1	Effective Technical Writing Harry S. Wildblood Department of General Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Thanks to Prof. David Goldberg
2	Overview Motivation for tech writing Writing vs. organization Content development Effective elements Background, purpose, roadmap Writing process Report formats
3	Motivation Technical writing – necessary Tech transfer Research > results > implementation Team – consensus - clarity Status reports No ambiguity
4	Motivation Is writing fun?? Reduce task list Necessary features Effectiveness Competence è confidence Then… fun
5	Writing vs. Organization Writing may be easy Organization may be hard Organize – Outline Logical order Start – reader’s experience Motivate, develop, teach, build
6	Organization - Outlining Information soup Distill key points Organize – hierarchy Reader’s experience – start Go from there Logical progression Chronological, technical
7	Organization - Motivation Determine motivation Problem solving Compliance Profits Motivation follow-through Continuity of motivation Satisfy the motivation Throughout report End of report
8	Content Development Key technical points Key conclusions Concept flow through report Motivate, introduce, define, develop Beware Nonsequiturs Undefined terms (jargon) Assumption of points to be proven
9	Outline - Storyboard Structured outline – all details Placements for: Graphics Charts Tables Equations Lists
10	Rules for Graphics, etc Labeled clearly Label arrows - contrast Answer questions Create no new questions Referenced in text Descriptive figure titles
11	Charts - Graphs Legend Clear axes – units labeled Label key points Descriptive title: “UV absorption as a function of wave length for Irgacure 360”
12	Lists and Equations Set off from text Visually explicit Easy reference – reader / writer You have the Word Processor
13	Elements of the Effective Piece Fundamental structure of effective technical writing. Titles and subtitles. Lists and amplification. Summaries and conclusions, recommendations knowing the difference.
14	Fundamental Structure of Writing BPR Every piece, every section need: Background Purpose (of the piece, section) Roadmap (of the remainder) Army saying Tell ‘em what you’re gonna tell ‘em Tell ‘em Tell ‘em what you told ‘em.
15	Background Motivation for section What is the context of what’s coming? Project background, motivation, times, dates, players.
16	Rhetorical Purpose “The purpose of this report, section, is X.” “In this report we present X.” Say it. Not a mystery novel. Don’t confuse project purpose with rhetorical purpose. Rhetorical purpose is the purpose of the piece (section, whatever).
17	Roadmap Mental map for your reader – what’s next “In the remainder, we examine X, Y, and Z.” “The remainder of the report examines X, Y, and Z.” If you don’t tell them where you are going, how will they know when they get there?
18	Fundamental Structure is Iterated BPR At the beginning of the: Report Section. Subsections. Maintains continuity and focus
19	Titles and Headings Signposts – aid skimming Informative, interest-generating Arrange in logical order
20	Summaries Tell ‘em what you told ‘em Necessary in longer reports. Condensed version What you want them to remember
21	Conclusions Deductions as a result Project goals met?? - Say so Suggest further work Insights aside from project goals
22	Recommendations Action Items – result of work Numbered listing Implementation plan Vendors listed Models, part numbers Stepwise implementation early savings fund later investment Stress alternatives with metrics
23	The Writing Process With structure and storyboard Little writing to do Clear writing style Write, edit, write, edit No pride of authorship Be objective Write as you would speak
24	Writing Mechanics No 1^st person (I, we, us, our, etc.) Passive No concatenated simple sentences Combine thoughts which, because, therefore… Purpose of paragraph Transitions between paragraphs Continuity
25	Word Processing – Pros and Cons Too easy Can lead to junk writing. Neat, lousy content Use word processor for the reader Use the tools provided Lists, frames, word wrap, etc. Page numbering Section breaks Table of contents Report – all one .doc file
26	Bloopers List embedded in paragraph This test measures pressure at both the suction (input) end and the discharge (output) end of the pump, as well as flowrate measured at the discharge end of the pump. Also taken is the wattage and speed of the motor driving the impeller of the pump. From these and other fixed parameters, such as height and diameters of the suction and discharge pipes, brake horsepower (BHP), Total Developed Head (TDH), and the efficiency of the pump are obtained.
27	Fixed-Embedded List Table Supported by text
28	Bloopers Ambiguous Photo – Suction Side Adapter
29	Ambiguous Photo - Fixed Suction Side Adapter Note bold patterns on adapter
30	Bloopers Ambiguous pronoun Due to the close quarters of the test setup area, the existing table will need to occupy the same floor space as the new table, but it can simply be rolled on top of the floor-height table.
31	Bloopers Choppy Sentences The gate valves have the sole purpose of isolating a specific line of pipe. They are designed to be completely open or completely shut for the duration of the test.
32	Bloopers Sloppiness The signals connected to switches are the flow meters and the torque and speed signals from the torque sensors.
33	Bloopers Don’t Laugh - Proofread Mistakes – just like yours Proofread 342 - itis Editing - iterations Anything can be edited
34	Report Format Introduction Company Info General to specific Background What they do Product/process Current situation Scrap/ Inadequate design/ etc Motivation - $$$
35	Report Format Problem Statement - Scope of Work Acme Company desires that the XXX process be analyzed and scrap and downtime be eliminated subject to the following criteria: Quality of the operation must be maintained. Downtime must be reduced by 80%. Specific recommendations must be provided for all equipment modifications. Production must not be interrupted for more than 1 week. Employee training program must be designed and delivered. Economic analysis for all recommendations must support 2-year payback.
36	Report Format Objectives – Battle plan Analysis of current (product, process, design, etc.) Research Experiments, data collection, etc Develop solution alternatives (brain storming) Solution comparisons (metrics) Economic analysis Conclusions Recommendations
37	Report Format Body List of objectives: Becomes body of paper Headings and sub headings Paper writes itself!!
38	Report Format Abstract Succinct statement Entire paper Intro PS Analysis Conclusions Recommendation Results !! Similar to Project Description (p.20)
39	342 Reports Pre-Report Midterm Draft Final Report – graded Manual chapter 9 – p.33 Sample reports in 104 TB Pre-Report - p.44
40	Pre-Report Writing sample Into to format Get help if needed Structure: cover sheet title page abstract table of contents introduction problem statement objectives
41	Summary Tech writing - necessary Writing vs. organization Effective elements Keep reader in mind BPR Writing process Report formats