an international and
domestic issue. International culture awareness is
important in technical communication.
During class the instructor introduced a discussion to help identify
the different properties of a given culture. These properties include:
power distance, individualism, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance,
long term orientation, and indulgence. We also used SmartArt when
participating in the Stay Culture Analysis. This activity consisted of
making the SmartArt graph that represented the different traits that
help you identify with your cultural background. We used key words
that could potentially relate to how an individual was raised.
Cultural Considerations
section 03

9. 9
It is crucial to practice cultural consideration in the workplace. With an
international economy in todays world it is very important to be familiar
with the difference between cultures. The differences can be seen in the
properties that help you identify the cultures. For example power
distance is low in the United States compared to China. The distance
between authority and subordinates is small i.e. subordinates are able
to question or ask for information from the authority in the respected
field. On the other hand employees in China are not used to being able
to contact an authority figure within their company. Also employers in
China are not in agreement with subordinates asking questions or
getting information that does not follow the chain of command.
When I begin working in the industry of computer science I will have to
take close care to whom my audience is, for it may change depending
on what company or what project I end up working on or working for. My
choice of words and choice whom I am in communication with will vary
and will have to be geared towards the recipient’s cultural background.
The assignments in this class have helped identify the process of
intercultural communication.
Cultural Considerations
section 03
TIPS:
• Observing the operations of a
professional work environment will allow
you to understand the culture within the
office. Asking questions while in a
interview about communication activities
amongst employees and employers will
also help you understand the culture
within the office.
• Secondly, making friends or having
colleagues with different cultural
backgrounds will help immerse yourself
into different cultural activities and or
practices.
• Simply visiting different countries for
study abroad or internship will give you a
step up in understanding intercultural
communication in the workplace.

10. 10
Ethical Dilemmas Shall Not Be
Overlooked
Ethics is a philosophical
debate on right and
wrong and is built upon
our own intuition of what
is right.
The most important ethical issue
at the beginning of the class
arises when writing a resume.
The goal is to keep the attention
of the reader. The document
should be targeted for each
specific job to which the resume
is being submitted to.
While writing the resume I had to
keep in mind that I am not a guru
of computer science and should
not reflect that visualization. The
descriptions of my knowledge
should be only what I know and
no more.
Ethics is a good topic that can
cross into the intercultural
differences. For example, in
China a person is frowned upon if
he/she boasts to much of their
skills and experiences. A person
is expected to be humble and not
glorify their own
accomplishments.
In the United States we are
expected to be back up our
knowledge and abilities with our
skills and past experiences. On
that subject, it is best to not
oversell yourself. Let the
information speak for itself, use
good design techniques and
action verbs to keep the readers
attention. Rather than boast too
much about your skills.
Further study in subject of ethics
will provide more in depth
knowledge on how to identify and
address ethical issues.
My approach to ethical decision
first depends upon my intuition on
the subject. Then I ask myself if I
am emotionally invested in the
decision, allowing me to judge my
level of bias. If my emotions run
high I seek outside help, the
decision should not be based
upon my emotions. If the decision
causes no emotion then I stick to
the cultural standard respectively.
I choose to go above this
standard if the needs can be met
realistically.
Ethical decisions arise
continuously in life as well as
technical communication.
Misrepresentation of data or
information could lead to the
wrong decision being made.
Which could lead to a snow ball
.
Ethics
section 04

11. 11
Ethical Dilemmas Shall Not Be
Overlooked continued…
effect of negative outcomes.
Along with what ever
repercussions are in store for
misleading the reader.
In conclusion, ethics is better
understood if the knowledge of
ethical theories and practices is
present.
.
Ethics
section 04
”…virtue is not merely a
state in conformity with the
right principle, but one that
implies the right principle;
and the right principle in
moral conduct is
prudence.” -Aristotle

12. For more info, please
contact me at:
john.toland@ttu.edu
Thank
You