Technical writing - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Technical writing

September

18,

2012Slide2

Today

MemosSlide3

Review – The Writing Process

Step 1: Brainstorming & Planning

Step 2: Drafting (write a rough draft)

Step 3: Revising

Step 4: EditingSlide4

Step 3: Revising

“Rethinking”

Content

: accuracy, relevant, adequate.

Organization

: Clear, effective, concise.

Tone

: Professional and sincere vs. arrogant.Slide5

Step 3:

Revising - organization

To: Kelly Anderson

From: Jack Fitzgerald

Date: September 13, 2012

Subject: Fall Clothes Line Promotion

Market research and analysis show that the proposed advertising media for the new fall lines need to be reprioritized and changed. Findings from focus groups and surveys have made it apparent that we need to update our advertising efforts to align them with the styles and trends of young adults today. 

XYZ Company needs to focus advertising on internet sites that appeal to young people. According to surveys, 72% of our target market uses the internet for five hours or more per week. The following list shows in order of popularity the most frequented sites

: Google, Facebook,

Myspace

,

Ebay

, iTunes.

It used to be common to advertise for our products on shows like 

Friends

 and 

Seinfeld

 for our target audience, but even the face of television is changing. Young adults are tuning into reality television shows for their entertainment. Results from the focus group show that our target audience is most interested in shows like 

American

Idol

,

The

Apprentice

,

and

America's

Next Top Model

. 

By refocusing our advertising efforts of our new line of clothing we will be able to maximize the exposure of our product to our target marketSlide6

Step 3:

Revising - organization

To: Kelly Anderson

From: Jack Fitzgerald

Date: September 18, 2012

Subject: Fall Clothes Line Promotion

Market research and analysis show that the proposed advertising media for the new fall lines need to be reprioritized and changed. Findings from focus groups and surveys have made it apparent that we need to update our advertising efforts to align them with the styles and trends of young adults today. 

Internet Advertising

XYZ Company needs to focus advertising on internet sites that appeal to young people. According to surveys, 72% of our target market uses the internet for five hours or more per week. The following list shows in order of popularity the most frequented sites

:

-Google

- Facebook

-

Myspace

-

Ebay

- iTunes.

Television Advertising

It used to be common to advertise for our products on shows like 

Friends

 and 

Seinfeld

 for our target audience, but even the face of television is changing. Young adults are tuning into reality television shows for their entertainment. Results from the focus group show that our target audience is most interested in shows like 

- American Idol

- The Apprentice

- America's

Next Top Model

. 

By refocusing our advertising efforts of our new line of clothing we will be able to maximize the exposure of our product to our target marketSlide7

Step 3: Revising (Tone)

Be confident…

…but not TOO confident.

i.e.,

You must agree that I am qualified for the position.

My qualifications in the areas of accounting and customer service meet your job requirements.Slide8

Step 3: Revising (Tone)

Be courteous and sincere…

…not rude.

i.e.,

You didn’t read the instructions carefully, thus your system has shut down.

The system may automatically shut down if any installation errors occur.Slide9

Tone

We will have a closer look at tone later in the semester.Slide10

Step 4:

Editing

“Quality control.”

Edit your writing only after you are satisfied with the “big” decisions about content and organization.Slide11

Step 4:

Editing

Quality Control

Editing

involves checking:

Sentences

Word choices

Punctuation and spelling

Grammar

Clarity Slide12
Slide13
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Assignment

Brainstorming revision

Outline

Memo

Please check the website for information.

Deadline: Next Friday (September 21)Slide15

Memo

Short for

Memorandum

, Latin for

“something to be remembered

.”

Memos are brief

“in-house “ correspondences

sent

throughout companies and organizations.

“

in-house

” = within a company/organization.Slide16

Memos

Memos serve a variety of

functions:

- making

an

announcement

- providing instructions

- clarifying

a

policy/procedure/issue

- changing

a policy or

procedure

- alerting

employees to a problem or

issue

- offering

general

information

- providing

a brief

summary

- making

a request,

- offering suggestions

calling

a

meeting

AND MORE!!Slide17

Memos

Memos are usually written for an in-house audience (people in your organization), but are sometimes used for short reports sent to another organization.

They keep track of:

What jobs are done and

where, when, and by whom.

