Technical Writing in the Corporate World

Description:
The course was designed to cover critical business and professional development topics in the shortest time possible. With a wealth of hands-on exercises, the course keeps you engaged and help you retain critical skills.

This course was developed for those who want to learn the basics of effective technical writing. Special attention is paid to how to plan, organize, develop, and edit technical documents for the best results.

Duration: One day

Table of Contents:

Section 1: Understanding Technical Writing
1.0: Understanding Technical Writing
1.1: Surveying Your Attitudes Toward Writing
1.2: Knowing Your Audience
Case Study 1: Analyzing an Audience
Exercise: Evaluating Effective Technical Writing
1.3: Understanding the Writing Process
Exercise: Thinking About Your Writing Process
1.4: The Five C’s of Report Writing

Section 2: Developing the Technical Document
2.0: Developing the Technical Document
2.1: Correspondence
2.1.1: The Memo
2.1.2: The Cover Letter
2.1.3: The Resume
2.2: Reports
2.2.1: The Trip Report
2.2.2: The Activities Report
2.3: Proposals
2.3.1: The Brief Proposal
2.3.2: The Extended Proposal
Case Study 2: Thinking Argumentatively
2.4: Procedures
2.5: Long Documents
Exercise: Collecting Model Technical Documents

Section 3: Editing the Technical Document
3.0: Editing the Technical Document
3.1: Organization
3.2: Style
3.3: Correctness
Exercise: Identifying the Seven Deadly Errors of Technical Writing
3.3.1: Pronoun-Reference Agreement Problems
3.3.2: Subject-Verb Agreement Problems
3.3.3: Vague Pronoun Reference
3.3.4: Dangling Modifiers
3.3.5: Overuse of Passive Voice
3.3.6: Inappropriate Comma Use
3.3.7: Inappropriate Semicolon Use
3.4: A Note on Editing

Section 4: Conclusion: The Importance of Technical Writing

Addendum
Addendum A: Building a Community of Technical Editors
Addendum B: Word Processing for the Technical Writer
Addendum C: Technical Writing and English as a Second Language
Addendum D: For Further Reading