JAIPUR ENGINEERING

COLLEGE
AND RESEARCH CENTRE
Year & Sem – 2nd Year, 3rd Sem
Subject – Technical Communication
Unit – 03
Presented by – SAROJ PARIHAR (English & Humanities)
VISION AND MISSION OF INSTITUTE

To become a renowned centre of outcome based

learning, and work towards academic, professional,
cultural and social enrichment of the lives of
individuals and communities.
VISION AND MISSION OF DEPARTMENT
 Focus on evaluation of learning outcomes and motivate students to
inculcate
 research aptitude by project based learning.

 Identify, based on informed perception of Indian, regional and global

needs, the
 areas of focus and provide platform to gain knowledge and
solutions.

 Offer opportunities for interaction between academia and industry.

 Develop human potential to its fullest extent so that intellectually

capable and
 imaginatively gifted leaders may emerge.
 Course Objective
CO1: able to express themselves better in technical writing by
understanding the concept, style and methodology used in
Technical communication.

CO2: able to pursue higher studies by working on all aspects of

English Language and also develop a better understanding of
process and design of technical texts.

CO3: able to get an in depth knowledge of technical

communication used in professional life by getting to know all the
forms and aspects of Technical Communication.
UNIT -3 Technical Writing, Grammar
and Editing-

Technical writing process, forms of

technical discourse, Writing, drafts and
revising
What is Technical writing? „
Writing that focuses on instrumental discourse
(discourse that aims to do something) ‰
e.g. computer manuals (print and help
screens) ‰ Assembly instructions for toys,
appliances, games
Purpose of all these documents: „ To inform „
To be “instruments” or tools for people to use
to get things done. The documents you will
write in this course all share this sense of
purpose.

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Essential for technical
communication

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 Next Factor is Audience
The audience are the important factor that is
to be considered at the top most in technical
writing , you are supposed to write a highly
technical subject but in such a way that a
beginner can understand it.
Following things have to be noted before
designing :-
Accumulating information:-
a) Style of writing
b) Type of document.
c) Type of Audience
d) Resources to be used
e) Subject matter that is to be written.
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Designing Document

Sorting of information.
Preparing a draft of the outline.
Sequencing the information as per importance.
Arranging as per format.
Essential details and examples with supporting
documents.
Provides information about the type of
document.

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 Creating Document
a). Development of the design
b). Writing style should be simple
c).Avoid jargons
d).User friendly language
Reviewing document
a)Self review
b).Client review
c).Technical review
Publishing Document
a). Soft copy /CD /DVD
b). Print or bind

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There are mainly two types of discourse
Written and Oral
The difference between speech and writing
is referred to as channel or medium as both
of the discourses needs some processes .
Difference between the two is spoken has to
understood at the spot whereas written can
be referred several times. Spoken is fast as
compared to written.

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Difference between Spoken and Written
discourse.
1.Spoken gestures , body language.
2 Intonation
3 .Pitch range
4. Stress
5 Rhythm
6 Pausing and Phrasing :- a small gap difficult to
be measured.

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 INTERRELATION BETWEEN THE TWO
Oral informal letters, poetry .
Written Focus on writer/speaker: expressive
‰ Journals, diaries, manifestoes „
 Focus on reader/listener: persuasive ‰
Advertising, editorials in newspapers „
Focus on reality: technical & scientific
‰ Textbooks, reports, manuals „ Focus on
text: literary ‰ Poetry, plays, fiction, non-
fiction

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The Diagram highlights the dual aims of
discourse
„ A piece of writing can both persuade and
inform (e.g. newspaper report on school
lunches) „
Any piece of writing has at least two aims „
E.g Your resume ‰ Informative and persuasive
Audience and Purpose „
Understand your audience for a piece of
writing „ Understand your purpose for a
piece of writing „ The better you understand
your audience and purpose, the better your
document you will accomplish your goals .

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Revising, Editing, and Proofreading of Drafts

Revision involves analyzing the global level and

paragraph level organization of the document, and
making changes to your draft on a global, paragraph,
and sentence level to ensure that:
The document addresses its purpose
The document supports any claims its makes (main
claims and secondary claims)
The structure of the document is logical and supports
the purpose and main claims
Editing involves looking at each sentence carefully, and
making sure that it’s well designed and serves its
purpose.
Proofreading involves checking for grammatical and
punctuation errors, spelling mistakes, etc. Proofing is
the final stage of the writing process
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 Technical writing process
 What is Technical writing ?

 It is art of presenting technical information to the audience in such away that they can
understand and use the information. Today technical writing encompasses all
documentation of complex technical processes. It includes reports, executive summary
statements, briefs. Any time technical information is conveyed in writing at work, it is,
by definition, technical writing.
 This can include high-tech manufacturing, engineering, biotech, energy, aerospace,
finance, IT, and global supply chain.
 The format is no longer bound to lengthy user manuals. Technical information must be
distilled and presented unambiguously. This can come in the form of technical reports,
emails, policy, briefs, and press releases.
In easy words it follows through formal channels , formal communication can be in
different forms like vertical communication, horizontal, upward and others.

