Practical strategies for technical communication 2013 pdf

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Mike Markel

FOR TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION

Practical Strategies

S E C O N D E D I T I O N

Practical Strategies for Technical Communication offers easy-to-follow strategies for writing and designing all of the major documents you’ll encounter in the workplace. This thoroughly updated new edition takes a boldly visual approach to technical communication, featuring “Thinking Visually” graphics addressing key principles and concepts, as well as new sample documents annotated with commentary from the professionals who created them. This book includes the assignments you need in order to succeed in the course and in your career.

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Where Students Learn

Practical Strategies for Technical Communication includes cross-references to LaunchPad with document analysis activities, tutorials, document-based case scenarios, and more. If your book did not come packaged with an access code, you can purchase access to LaunchPad for Practical Strategies for Technical Communication at macmillanhighered.com/ps2e.

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Practical Strategies for Technical Communication is available in a variety of e-book formats. For details, visit macmillanhighered.com/ps2e/catalog.

Mike Markel

for Technical communicaTion

Practical Strategies

S E C O N D E D i t i O N

mech_Markel_PracticalStrategies2e_SE_093015

Guidelines

Determining Fair Use 23 Dealing with Copyright Questions 24 Using Social Media Ethically and Legally 27 Managing Your Project 37 Listening Effectively 38 Setting Your Team’s Agenda 39 Communicating Diplomatically 41 Critiquing a Colleague’s Work 41 Participating in a Videoconference 44 Writing for Readers from Other Cultures 68 Researching a Topic 85 Evaluating Print and Online Sources 93 Conducting an Interview 100 Creating a Professional Persona 110 Revising Headings 115 Dividing Long Paragraphs 119 Creating Effective Lists 131 Avoiding Sexist Language 150 Using the People-First Approach 152 Planning Your Design 160 Understanding Learning Theory and Page Design 167 Making Your Document Easy To Navigate 188 Designing Simple, Clear Web Pages 192 Integrating Graphics and Text 204 Creating Effective Tables 213 Creating Effective Bar Graphs 216 Creating Effective Infographics 219

Creating Effective Line Graphs 221 Creating Effective Pie Charts 222 Presenting Photographs Effectively 230 Organizing a Memo 255 Following Netiquette 256 Representing Your Organization on a Microblog 260 Building the Foundation of Your Professional Brand 267 Presenting Your Professional Brand 268 Using LinkedIn’s Employment Features 272 Elaborating on Your Education 274 Formatting a Plain-Text Résumé 281 Demonstrating Your Professionalism in a Proposal 300 Introducing a Proposal 302 Responding to Readers’ Questions in a Field Report 324 Projecting an Appropriate Tone in a Progress or Status

Report 326 Writing Recommendations 350 Writing an Executive Summary 356 Writing Effective Sentence Definitions 390 Providing Appropriate Detail in Descriptions 399 Designing Clear, Attractive Pages 407 Drafting Introductions for Instructions 411 Drafting Steps in Instructions 412 Introducing and Concluding the Presentation 428 Using Memorable Language in Oral Presentations 442 Paraphrasing Accurately 451 Summarizing 453

ThinkinG Visually

Tech Tips

Characteristics of a Technical Document 7 Measures of Excellence in Technical Documents 8 Principles for Ethical Communication 31 Advantages and Disadvantages of Collaboration 36

Determining the Important Characteristics of Your Audience 60

Characteristics of an Effective Graphic 200 Delivering the Presentation 444

How To Set Up Pages 169 How To Create Borders and Screens 180 How To Create Text Boxes 180 How To Insert and Modify Graphics 204 How To Use Drawing Tools 221 How To Create and Insert Screen Shots 233

How To Create a Gantt Chart 307 How To Format Headers, Footers, and Page Numbers 354 How To Create a Table of Contents 354 How To Create a Master Page Design in Presentation

Slides 433 How To Set List Items to Appear and Dim During a

Presentation 434

Presenting Clear Instructions 418 Mechanism Description Using Interactive Graphics 419

and Process Description Using Video Animation 419 and Instructions Using Video Screen Capture 419 and

Instructions Using a Combination of Video Demonstration and Screen Capture 419 and

Definition Using Video Animation 419 and Integrating Graphics and Text on a Presentation Slide 441

Get the most out of your book with LaunchPad for Practical Strategies for Technical Communication macmillanhighered.com/ps2e

Where Students Learn

LaunchPad for Practical Strategies for Technical Communication provides an interactive e-book, engaging content, and new ways to get the most out of your course.

• LearningCurve: adaptive, game-like practice that helps you focus on the technical communication topics where you need the most help

• Real-world case scenarios built around common workplace documents

• Analysis activities based on multimodal sample documents including video instructions and interactive visual reports

• Downloadable versions of helpful forms discussed in the text

• A test bank with quizzes and additional cases and exercises for every chapter

• Tutorials on digital composition, tech tips, and documentation

• Video-based modules on team writing

Take full advantage of the LaunchPad for Practical Strategies for Technical Communication. If your book did not come packaged with an access code, you can purchase access at macmillanhighered.com/ps2e.

Need help designing presentation slides or editing photos for a document?

Tutorials included in LaunchPad for Practical Strategies for Technical Communication will help you learn and apply digital composition skills for your assignments.

