Business And Technical Communication: A Guide To Writing Professionally

Chapter 1 Principles of Professional and Technical Communication

Style

Different from Other Forms of Writing

Research Orientation

Voice

Shifting Writing Orientation from Self to Audience

Designing for Easy Navigation

Structure

Introduction

Body

Conclusion

Time and Space Limitations

Editing

Grammar

Etiquette

Ethics

Knowing and Doing Right versus Wrong

Giving Proper Attribution

Respecting Intellectual Property

Abiding by Employment Agreements

Honoring Noncompetition and Nondisclosure Agreements

Ensuring Safety and Security of Others

Conclusion

Candidate for a Pullet Surprise

CHAPTER 2 Audience

Purpose

Informing

Persuading

Types of Audiences

Decision Makers

Influencers

Those Who Need to Know: End Users

Example Using All Audience Types

Overcoming Communication Barriers

Cultural Obstacles

Cross-Cultural Communication

Word Usage and Spelling

Gender Neutrality

Contractions

Generic Forms of You

Company Culture

Conclusion

CHAPTER 3 Document, Poster, and Presentation Design

Basic Design Elements

Written Document Design

Margins

Headings

Widows and Orphans

Font Size in Written Documents

Font Type and Style in Written Documents

Bold, Italics, and Underline

All Caps and No Caps

Line Spacing

Bullets and Numbers

Illustrations

Charts

Diagrams, Schematics, Blueprints, and Equations

Tables

Maps and Photographs

Poster Presentation Design

Layout

Font

Graphics

Slide Presentation Design

Grammar and Citation

Professional Templates and Backgrounds

Three Required Slides

Color

Font Size and Style

Visual Composition

llustrations

Words per Slide

Points per Slide

Slides per Minute

Animation and Multimedia Clips

Question Anticipation

Conclusion

Chapter 4 Working and Writing Collaboratively

Management and Work Styles

Team Size

Establishing a Team Vision

Coming to Agreement on Operating Rules and Principles

Scheduling and Following Timelines

Gantt Charts

Status Reports

Maximizing Talents

Roles: Leaders, Coordinators, Team Members

The Six Sigma Model

Team Stages of Development

Team Writing

Dividing and Conquering

Specializing

Concurrent Writing

Tools that Assist the Team Writing Process

Working Relationships of Subject Matter Experts and Editors

Conclusion

Chapter 5 Telephone, Text, Email, Letters, and Memos

Internal vs. External Communication

Informal vs. Formal Communication

Choose the Best Platform

Telephone

Text

Comparison to Letters

Comparison to Memos

Limitations

Format

Etiquette

Letters

Letterhead

Letter Types

Formats

Memos

Conclusion

Chapter 6 Reports, Proposals, and White Papers

Front Matter

Back Matter

Reports

Feasibility Reports

Lab/Test Reports

Status Reports

Final Project Reports

Proposals

Request for Proposal (RFPs)

Open vs. Closed

Solicited vs. Unsolicited

Formatting

White Papers

Conclusion

Chapter 7 Stand Alone and Supplemental Documents

Definitions and Glossaries

Definitions

Glossaries

Instructions and Specifications

Instructions

Specifications

Statement of Work

Definition

Elements

Policies and Procedures

Policies

Procedures

Manuals

Conclusion

Spider

Chapter 8 Presentations

Live vs. Electronic Media

Audience Needs

Informative Presentations

Introduction

Body

Conclusion

Informative Speech Outline

Poster Presentations

Poster Presentation Question and Answer Session

Persuasive Presentations

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Monroe's Motivated Sequence

Group Presentations

Passing the Ball

One Mouthpiece

Panel Discussions, Symposiums, and Forums

Managing Question-and-Answer Sessions

Presentations in an International Environment

Agents, Customs, and Language

Using Technology in Presentations

When Technology Fails . . . and It Will Fail

Using Interpreters and/or Language Processing Technology

Avoid Slang and Sarcasm

Speaker's Professional Presence

Good Preparation

Topic Knowledge and Enthusiasm

Hand Gestures

Eye Contact

Facial Expressions

Vocal Inflection, Tone, and Emphasis

Good Grammar and Pronunciation

Appropriate Attire

Body Movement

Conclusion

Chapter 9 Gaining, Retaining, and Advancing Employment

The Job Search Process

Finding Opportunities

A Few Important Considerations

Sanitize Social Media Accounts

Prepare for Background Checks
Be Ethical

The Hiring Process

Resume Writing and Processing

Key Word Searches

Tailoring Your Resume

Honesty

Writing and Designing Your Resume

Cover Letters

Interviewing

Interviewing Methods

Different Types of Interviews

Preparation

Practicing for the Interview

Participating in the Interview

Third Parties

Compensation Negotiation

Follow Up

Maintaining and Advancing Your Career

Conclusion

CHAPTER 10 Social Media and Intellectual Property

Social Network Sites Defined

Internet and Social Networking Site Usage

Screen Reading: The "F" Pattern Phenomenon

Creating, Monitoring, and Sanitizing Personal Social Media Usage

Creating

Monitoring

Sanitizing

Social Media Use in Employment

National Labor Relations Act

Corporate Social Media Policies and Guidelines

Blogging Guidelines

Tweeting Guidelines

Corporate Uses of Social Media

Newsworthy Uses of Social Media

Intellectual Property

Trademarks

Copyrights

Patents

Trade Secrets

Plagiarism and the Fair Use Doctrine

Plagiarism

Fair Use Doctrine

Employment Agreements

Non-Competition Agreements

Non-Disclosure Agreements

Conclusion

APPENDICES

Appendix A: American English Mechanics Guide

Punctuation

Periods

Commas

Oxford Commas

Semicolons

Colons

Exclamation Points

Question Marks

Quotation Marks

Apostrophe

Capitalization

Sentence Structure Basics

The Articles: A, An, and The

Comma Splice (C.S.)

Fragments (Frag)

Gerund

Run On (R.O.)

Subject-Verb Agreement (S-V) and Verb Tense

Mechanics "Trouble Spots"

i.e. and e.g.

Affect and Effect

Because, Since, and As

Bored of, bored by, bored with

Fewer and Less

I or Me (when not alone)

Its and It's

Lay and Lie

Of and Have

Sit and Set

That and Which

There, Their, and They're

Whether and Weather

Hear and Here

Be and Bee

Who and Whom

Whose and Who's

Year's and Years'

Your and You're

Appendix B: IEEE Citation Format

Books

Examples

Handbooks

Examples

Reports

Examples

Conference Technical Articles

Online Sources

Example

Examples

Patents, Standards, Theses, Dissertations, Unpublished Works

Example

Examples

Periodicals

Examples

Additional General Reference Rules

References in Text

References Within a Reference

References With URL in Addition to Print Source

Reference Abbreviations for Source, Month, et al.

References Page

References

INDEX

Maribeth Schlobohm

Maribeth (Betsy) Schlobohm is a Clinical Associate Professor at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), where she teaches Small Group Communication and Professional and Technical Communication. Prior to teaching at UTD, she taught at LeTourneau University. Schlobohm is coauthor of Business and Technical Communication: A Guide to Writing Professionally, published by Kendall Hunt and now in its second edition.

Schlobohm is also an attorney and mediator. She focuses her private legal practice on small businesses, estate planning and probate, and mediation. She has conducted more than 575 mediations and is a Texas Mediator Credentialing Association (TMCA) credentialed Distinguished Mediator.