Discussion Question Answer

Question:

In this course, we have covered a lot of ground. Discuss what you have learned about technical and business communications over the last nine weeks. Describe which area of technical communications was most important to you, and explain why. In your post, address some or all of the following:

How is technical (or business) communication different from other types of communication?
Why is collaboration so important in technical communication?
What are some of the things you need to know about your intended audience?
Describe some of the channels and vehicles of communication available for communication with various audiences. How do you determine which ones to use?
How do you determine the message that needs to be delivered to an intended audience?
How can you find out whether your message was delivered successfully?
What are the roles of websites and social media in technical communications?

Respond to:

When I began this class, it was with equal parts interest in that I wondered if being a technical writer/editor was a viable career path for me and confidence since I like writing and looked forward to this writing-heavy class. Now, at the end of week 10, I can say that some of my preconceived notions going into week one have been altered now that we are at the end of the class.

Do I think I can still be a professional technical writer or editor: Yes, I believe that this is a discipline and profession I could become good at. I do not, however, think I am as ready to take on those challenges as a stand-alone job as I thought I might have been going into this class. And that is okay. I do a lot of technical writing and editing in my job, but in a focused capacity and as a collateral type duty. The skills,techniques, and lessons learned in this class will allow me to build off of what I already do and improve my end products.

It is tough to pinpoint areas of technical communication that were important to me specifically. I will say that I gained good insight by studying the different forms of technical communications and the potential challenges that technical communicators face in various professional arenas. I personally learned that I could sometimes be too vague in what I am trying to say. However, I wasn’t able to determine if that was because I was trying to make sure I hit the points on the rubrics, I was trying to keep the papers within a reasonable page and word count, or I perhaps didn’t grasp some of the nuances of the assignments. It was probably a little of all those things. But with each assignment and milestone, I felt that I understood a bit more about technical communications then I did before.

More specific answers:

How is technical (or business) communication different from other types of communication?
- Technical communication seems to be its own unique discipline. It is more professional than conversational style writing is and it doesn’t try to entertain in the way creative works do. I like technical communications because it is simply trying to inform a person(s) about something in as clear a manner as you can make it. Clear, concise, and direct.
Why is collaboration so important in technical communication?

- Collaboration seems to be almost a requirement in this profession as no one person has all the right answers to solve a problem, nor do they have the time needed to produce multiple documentations. These two facts seem to drive collaboration, and when collaboration is used effectively, good technical communications can be generated.
How can you find out whether your message was delivered successfully?

- If you have an intended outcome from a delivered message, then the results of that outcome are a good way to determine in a message was delivered successfully or not. Other ways you can determine levels of success are through surveys, interviews or through follow-up communications. Sometimes, you can simply just ask if the person or audience understands what you are trying to tell them.

I can easily say I got a lot out of this class and will take a lot of what I have learned with me into future employment endeavors.

Respond to:

Prior to this course I don’t think I actually considered technical communications a legitimate field, much less a profession. I only thought of business communications in terms of PR and marketing. Looking back, I guess I must have assumed that these manuals and other technical documentation were written by the product creator, or project manager, or systems analyst. I couldn’t conceive the function as an actual profession. This course has definitely helped widened my very narrow-minded view. There were quite a few little intricacies that I once took for granted but can now appreciate. As far as what area of technical communications was most important to me, I can honestly say all of them because each was a learning experience for me.

How is technical (or business) communication different from other types of communication?

To be quite honest, I’ve had difficulty keeping it all separate. I think the most confusing aspect is the fact that I see technical communication as a form of business communication, but then between the literature I read and the wording of some of our assignments, I’ve found myself wondering if I was I taking the right approach. Some sources say technical communication is different and/or separate from business communication, while others have used the two interchangeably, or have suggested that business communication is a culmination of technical and professional communication. For instance, in our assignments there isn’t any consistency to the labeling, sometimes the IG role is referred to simply as Communications Manager, while other times it specifically states Technical Communications Manager. With all this ambiguity, I wished our course had one clear and consistent definition.

As for how technical communication differs other types of communication: the main objectives of technical communication are clarity (the provision of specific detail and quantified information), conciseness (the provision of specific detail in as little words as possible; to the point), and accuracy (the provision of specific detail that is accurate) (Gerson & Gerson, 2017).

