Chapter 7

Organizing Your Information

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Group Members

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

What is Technical Writing ?

Technical writing conveys specific information about a technical subject to a specific audience for a specific purposeThe words and graphics of technical writing are meant to be practical: that is, to communicate a body of factual information that will help an audience understand a subject or carry out a task. - Michael H. Markel

Director of Technical Communication, Boise State University

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Writing as a Process
Both the Research and Draft phases of the PSA ask writers to strategize about organization. There is no one correct way to move from gathering information to writing early drafts to producing final documents. The writing process is sensitive to different contexts and situations.
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Predrafting Strategies
Confirm your purpose Analyze your audience Gather your information Develop ideas about the information
By collaboration and discussion, listing, freewriting, and/or clustering

Organize your information

Follows purpose, audience, logic, and ethics

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Organizing Documents
Make your approach explicit Identify the differences between primary and secondary points of information Present task-based information in order Consider how readers will access the information Organize information in ways that present that information ethically

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Organizational Strategies
Sequential Chronological Order of Importance General/Specific Division Classification Cause and Effect Comparison and Contrast Spatial

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Sequential
Move in a linear fashion through a process or procedure Use numbered lists Use transitional words
First, next, then, after, finally

Use guide words for naming parts of the sequence

Phase One, Step Two

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Chronological
A variation on sequential, use this approach to relate events to specific times Use timelines to identify events in order Use flowcharts to organize information

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Order of Importance
Emphasize or de-emphasize particular information Use increasing order of importance when you your audience wont have a printed copy Use decreasing order to manage numerous points

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

General/Specific
Balance abstract ideas and concrete details within the document Move from general to specific to provide background, scope, and context for the more specific information Move from specific to general to emphasize details and examples
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Division
Divide (or sub-divide) a whole idea, object, or phenomenon into various components Images and lists can help show the reader how parts relate to the whole

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Classification
Group items, ideas, phenomena, or events together according to their similarities Use in feasibility studies that present multiple solutions to presented problems Focus on particular keywords to identify the classifications and the rationales behind them

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Cause and Effect

Explain relationships between events or reasons that something has happened or will happen Understand that you are reporting plausible, not definitive, causes

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Comparison and Contrast

Compare similarities and differences among possible solutions to a problem Recognize all the criteria involved Present the parts of the whole in a way that allows readers to compare and contrast the whole together Consider ethics all options should be presented in the same light
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Spatial
Assist readers in navigating information pertaining to physical space or objects Can provide information about a distance or proximity, like a map

Can guide readers through a process using a particular object or piece of equipment
Can also indicate movement, like the path of a hurricane
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Outline
Is especially useful for long, complex, and detailed documents Encourages writers to think about:
How information flows logically How to divide and label parts of the document How to develop transitions within the document

Is best treated as a guide, rather than as a rigid mechanism

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Parts of a Document
Front matter
Title, cover image, date, table of contents, executive summary/abstract, inside and return addresses, definitions

Body
All the core information conveyed to the reader, including procedures, data, and steps

End matter
Conclusions, troubleshooting suggestions, indexes, appendices, glossaries, follow-up information
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

A Nonlinear Process
Workplace writers usually piece together bits of information into useful, readable documents. Drafting, research, and revising are all closely connected, each effecting the other. In the first draft, focus on assembling all parts of the document, generating a strong statement of purpose, and including supporting information.
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Drafting the Introduction

Identify the purpose or objective Define the scope State the problem addressed Include relevant background information Define key terms Preview the organization Summarize the whole

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Drafting the Body

Coverage: include all pertinent parts Organization: try various strategies to determine which best suits your needs

Access: consider whether the organization is selfevident, or guides are needed

Length: don't think about it Work: since the body is where the work of the document gets done, begin drafting here
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Drafting the Conclusion

Draft the conclusion before the introduction Offer summaries of information Provide analytic predictions based on the information in the body Make recommendations to the reader about how to respond or act Issue a judgment about the information

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Electronic Templates and Wizards

A template is a pre-established format for a document. Many companies often develop their own custom templates for documents. Wizards are interfaces that lead users through a particular task.

Both are useful for saving time and as shortcuts for those less familiar with document design.
However, they can also limit creativity and lead to audience boredom.
Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.