Technical Report Writing

Session Spring 2013Instructor: Engr. Arifa Saher

Importance of Communication

"The Best ideas in the world are useless unless they can be communicated to others. By the word communication I mean that there is not only reception, but understanding of the information conveyed. Miscommunication of information not only destroys many great ideas, but causes untold waste in daily business activities."Richard W. Oliver, Assistant vice-president, Northern telecom limited, Nashville, Tennessee 

"Your knowledge is only as valuable as your ability to communicate it to someone else."Gerald E. Shultz, President, Bell and Howell Comany, Skokie, Illinois

Course Contents  1.Grammar2.Critical Thinking3.Essay Writing4.Technical Writing5.Presentation Skills

•Text Book▫ Basic Communication Skills for Technology by Andrea J.

Rutherford ▫ Six Thinking Hats by Edward De Bono

•Recommended books:▫ Technical Writing by Sharon J. Gerson and Steven M.

Gerson

Marking Scheme

20 % Assignments/Quiz/Class participation30% Mid Term50% Final 

10% worksheets16% Quiz10% Essay30% Project + PresentationMarks will be adjusted in Midterm and Final

Enhancing Learning Skill• The brain performs different functions in the body.

▫ Comprehension and ▫ Expression of ideas

These are two distinct functions of the brain and amongst these two functions expression of an idea is higher in complexity.

• Whenever the brain is given a cue that an idea will have to be expressed together with being understood and comprehended, the brain sequences the information differently and comprehension is automatically increased.

• Also, the person is more attentive knowing that this information has to be reproduced.

 Goal of Writing

1. Creative writing GOAL is to move people emotionally

2. Commercial copy writing GOAL is to sell things to people

3. Business writing GOAL is to administer people efficiently

4. Scientific writing GOAL is to record and share scientific findings

within academia5. Technical writing

GOAL is to explain how things work and how people can perform specific tasks

http://www.technicalcommunicationcenter.com/online-classes/introduction-to-technical-writing/

Finding Something to Say

•What do I know about my subject?•What else do I want or need to know?•What is important, interesting, or

significant enough about this subject that I want to tell someone else about it?

Exploring Topic

•Brainstorming•Free-writing•Clustering•Visualizing•Asking Questions

Brainstorming

•Jot down whatever comes to your mind regarding the subject in about 15-20 minutes.

▫ http://scrumcommunity.pbworks.com/Scrum-Values

Free-writing

•Do not lift the pen once you have started to write, otherwise thoughts will not come. If you get stuck simply continue writing illogical words whatever comes to mind.

http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/writingexercises/ss/freewriteex.htm

Clustering

• give ideas a topic and encircle or border them and then connect to other encircled ideas that have a commonality.

http://www.cramlap.org/Exemplars/

Visualizing

•Wish it was this easy

http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/projects/taylorhrl.html

http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/3442-visualizing-phasors-an-animated-gui

Asking Questions

•most relevant▫What did you learn from your investigation

of the topic?▫What problems are inherent in your topic?▫What results from your topic?

Grammar Session: Sentence

•Sentence is a group of words that convey an idea about something.

•Sentence is a segment of minimum complete unit of sense.

• Importance of sense ▫Table the book on is interesting the. Group

of words▫The table on the book is interesting.

Grammatically correct ▫The book on the table is interesting. Finally

makes sense

Sentence construction•The fundamental elements of a sentence are the

subject and verb.▫Subject+verb+object+adverb

•Subject can be either a▫Noun ▫Pronoun

•A complete verb may consist of up to three verbs, either▫Action▫Linking

Nouns

•A person, place, thing, or an idea.•Example

▫Your education and hands-on training will be useful in a technical career.

•Test▫Say the word with ‘a’, ‘an’ or ‘the’ in front

of it. If it makes sense noun

Subjects

•Nouns or pronouns•Tell who or what the sentence is about

▫Pliers have many applications.▫The locking jaws and gripping teeth make

the tool useful▫With the Vise-Grip wrench, William

Peterson hit upon a universal tool.

Verb

•A word showing action▫What is happening▫What was happening▫What will be happening

Learn, connect, follow, wire, refer, display

•Example ▫Years ago, technicians recorded on

notepads.

Verb-tense

•Verbs have a special job of indicating the time of the action.▫Past tense▫Present tense

Today, technicians record on service report forms.

▫Future tense In the future, technicians will record on

computers.

Helping verbs and Linking verbsAm Is Are Was Were Be Been

Have Has Had Do Does Did Will

Shall Can Must Would Could Should might

• Pliers can damage wood and metals.▫ Helping verb+action verb

• The grandson of William Peterson is the current president▫ Linking verb used alone

Regular Verbs• Have predictable patterns

• To change from present to past, add –ed to the end of the regular verbs▫ Today we tune the car.▫ Yesterday, we tuned the car.

• To change to future, add will in front of the present-tense.▫ We will tune the car tomorrow.

• To use past participle form, add a helping verb to the –ed verb.▫ We have tuned the car several times.

• To use the ing form, use a helping verb and add –ing to the present-tense verb. ▫ We are tuning the car.

Irregular Verbs

•Have unusual forms in the past and past-participle tenses and have to be remembered.▫Today, I bring suggestions.▫Yesterday, I brought nothing.▫I will bring all the connectors. ▫I have brought everything for the circuit.▫I am bringing the power supply.

•Assignment 1: Select a topic of your choice and brainstorm, or free write or cluster using the process described in the Lecture.▫Due 18th march, 2013

•Worksheet 1▫Due 19th March, 2013