WHAT IS TECHNICAL COMMUNICATIONS?

In its most basic form, communication is the exchange of information through words, images, and sounds. The purpose of stringing words, images, and sounds together is to make meaning and to share that meaning with others. The ways in which we string words, images, and sounds together are determined by the audience and context. We usually communicate differently with our friends, acquaintances, or coworkers than with our bosses or colleagues. 

You might be wondering how a technical communication class is different from an academic writing class. A typical writing classroom is primarily concerned with demonstrating knowledge by demonstrating an understanding of traditional types of papers or essays (explanatory, argumentative, reflective) to the instructor. In a technical communication classroom, many of the principles are similar -- arranging paragraphs effectively, creating a writing process -- but the emphasis is on communicating information in a professional context, so concision, clarity, and accessibility are further emphasized.

The purpose of technical communication is to transmit important information as efficiently and effectively as possible-information that allows you and those around you to do our jobs effectively.

The third way that technical communications differs from your conception of a traditional writing class is that it does not focus only on writing. To communicate effectively, we must also be aware of the many ways that our audiences can hear us. Reports, emails, proposals, and instructions are all important written forms, but you will also need to make visual and oral presentations, videos, infographics, and diagrams. Web and social media offer professionals even more ways to communicate in a variety of formats. Communication experts know when and how to use (or blend) these modes depending on the audience and desired outcome.

In this textbook, the most important "strategies" are that all communication must be tailored to the audience and purpose. As a professional, you will have access to an almost unlimited amount of documents and forms of communication. A good communicator does more than know what to communicate (the information, your expertise). They also think carefully about who they are communicating to (the audience) and why they are communicating (the purpose).

Why is communication so important?

The vast majority of a professional's workday is spent communicating, if you asked them what they really do. Communication is the thread that connects your expertise, your duties, and your professional relationships in a professional setting. In order to do well in your job, you must first find a job, fulfill your duties, learn new skills, and maintain good working relationships with your coworkers.

Often, incredibly knowledgeable people overlook the who and why, focusing only on the what, which leads to poor communication.

If you don't know an electron from a proton, imagine sitting through a lecture on particle physics. In addition to speaking rapidly and not pausing for student questions, the professor assumes that every student in every seat is experiencing and processing the lecture the same way. You would feel lost and your focus would be on keeping up rather than learning anything new. Due to a lack of audience awareness, this professor assumed everyone had the same knowledge. Communication gaps are one of the basic tenets of effective communication. The problem of communication failure can be minimized if we understand the composition of an audience (education level, background knowledge, values, needs, etc.) and develop communication.

Engineers, in particular, must have the ability to communicate both within their teams and to audiences with diverse backgrounds. According to Stephen Pinker (2014),

There is only one explanation for why good writers write bad prose: the curse of knowledge. It simply doesn't occur to the writer that her readers don't know what she knows-that they don't understand the argot of her guild, that they cannot intuit the missing steps that seem obvious, that they have no way to envision the scene that is as clear to her as day. So the writer doesn't bother to explain the jargon, explain the logic, or provide the necessary details.

In essence, anyone who has developed expertise in a certain area should be mindful that not everyone around them has the same knowledge or even sees the world the same way. A part of being an effective communicator is recognizing that communication is a dynamic and creative process and being sensitive to your audience's needs and interests.

Ultimately, the purpose of this textbook is to help you develop the tools and skills you need to be an effective communicator in your career. While we cover specific, common types of workplace documents, it is important to recognize the fact that the types of communicating you will do in your professional life will evolve and change over time. Those who began their careers in the 1980s probably did not consider email writing to be a valuable skill, but today it is one of the most common forms of communication at work. Regardless of what the future holds, a nuanced, audience-centered communication strategy will allow you to grow and thrive. You will learn about the adaptability of communication through this textbook.