Also report difficulties, delays, or cancellations.Slide18
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Writing a Memo

Before you start writing a memo, you need to…???

ANALYZE YOUR AUDIENCE

When?

Who?

Where?

Why?

Also…

Costs?

Technology?

What’s next?Slide20

Memo Audience Analysis

When?

When did it happen? Is it on, ahead, or behind schedule?, etc

.

Who?

Who is involved? Who is affected by it?, etc

.

Where?

Where did it take place? Why does it need to take place at this location?, etc

.

Why?

Why is it an important topic?, etc

.

Costs?

How much will it cost? Is the cost worth it?, etc

.

Technology?

What technology is involved? Is the technology suitable, available, current, adaptable?, etc

.

What’s next?

What steps should now be taken? What are the implications?, etc.Slide21

Memo Format

Memos vary in format.

They

can be generic or pre-printed with the company name/logo, and they can be

sent

in hard copy or via e-mail.

Because memos are sent to individuals within a company, they do not need to include the formalities included in business letters, such as inside address, salutation, complimentary close, or signature line.Slide22

Business letter

MemoSlide23

Memo Format

Memos consist of two parts:

1. The

identifying information at the top (to, from, date, subject)

2. The message.Slide24
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Slide26
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Memo Format

Generally, the headings are organized like this:

To:

From:

Date:

Subject:Slide28

Memo Format

To: H.K.

Floppywick

, Manager

Campus bookstore

Identify the recipient clearly; use title (if he/she uses one).

Recipients may also be addressed as a group.

To: KAC sophomore students.Slide29

Memo Format

From: Prof. Bob

Noddington

Department of International Relations

Room 527, KAC

580-7896

Identify the author, and add title if the memo is going to someone not well known (i.e., another department or another company).

For more familiar audiences, the author needs only basic info.

From: Joan Campbell.Slide30

Memo Format

Date:

September 18,

2012

Write the date in this format

month date, yearSlide31

Memo Format

Subject: Request for new textbooks to support ongoing research ($800)

Give a clear, detailed identification of the subject.

Subject: Ways to improve workplace safety.

Subject: Introduction to new office network protocol.Slide32

Memo Format

To

:

H.K.

Floppywick

, Manager

Campus bookstore

From

:

Prof. Bob

Noddington

Department of International Relations

Room 527, KAC

580-7896

Date

:

September

18,

2012

Subject: Request

for new textbooks to support ongoing research ($800)Slide33

Strategies for Organizing Memos

Organize your memos so that readers can find information quickly and act on it promptly. Slide34

Strategies for Organizing Memos

For longer, more complex memo communications, divide your memo into three parts

:

Introduction

Body

(Discussion

)

ConclusionSlide35

Strategies for Organizing Memos

Introduction:

Tell

readers clearly about the issue or policy, explain any background information the reader needs to know, and be specific about what you are going to accomplish in your memo

.Slide36

Strategies for Organizing Memos

Introduction:

“Starting January 1, we will introduce the following change in regard to our company policy with regard to annual leave: every year one employee from each department will be awarded special annual bonus leave for outstanding performance.”Slide37

Strategies for Organizing Memos

2. Body

(Discussion):

State

why a problem or procedure is important and who will be affected by it, indicate why changes are necessary, and give precise dates, times, locations, and costs.Slide38

Strategies for Organizing Memos

2. Body

(Discussion):

“The eligible employees will have additional five (5) days of annual leave credited on January 15. The bonus leave will be accounted for separately and will remain available until used, notwithstanding any other limitation of the total number of days annual leave that may be carried forward.Slide39

Strategies for Organizing Memos

3. Conclusion

:

Ask

readers to call you if they have questions, request a reply, and provide a list of recommendations.Slide40

Strategies for Organizing Memos

3. Conclusion

:

“We will have a meeting on December 15 at 10:00 a.m. to discuss the results of the 2012 performance evaluation and approve the final list of employees eligible for the bonus. The announcement to the employees will follow th

e meeting. If you have any questions or comments, please let me know before the meeting.”Slide41
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Next class

Continue with memos.

Don’t forget to check the assignment information sheet and start working on the assignment!

Due Friday (11:59 p.m.)

Send to:

kachomework@gmail.com