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BRIEF CONTENTS Checklists Preface Acknowledgments
Part One: Principles
1. Characteristics of Writing at Work
2. Writing for Your Readers
3. Writing Ethically
4. Achieving a Readable Style
5. Designing Documents
6. Designing Illustrations
Part Two: Applications
7. E-mails, Texts, Memos, and Letters
8. Technical Reports
9. Proposals and Progress Reports
10. Instructions, Procedures, and Policies
11. Oral Reports
12. Résumés and Job Applications Appendix A: Brief Guide to Grammar, Punctuation, and Usage Appendix B: Using Sources of Information Appendix C: Report for Study and Analysis Index DETAILED CONTENTS Checklists Preface Acknowledgments
PART ONE: PRINCIPLES
1. Characteristics of Writing at Work Writing at Work versus Writing at School Requires acute awareness of security and legal liability Requires awareness that documents may be read by unknown readers Achieves job goals Addresses a variety of readers who have different perspectives Requires a variety of written documents The Foundations of Effective Writing at Work The Qualities of Good Technical Writing Exercises
2. Writing for Your Readers Understand Your Readers--The Heart of the Planning Process Keep in mind that business readers want answers now Determine your readers and their perspectives Determine your purpose Understand your role as a writer Plan the content Anticipate the context in which your writing will be received The Basic Parts of the Composing Process Analyzing the writing situation-purpose, readers, and context Choosing/discovering information Arranging information Drafting Revising Editing Exercises
3. Writing Ethically Your Professional Obligations Codes of Conduct and Standards of Practice Recognizing Unethical Communication Plagiarism and theft of intellectual property Deliberately imprecise or ambiguous language Manipulation of numerical information Use of misleading illustrations Promotion of prejudice Failing to make information accessible Uncritical use of information Writing Collbaoratively The team leader Requirements of team leaders Requirements of team members Managing Unethical Situations Exercises
4. Achieving a Readable Style The Paragraph Examples for study Basic Principles of Effective Style Determine your readers'' knowledge of the subject Determine whether a particular style will be expected Adjust the style to the readers, the purpose, and the context Keys to Building Effective Sentences Watch sentence length Keep subjects and verbs close together Avoid pompous language; write to express, not to impress Avoid excessive use of is/are verb forms Use active voice for clarity Word Choice Squeaky Clean Prose Exercises
5. Designing Documents Understanding the Basics of Document Design Determine which decisions are yours to make Choose a design that fits your situation Plan your design from the beginning Make your design accessible Reveal your design to your readers Keep your design consistent Designing Effective Pages and Screens Use blank space to frame and group information Choose a type design that is legible Space the lines of text for easy reading Adjust the line length to the size of the page or screen Use a ragged right margin Position words and illustrations in a complementary relationship Helping Readers Locate Information Use frequent headings Compose descriptive headings Design distinctive headings Use page numbers and headers or footers Testing Your Design Exercises
6. Designing Illustrations Creating Illustrations Tables Bar and column graphs Circle graphs Line graphs Organization charts Flow charts Project schedule charts Diagrams Photographs Infographics Video Clips Designing Illustrations Ethically Testing Your Illustrations Exercises
PART TWO: APPLICATIONS
7. E-mails, Texts, Memos, and Letters E-mail and Text Messages Memos and Letters Guidelines for Effective Correspondence Appropriate Tone in E-mails, Texts, Memos, and Letters Guidelines for Dealing with Tone Writing for Social Media Planning and Writing Correspondence Exercises
8. Technical Reports Kinds of Reports Report Categories-Informal and Formal Informal Report Headings Subject line Reference Action required Distribution list Parts of an Informal Technical Report Introduction Summary Discussion Conclusion Recommendations Attachm ents Developing Reports Elements of Formal Reports Prefatory elements Abstracts and summaries Discussion, or body of the report Topical arrangement Chronological arrangement Letter Reports Example Report for Study Exercises
9. Proposals and Progress Reports Proposals The context of proposal development Effective argument in proposal development Standard sections of proposals Summary Project description (technical proposal) Personnel (management proposal) Budget (cost proposal) Conclusion Appendices Progress Reports Structure of progress reports Structure by work performed Structure by chronological order Structure by main project goals Online submission of progress reports Style and Tone of Proposals and Progress Reports Exercises
10. Instructions, Procedures, and Policies Instructions versus Procedures Critical Role of Instructions and Procedures in the Workplace Planning Instructions and Procedures Structure and Organization Introduction Theory governing the procedure or instruction Warnings, cautions, hazards, and notes regarding safety or quality Conditions under which the task should be performed Name of each step Online Instructions Video Instructions Testing Your Instructions Exercises
11. Oral Reports Understanding the Speaking-Writing Relationship Analyzing the Audience Determining the Goal of Your Presentation Choosing and Shaping Content Analyzing the Context Choosing the Organization Introduction Body Conclusion Choosing an Appropriate Speaking Style Designing the Slides to Enhance Your Purpose and Your Meaning Questions for Planning Your Presentation Audience Purpose Context Content Illustrations Style Speaki ng to International Audiences Designing Each Segment Choose an interesting title Develop your presentation around three main divisions Focus the introduction Organize the body Fortify the conclusion Choosing an Effective Delivery Style Techniques to Enhance Audience Comprehension Designing and Presenting the Poster Presentation Designing and Presenting the Scripted Presentation Organizing the scripted presentation Writing the script Practicing the presentation Exercises
12. Résumés and Job Applications The Correspondence of the Job Search Prepare your Application for AI Screening Review your Social Media Profile Letter of application The résumé Chronological résumés Functional résumés Follow-up letters No answer After an interview After being refused a job Accepting or refusing a job Your Social Media Profile Interviewing The interview Negotiation Before and after the interview Exercises Appendices A: Brief Guide to Grammar, Punctuation, and Usage B: Using Sources of Information C: Report for Study and Analysis Index