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Inside LaunchPad for Practical Strategies for Technical Communication

CASES

CASE 1: Using the Measures of Excellence in Evaluating a Résumé

CASE 2: The Ethics of Requiring Students To Subsidize a Plagiarism-Detection Service

CASE 3: Accommodating a Team Member’s Scheduling Problems

CASE 4: Focusing on an Audience’s Needs and Interests CASE 5: Revising a Questionnaire CASE 6: Emphasizing Important Information in a Technical

Description CASE 7: Designing a Flyer

CASE 8: Creating Appropriate Graphics To Accompany a Report CASE 9: Setting Up and Maintaining a Professional

Microblog Account CASE 10: Identifying the Best-of-the-Best Job-Search Sites CASE 11: Revising a Brief Proposal CASE 12: Writing a Directive About Using Agendas for

Meetings CASE 13: Analyzing Decision Matrices CASE 14: Choosing a Medium for Presenting Instructions CASE 15: Understanding the Claim-and-Support Structure

for Presentation Graphics

Document-based cases, previously included at the end of each chapter, are now presented online, where you can familiarize yourself with each scenario, download and work with related documents, and access assignment questions in a single space.

Missing something? Instructors may assign the online materials that accompany this text. For access to them, visit macmillanhighered.com/ps2e. LaunchPad materials are identified throughout the text with the icon.

E-BOOKS

Document-Based Cases for Technical Communication, Second Edition, by Roger Munger, features seven realistic scenarios in which you can practice workplace writing skills. Team Writing, by Joanna Wolfe, covers strategies for collaborating successfully in the workplace through written communication.

DOCUMENT ANALYSIS ACTIVITIES

Interactive Graphic: Tom Giratikanon and David Schutz, How Hard the Wind Will Hit Your Area, and When (Chapter 8)

Online Portfolio: Blane C. Holden’s Online Portfolio (Chapter 10)

Proposal Delivered as a Prezi Presentation: Andrew Washuta, Marketing Project Proposal (Chapter 11)

Report Presented as a Website: United States Geological Survey, High Plains Water-Level Monitoring Study (Chapter 12)

Interactive Graphic: Matthew C. Hansen et al., University of Maryland, Google, USGS, and NASA, “Global Forest Change” Interactive Map (Chapter 12)

Recommendations Presented as an Audio Podcast: Centers for Disease Control, Influenza 2010–2011, ACIP Vaccination Recommendations (Chapter 13)

Mechanism Description Using Interactive Graphics: Hybridcenter.org and Union of Concerned Scientists, Hybrids Under the Hood (Part 2) (Chapter 14)

Process Description Using Video Animation: North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), Diverging Diamond Interchange Visualization (Chapter 14)

Instructions Using Video Screen Capture: TechSmith, Jing Learning Center, Capture a Video (Chapter 14)

Explore real multimedia documents that harness digital technologies in exciting new ways, and respond to prompts that will help you analyze them.

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http://Hybridcenter.org

TEAM WRITING MODULES

These modules, built around five short videos of real team interactions, focus on the role of written communication in teamwork. They’ll teach you how to use written documentation to manage a team by producing task schedules, minutes, charters, and other materials and also provide models for working on large collaborative documents.

TUTORIALS

DIGITAL WRITING TUTORIALS Cross-Platform Word Processing with CloudOn, Quip, and

More (Chapter 3) Tracking Sources with Evernote and Zotero (Chapter 5) Photo Editing Basics with GIMP (Chapter 8) Building Your Professional Brand with LinkedIn, Twitter, and

More (Chapter 10) Creating Presentations with PowerPoint and Prezi (Chapter 15) Audio Recording and Editing with Audacity (Chapter 15)

DIGITAL TIpS TUTORIALS Creating Styles and Templates (Chapter 3) Scheduling Meetings Online (Chapter 3) Reviewing Collaborative Documents (Chapter 3) Incorporating Tracked Changes (Chapter 3) Conducting Online Meetings (Chapter 3)

Using Wikis for Collaborative Work (Chapter 3) Using Collaborative Software (Chapter 3) Proofreading for Format Consistency (Chapter 7)

DOCUMENTATION TUTORIALS How To Cite a Database in APA Style (Appendix, Part A:

Documenting Your Sources) How To Cite a Website in APA Style (Appendix, Part A:

Documenting Your Sources) How To Cite a Book in MLA Style (Appendix, Part A:

Documenting Your Sources) How To Cite an Article in MLA Style (Appendix, Part A:

Documenting Your Sources) How To Cite a Website in MLA Style (Appendix, Part A:

Documenting Your Sources) How To Cite a Database in MLA Style (Appendix, Part A:

Documenting Your Sources)

Engaging tutorials show you helpful tools and tips for creating your projects along with guidance on how to best use them, as well as the documentation process for citing the sources you use in MLA and APA style.

Instructions Using a Combination of Video Demonstration and Screen Capture: Texas Tech University, Multiple Literacy Lab (MuLL), Recording Audio with iPod + iTalk (Chapter 14)

Definition Using Video Animation: ABC News, What Is the Cloud? (Chapter 14)

LEARNINGCURVE

Working in the Technical Communication Environment Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose Researching Your Subject Organizing and Emphasizing Information Writing Correct and Effective Sentences

Articles and Nouns for Multilingual Writers Prepositions for Multilingual Writers Sentence Structure for Multilingual Writers Verbs for Multilingual Writers

Master the material covered in the first six chapters of the text as well as key skills for multilingual writers with LearningCurve, an adaptive quizzing program that meets you where you are and gives you the extra support you need when you need it.