5.5: The Two-Pronged Approach To Technical Writing

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Content Format/Design

Word choice Headings/Subheadings

Sentence structures Bulleted lists

Paragraph length Paragraph types

Grammar/Usage Clean copies

Clarity The big 3: BIU

Specific details Graphics

Order of information Single space/double space

Both content and design should be directly related to audience awareness: how is your audience going to use the document; how much does your audience already know about the document; how does your audience feel about the document?

Both content and design will be directly related to the type of document required. A press release will look much different than a newsletter summary and should have a totally different purpose/response.

The same holds true for:

Instructions/Process Description;
Letter of Inquiry/ Letter of Application;
Business Letter/Memorandum, etc.

Think about what you say in a professional document and about what the document looks like.

Eng 235. Authored by: Jeff Meyers. Provided by: Clinton Community College. License: CC BY: Attribution