Why is collaboration so important in technical communication?

Two brains are better than one? Collaboration and teamwork improves business productivity; in fact, most business processes are collaborative by nature. “Modern technical communication requires the participation of ‘communities of practice’: formal and informal networks of people who collaborate on projects based on common goals, interests, initiatives and activities” (Gerson & Gerson, 2017, p. 8). Technical communicators don’t operate in a bubble; they’re typically tasked to create documentation on topics for users who are not subject matter experts. This development process is multifaceted and to achieve the clarity, conciseness, and accuracy that effective technical communication demands, they need to often work in teams and collaborate both internally (across functional units) and externally (with users and professional peers).

What are some of the things you need to know about your intended audience?

The information needs of the audience and their knowledge level are two of the most important characteristics to know about your intended audience. If two of the objectives of technical communication are conciseness and clarity, knowing what information is necessary and how much level of detail your intended audience requires goes a very long way toward achieving those goals. When it comes to writing for persuasion, the more you know about your audience’s personality traits (such as perceptions, values, attitudes, motivations, and beliefs), the better you can tailor the message to appeal to them. In communications where you expect something of your audience (as most business communication does), it is imperative that the writing be audience-centric so as to achieve audience involvement (Gerson & Gerson, 2017). The image of your audience that you may draw up in your head is not based in facts…it is assumptive, and therefore highly susceptible to personal biases. The more accurate understanding that you can have of your audience and their needs, the better equipped you will be to craft successful communications.

Describe some of the channels and vehicles of communication available for communication with various audiences. How do you determine which ones to use?

The internet is possibly one of the most comprehensive vehicles of communication. This one vehicle can act as a channel for so many different types of communication and with access being what it is, has the potential to reach mass audiences. It can simultaneously act as a conduit for one-on-one interaction (e.g. live chats), or as a platform for mass communication (e.g. social media). Communications can be synchronous or asynchronous (Gerson & Gerson, 2017). The web acts as a communications warehouse and even if you don’t know the exact location (i.e. a specific URL), search engines allow us back-door access. Also, it can be used as a virtual collaboration tool. Some other—less fabulous—channels include: print media (letters, brochures, proposals etc.), and oral communication (presentations, face-to-face conversations, etc.). Vehicles include television, radio, telephone, and snail mail.

How do you determine the message that needs to be delivered to an intended audience?

To determine the message that needs to be delivered to an intended audience, you can approach it as a process, like the writing process that Gerson & Gerson (2017) suggests. They suggest that the writing process has three parts and follows the sequence:

Prewrite. In this stage, prior to crafting your correspondence you must first spend time examining your purposes (what is your motivation for communicating?); determining your goals (why are you communicating?—to inform, persuade, instruct, etc.); considering your audience(s) (who they are, what are their needs and what it is you want them to do); gathering your information (this is where you begin to mold your content); and deciding the best channel(s) of delivery.
Write. This is the stage where you ‘package’ your data into a draft of the correspondence. You are able to organize and format your content based on the objectives, audience needs, and communication channel requirements.
Rewrite. In this final stage, you perfect your correspondence by reviewing & revising your draft, and testing for usability.

How can you find out whether your message was delivered successfully?

Well, the post office has this neat little feature called delivery confirmation. Don’t you wish it was that simple? The problem with that feature is that it only confirms that the individual received the information; successful message delivery also entails the ability of the recipient to decode (i.e. understand) the message and respond as the sender intended. I wish there was an app for that. Some ways to determine success can be if the recipient responded in the way you intended (e.g. by successfully following a directive, or approving a new product). Others include soliciting and assessing audience feedback, or establishing evaluative metrics that can help measure success (The NonProfitTimes, 2014).

What are the roles of websites and social media in technical communications?

I broached this topic in above in my response on communication channels, but to reiterate, websites and social media are particularly useful for reaching mass audiences. The point I didn’t stress as much earlier is that they are great tools for interactivity and engagement between technical communicators and end-users. Social media allows for much greater customer/user involvement and direct feedback. They also serve as methods for collaborative writing, both professionally (peer-to-peer), and business-to-customer. Would 'revolutionary' be an appropriate description of their roles?