J. G. Levitt Professional Development

Intended For

This course is intended for people seeking to develop or improve effective technical writing skills at the beginning or intermediate levels.
 

Prerequisites

Participants are expected to be well experienced in basic grammar and writing skills, including sentence and paragraph development, spelling, and punctuation.
 

Primary Goal

The primary goal of this course is to review and practice writing techniques for making any technical content easy to read, understand, act upon, and remember.  Special emphasis is given to techniques for writing clear instructions and procedures.
 

Learning Objectives

1. Analyzing and identifying audience needs effectively
2. Organizing technical content to covey the message clearly and logically
3. Identifying information types, selecting the best corresponding presentation style for each, and organizing the content in logical sequencing
4. Mastering higher-level writing skills to improve correctness, clarity, and professionalism of content (including use of active and passive voice, parallel structure, clear pronoun references, avoidance of subject and verb interruptions, and more)
5. Writing clear, usable instructions and procedures
6. Designing an effective layout and style guide for technical documents
7. Proofreading and editing technical documents effectively
    

Comprehensive, Professional Book Provided

Technical Writing Essentials, by Julie Levitt is the 100-page book provided for each course participant.  This comprehensive collection of easy tools to improve technical writing effectiveness is both a learning tool and an efficient reference for future use.  The book reflects current business trends and standards.

Contents for Text-Workbook
Technical Writing Essentials
 

CHAPTER 1. DEFINE THE TECHNICAL WRITING PROCESS

• Define Technical Writing
• Define the Technical Writing Process
   

CHAPTER 2. PLAN: DETERMINE DOCUMENT PURPOSE, AUDIENCE, AND REQUIREMENTS

• Determine Document Purpose
• Analyze the Audience
• Confirm Document Purpose, Type, Scope, Requirements
   

CHAPTER 3. RESEARCH, CLUSTER IDEAS, IDENTIFY READER BENEFITS, AND SELECT AN ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERN

• Research
• Identify Benefits to the Reader
• Consider Developing a Content Planning Checklist
• Cluster and Number Initial Content Ideas
• Select the Best Organizational Pattern
• Develop a Rough Outline
• Prepare a Formal Outline
   

CHAPTER 4. DRAFT AND MAP THE CONTENT

• Write the Rough Draft
• Use Message Mapping to Increase Readability and Usability (chunking, relevance and uniformity, graphics integration, information types, presentation methods, headings, visual language, action tables)
• Revise the Rough Draft
   

CHAPTER 5. USE GRAPHICS TO CLARIFY DETAILS

• Choose the Right Graphic
• Know Functions of Tables, Graphs, and Charts
• Follow Guidelines for Using Graphics
• Create Charts Easily
   

CHAPTER 6. WRITE CORRECTLY, COHERENTLY, AND CLEARLY

• Use Active and Passive Voice Construction Skillfully
• Eliminate Dummy Subjects
• Use Parallel Structure
• Avoid Camouflaged and Weak Verbs
• Avoid Subject and Verb Interruptions
• Use Clear Pronoun References and Agreement Use Specific, Measurable Terms
• Use Simple, Direct Terms, and Meet Multicultural Needs
• Use Transitions to Increase Coherence
   

CHAPTER 7. WRITE CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS AND PROCEDURES

• Match Content to the Audience
• Analyze Tasks, Test Usability, Evaluate Instructional Content
• Plan the Content
• Pay Attention to Organization and Logic
• Write Clear Instructions
• Format Instructions Clearly
   

CHAPTER 8. DEVELOP AN EFFICIENT DOCUMENT DESIGN

• Plan and Apply a Clearly Designed Layout
• Prepare and Use a Document Style Guide
   

CHAPTER 9. REVIEW KEY ELEMENTS OF SHORT REPORTS

• Short Report Overview
• Components of Short Reports
• Direct and Indirect Format
   

CHAPTER 10. REFINE YOUR DOCUMENT: PROOFREAD AND EDIT

• Use the Three-Step Proofreading/Editing Method
• Improve Proofreading Skills
• Use Standard Proofreader’s Marks
• Edit to Eliminate Errors in Missing or Incomplete Information
• Edit to Eliminate Incorrect Facts or Contradictions
• Edit to Eliminate Inconsistencies and Sequencing Errors
• Proofread for Accuracy of Numbers
   

Supplemental Technical Writing Essentials Resource Materials

Technical Writing Essentials Appendix Items

1. Course Writing Project
2. Template for Planning and Organizing a Technical Document
3. Basic Flowcharting Fundamentals
4. Technical Writing Information Resources
5. Final Technical Document Checklist

Technical Writing Essentials: Companion CD Supplements

1. Template for Planning and Organizing a Technical Document
2. Using Numbers Correctly (in figures or written out)
3. Comparison and Contrast Techniques
4. International Localization: Structure Problems to Avoid
5. Citing Sources in a Bibliography
6. Basic Grammar and Punctuation Elements
7. Technical Writing Strategies for the Web
8. Revise Draft Exercise