Practical, concise, and reasonably priced, The Essentials of Technical Communication, Third Edition, gives students the tools they need to get their message across in today's workplace.

Table of Contents:
* Each chapter ends with exercises: Checklists: Preface: Part 1. Principles 1. Characteristics of Writing at Work Writing at Work versus Writing at School Requires acute awareness of security and legal liability Requires awareness that documents may be read by unknown readers Achieves job goals Addresses a variety of readers who have different perspectives Creates excessive paperwork and e-mails Uses a variety of documents The Foundations of Effective Writing at Work The Qualities of Good Technical Writing 2. Writing for Your Readers Understand Your Readers-The Heart of the Planning Process Keep in mind that business readers want answers now Determine your readers and their perspectives Determine your purpose Understand your role as a writer Plan the content Case 2-1 Anticipate the context in which your writing will be received The Basic Parts of the Composing Process Analyzing the writing situation-purpose, readers, and context Choosing/discovering content Case 2-2 Arranging content Drafting Revising Editing Case 2-3 Planning and Revision Checklist 3. Writing Ethically Your Professional Obligations Codes of Conduct Recognizing Unethical Communication Plagiarism and theft of intellectual property Deliberately imprecise or ambiguous language Manipulation of numerical information Use of misleading illustrations Promotion of prejudice Uncritical use of information Managing Unethical Situations Ethics Decision Checklist 4. Achieving a Readable Style The Paragraph Examples for study Basic Principles of Effective Style Determine your readers' knowledge of the subject Determine whether a particular style will be expected Adjust the style to the readers, the purpose, and the context Keys to Building Effective Sentences Watch sentence length Keep subjects and verbs close together Write squeaky-clean prose Avoid pompous language; write to express, not to impress Avoid excessive use of is/are verb forms Use active voice for clarity Word Choice Style Checklist 5. Designing Documents Understanding the Basics of Document Design Know what decisions are yours to make Choose a design that fits your situation Plan your design from the beginning Reveal your design to your readers Keep your design consistent Designing Effective Pages and Screens Use blank space to frame and group information Space the lines of text for easy reading Adjust the line length to the size of the page or screen Use a ragged right margin Helping Readers Locate Information Use frequent headings Write descriptive headings Design distinctive headings Use page numbers and headers or footers Document Design Checklist 6. Designing Illustrations Creating Illustrations Tables Bar and column graphs Circle graphs Line graphs Organization charts Flow charts Diagrams Photographs Animation clips Film clips Designing Illustrations Ethically Illustration Checklist Part 2. Applications 7. E-mails, Texts, Memos, and Letters E-mail and Text Messages Memos and Letters Guidelines for Ensuring Quality Appropriate Tone in E-mails, Texts, Memos, and Letters Guidelines for Dealing with Tone Planning and Writing Correspondence Case 7-1: Informational e-mail message Case 7-2: Instructional memo Case 7-3: Letter requesting information Case 7-4: Unfavorable news letter Case 7-5: Letter of reply Correspondence Checklist 8. Technical Reports Kinds of Reports Report Categories-Informal and Formal Informal Report Heading 154 Subject line Reference Action required Distribution list Parts of an Informal Technical Report Introduction Summary Discussion Conclusion Recommendations Attachments Developing Reports Case 8-1 Elements of Formal Reports Prefatory elements Abstracts and summaries Discussion, or body of the report Collecting and grouping information Conclusion(s) Recommendations Appendices Case 8-2 Letter Reports Example Report for Study Writing Collaboratively The team leader Requirements of team leaders Requirements of team members Report Checklist 9. Proposals and Progress Reports Proposals Example RFP The context of proposal development Effective argument in proposal development Standard sections of proposals Case 9-1: Research proposal Case 9-2: Project proposal Progress Reports Structure of progress reports Case 9-3 Case 9-4 Style and Tone of Proposals and Progress Reports Checklist for Developing Proposals and Progress Reports 10. Instructions, Procedures, and Policies Instructions versus Procedures Critical Role of Instructions and Procedures in the Workplace Planning Instructions and Procedures Structure and Organization Introduction Theory governing the procedure or instruction Warnings, cautions, hazards, and notes regarding safety or quality Conditions under which the task should be performed Name of each step Case 10-1: Process instructions Case 10-2: Job instructions Case 10-3: Instructional letter Online Instructions Case 10-4 Checklist for Developing Instructions/Procedures 11. Oral Reports Understanding the Speaking-Writing Relationship Analyzing the Audience Determining the Goal of Your Presentation Choosing and Shaping Content Analyzing the Context Choosing the Organization Choosing an Appropriate Speaking Style Choosing Visuals to Enhance Your Purpose and Your Meaning Planning Your Presentation-Questions You Need to Ask Audience Purpose Context Content Graphics Style Speaking to Multicultural Audiences Designing Each Segment Choose an interesting title Develop your presentation around three main divisions Plan the introduction carefully Design the body Design the conclusion Choosing an Effective Delivery Style Techniques to Enhance Audience Comprehension Designing and Presenting the Written Paper Structuring the written speech Writing the speech Practicing the presentation Checklist for Preparing Oral Reports 12. Résumés and Job Applications The Correspondence of the Job Search Letter of application The résumé Follow-up letters Interviewing The interview Negotiation Before and after the interview Job Search Checklist Appendix A. Brief Guide to Grammar, Punctuation, and Usage: Appendix B. Using Sources of Information: Appendix C. Report for Study: Index: