Effective Technical Communication is designed to serve as a practical guide and useful resource for scientists, engineers, and researchers. It addresses the need of practitioners engaged in the exchange of techincal information to effectively share their ideas with, and make impact on, their peers. The book provides guidelines, technical conventions, and graphical and visual aids for communicating effectively. It discusses the use of scientific vocabulary and various forms of writing, starting from simple forms such as paragraph and precis writing to more advanced forms such as scientific and engineering reports and papers. Written in an wasy-to-understand style, the text is supported with numerous illustrative examples. The correct use of language, the dos and don'ts of communication and the effective use of speech communication have also been discussed in detail.
"Effective Teaching of Technical Communication broadens our understanding of current effective teaching and pedagogical methods by facilitating a discussion of important and innovative theories, concepts, and practices related to the teaching of technical communication"--
Flatter, more collaborative organizational structures, combined with the pressure to translate innovative ideas into action quickly, are increasing the need by technical professionals-such as computer programmers, design specialists, engineers, and R&D scientists-to expand their repertoire of communication and managerial skills. In this highly accessible and practical book, Harry Chambers offers a wealth of strategies and tactics for building these skills, to the benefit of individuals, teams, and companies. In his trademark shoot-from-the-hip style, Chambers identifies specific real-world challenges that technical professionals face in the workplace, and offers definitive guidelines for enhancing their communication skills-from making presentations to giving and receiving criticism to navigating office politics. Featuring interviews with people in the trenches, as well as self-assessment tools and exercises, Effective Communication Skills will become a valued resource for technical professionals and their colleagues, trainers, and HR departments in all industries.
Presents key principles of communication that support clear exchanges in a technical context and help engineers learn effective communication skills Effective communication is a necessity for engineers. Even minor on-the-job misunderstandings can cost time, money, or worse. Yet even though recent studies show that improved communication makes for better engineers, the ability to speak clearly and listen carefully have historically been considered "soft skills" and are not typically or explicitly addressed in engineering programs. Working from basic units called microskills, Effective Interpersonal and Team Communication Skills for Engineers shows readers, one step at a time, how to engage, listen, manage conflict, and influence others with highly constructive, repeatable communication exchanges. This career-enhancing handbook: Presents communication skills for both technical issues and social situations in an engineering context Breaks skills down to elemental usage forms as microskills Includes plenty of practice exercises, case studies, and self-assessment tools Helps develop higher-level skills for more complex situations, such as dealing with confrontation and conflict negotiation Features a direct, user-friendly, practice-oriented format Effective Interpersonal and Team Communication Skills for Engineers is a must-have guide for professionals and an important supplement for engineering programs at all levels.
The field of technical communication is rapidly expanding in both the academic world and the private sector, yet a problematic divide remains between theory and practice. Here Stuart A. Selber and Johndan Johnson-Eilola, both respected scholars and teachers of technical communication, effectively bridge that gap. Solving Problems in Technical Communication collects the latest research and theory in the field and applies it to real-world problems faced by practitioners—problems involving ethics, intercultural communication, new media, and other areas that determine the boundaries of the discipline. The book is structured in four parts, offering an overview of the field, situating it historically and culturally, reviewing various theoretical approaches to technical communication, and examining how the field can be advanced by drawing on diverse perspectives. Timely, informed, and practical, Solving Problems in Technical Communication will be an essential tool for undergraduates and graduate students as they begin the transition from classroom to career.
This book explores five important areas where technology affects society, and suggests ways in which human communication can facilitate the use of that technology.Usability has become a foundational discipline in technical and professional communication that grows out of our rhetorical roots, which emphasize purpose and audience. As our appreciation of audience has grown beyond engineers and scientists to lay users of technology, our appreciation of the diversity of those audiences in terms of age, geography, and other factors has similarly expanded.We are also coming to grips with what Thomas Friedman calls the 'flat world,' a paradigm that influences how we communicate with members of other cultures and speakers of other languages. And because most of the flatteners are either technologies themselves or technology-driven, technical and professional communicators need to leverage these technologies to serve global audiences.Similarly, we are inundated with information about world crises involving health and safety issues. These crises are driven by the effects of terrorism, the aging population, HIV/AIDS, and both human-made and natural disasters. These issues are becoming more visible because they are literally matters of life and death. Furthermore, they are of special concern to audiences that technical and professional communicators have little experience targeting - the shapers of public policy, seniors, adolescents, and those affected by disaster.Biotechnology is another area that has provided new roles for technical and professional communicators. We are only beginning to understand how to communicate the science accurately without either deceiving or panicking our audience. We need to develop a more sophisticated understanding of how communication can shape reactions to biotechnology developments. Confronting this complex network of issues, we're challenged to fashion both our message and the audience's perceptions ethically.Finally, today's corporate environment is being shaped by technology and the global nature of business. Technical and professional communicators can play a role in capturing and managing knowledge, in using technology effectively in the virtual workplace, and in understanding how language shapes organizational culture.
This compact but complete guide shows that less is more—with fewer extraneous details getting in the way of students trying to learn on the run, it allows them to focus on the most important principles of effective technical communication. The Concise Guide takes a rhetorical approach to technical communication; instead of setting up a list of rules that should be applied uniformly to all writing situations, it introduces students to the bigger picture of how the words they write can affect the people intended to read them. Assignments and exercises are integrated throughout to reinforce and test knowledge.
Technical Communication for Engineers has been written for undergraduate students of all engineering disciplines. It provides a well-researched content meticulously developed to help them become strategic assets to their organizations and have a successful career. The book covers the entire spectrum of learning required by a technical professional to effectively communicate the technicalities of his subject to other technocrats or to a non-technical person at their proper levels. It is unique inasmuch as it provides some thoughtful pedagogical tools that help the students attain proficiency in all the modes of communication. Key Features Marginalia, which are spread throughout the book to clarify and highlight the key points. Tech Talk passages, which throw light on the latest advancements in communication technology and their innovative use Application-based Exercise, which encourages the readers to apply the concepts learnt to real-life situation Language-based Exercise (Grammar & Vocabulary) to help readers assess their language competency Ethical Dilemma, which poses a complex hypothetical situation of mental conflict on choosing between difficult moral imperatives Experiential Learning-based Exercise (Project Work) devised to help learner ';feel' or ';experience' the concepts and theories learnt and thereby gain hands-on experience
