TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION - Rev
TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION - Rev
•Technical communication is the exchange of information that helps people interact with technology and solve complex
problems.
WHAT IS TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION?
•To interact with technology in so many ways, we need information that is not only technically accurate but also easy to
understand and use.
•Technical communication serves various needs in various settings.
1. COPYRIGHT LAW
- protects authors' rights for written material, printed content, software, and photos, requiring permission for use.
Exceptions allow fair use by reviewers, teachers, and critics, who must attribute the original author when utilizing
material.
2. TRADEMARK LAW
- pertains to federal protection. Commerce to identify the product of one manufacturer from another. The author
explains that registered trademarks should only be used with proper icons (usually, O, TM, or ®) and should always
be used as adjectives instead of nouns.
Registered Trademarks (®)
Usage: Applied to products or services that are officially registered with the relevant trademark office.
3. CONTRACT LAW
- is an agreement between two entities. It can be written or oral. The important part of the agreement is often the
warranty of a product or service.
There are usually two kinds of warranty: express warranty and implied warranty.
• Express Warranty- is typically a written statement, presented as specific facts about the features of a product or service.
• Implied warranty- is an example of the contract theory noted above: a product is presumed to do what the manual and
the package show it to do.
4. LIABILITY LAW
- pertains to responsibilities or obligations of writers who claim they made it on their paper. This branch of law leads
to the documentation often found in packages that tells us not to use products for any purpose not intended by the
manufacturer. It needs to be specific, and it needs to be plainly worded.
PRINCIPLES OF ETHICAL COMMUNICATION
DOs of Technical Communication
• Abide by relevant laws.
• Abide by the appropriate corporate or professional code of conduct.
• Tell the truth.
• Be clear.
• Avoid discriminatory language.
• Acknowledge assistance from others.
DON'Ts of Technical Communication
• False Implications- assuming the outcome of a project or making sweeping generalizations.
• Exaggerations expressing situations in extreme proportions.
• Euphemisms- writing about situations in seemingly good conditions even though they are
not.
• Don't mislead your readers.
The Writing process
Pre-writing stage- This is the first stage in the writing process. It is what the writer does before he writes the first draft.
A. Purpose of the paper. This is necessary to determine the content of the paper to be included, the organization and
style of the paper,
C. Gathering information. A writer must be able to find sources of information to enrich his/her topic.
Pre-writing techniques:
Writing stage- The writing stage is the part where we begin to write our first draft.
Do’s of writing a first draft
Re-writing stage- During this stage, you review, evaluate and make changes to your initial draft to improve its clarity,
organization, coherence and overall quality.