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Forms of communication
Business letter
There are various forms of technical
communication the very first we will discuss
is Business letter
A business letter is a document which is
written by authorised person of an
organisation , it is a document which is not
only within the premises of the organisation
but also outside the organisation , this can be
sent in other organisations, credit
departments, suppliers ,customers and
employees etc .
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Importance of the Business letter
Helps in maintaining business relationship.
Important media for complex information.
Valuable source of information for future.
It helps to serve a large number of people.
It is economic as compared to other means of
communication.

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Functions of business letter.
To create and sustain new business relations ,
different organisations will have different
purpose of writing it .
To send greetings .
To inform about new product or offers and
services.
To request dues and collect dues . (Airtel ,
Vodafone bill warning, insurance policies ).
Reminders for different products , services
available dates .
To apply for a job and internship. (Job
application)
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Layout of a business letter
Heading
Date
Subject
Inside address
Salutation
Message
Complimentary message
Signature

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Email writing
Email is the most common form of business
communication so it is important to make them clear,
concise and actionable.
Important contents :-
Subject Line Subject line is the first thing a recipient
reads. Subject should be short and to the point and it
should highlight the main message of the email. The
ideal subject gives the reader all they need to know or
informs them they need to make a decision.
Greeting :-  Begin with a greeting Always open your
email with a greeting. The greeting should be concise
and formal. You may or may not choose to address a
person specifically by name, depending on the context
of the message. Some examples of greetings are:

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  Good afternoon
  Hi Manish
 Dear Dr.Ranjan
If you don’t know the name of the person you are
writing to, use: “To whom it may concern” or “Dear
Sir/Madam”.  Thank the recipient If you are
replying to a client’s inquiry, you should begin with
a line of thanks. For example, if someone has a
question about your company, you can say, “Thank
you for contacting ABC Company”. If someone has
replied to one of your emails, be sure to say, “Thank
you for your prompt reply” or “Thanks for getting
back to me”. Thanking the reader puts him or her
at ease, and it will make you appear more polite
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  State your purpose
If you are starting the email communication, it is
not possible to include a line of thanks then begin
by stating your purpose.
For example, “I am writing to enquire about …” or
“I am writing in reference to …” Make your purpose
clear early on in the email, and then move into the
main text of your email. Remember, people want to
read emails quickly, so keep your sentences short
and clear. You’ll also need to pay careful attention to
grammar, spelling and punctuation so that you
present a professional image of yourself and your
company.
  Attachments Include URLs or attachments if
that will help the recipient proce
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 Never force the recipient to hunt for a URL or
attachment in another email.
  End with a closing
The last step is to include an appropriate
closing with your name.
Some potential closings:
  I look forward to your response,
  I hope to hear from you soon,
  Thank you for your time,
  Thank you for your attention to this matter,

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 Sign your name

It is appropriate to write your name and title

in a work at the end of an email.
 Choose the most suitable phrase before
typing your name.
  Yours sincerely, (when you know the name
of the recipient, (Formal)
  Best regards, or Kind regards, (Formal,
Most common) .

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  EXAMPLE :-
 As a former student, write an email to your professor, Mr. Sinha,
thanking him for teaching and guidance that contributed to your
overall development. Sign the email as Anant.

 Dear Mr. Sinha,

 I am very happy to tell you that I got successful in the recently
conducted campus placement drive at my college. I am placed
with TCS. I am extremely grateful for your help regarding my
preparation. More over your advice regarding personality
development helped me a lot. In addition to that, your style of
teaching inculcates not only those skills related to professional
success but also for developing values which I believe help for
shaping my career. Once again I would like to thank for your
sincere and professional help.

 With Regards
 Name ,designation
 Sign and date

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 Minutes of meeting
 What are meeting minutes for?

 Meeting minutes are the notes that capture what happened at a

meeting! Different than a meeting agenda, it records the
decisions made and actions requested by the group. Despite the
team, they are not a minute-by-minute record but include the
key details that the team will want to know. It's important in
meeting minutes to capture information such as:
 decisions made
 next steps
 action items and who is responsible
 Minutes are the record of who was there and what happened.
They are an important source of information for people who
were unable to attend or looking back to reflect on what
happened. They're also an incredibly effective tool to notify or
remind people of tasks assigned to them or timelines to keep
everyone on track.

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 What should go into meeting minutes?
Here are some of the details that you should
into the meeting minutes.
Date and time of meeting
Names of the participants
Agenda items and topics discussed
Action items

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 Informal team meeting minutes template

Date: Today's date

Attendees
List of attendees
Agenda
Item 1 including key discussions, decisions made,
next steps
Item 2
Item 3
Next steps
List goes here in format: action item, responsible
person, date
Example: Brian to follow up to this group with a list of
target companies by

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Bibliography
https://ecp.engineering.utoronto.ca/resources
/online-handbook/the-writing-process/revising
-editing-and-proofreading/
https://sites.uai need to copy these slides in n
ew
ppt lberta.ca/~graves1/engineering.pdf

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