Written Communications

1. Written Communications Professional Practice 2001 David C. Coll, Ph.D., P.Eng. Professor Emeritus Department of Systems and Computer Engineering

2. Yesturday, I coudn’t even spel enjunear, and today I are one! Professional Practice 2001

3. But seriously folks: Good communication skills are essential to professional success Engineers must communicate Jobs, promotions, contracts, and your professional credibility all follow from your ability to write and speak effectively Professional Practice 2001

4. Written Communications Include: • essays • proposals • reports • memoranda • papers • manuals • specifications Professional Practice 2001

5. The Writing Process • Identify Why, Who, and What • Organize your Information • Construct an Outline • Write a Draft • Review • Revise Professional Practice 2001

6. In other words … • Engineer your paper! Professional Practice 2001

7. Preparing to write Why are you writing this item? • understand your purpose • Who is the communication for? • know your audience What information do you want to communicate? • focus on the point you are trying to make Professional Practice 2001

8. Why? To inform, persuade, motivate, stimulate, sell, impress, … ? • Is it significant? • Is it timely? • Is it new? • Is it really worth writing about? Professional Practice 2001

9. Who? • Client • Supervisor • Peer/Subordinate • Laymen/Public • Non‑technical/Operator/Technician • Advanced Technician/Junior Engineer • Engineer/Advanced Engineer/Scientific Professional Practice 2001

10. What? • Information Transfer ‑ Paper/Essay • Proposal or Request • Response or Acceptance • Command or Decision Communication • Situation Report or Forecast • Professional Correspondence • Activity or Progress Report • Commentary on Controversial or Political Issues • Meeting Agenda Professional Practice 2001

11. Planning the Structure • Get things in a logical order • Introduce the topic • Provide enough background information • State your case • Summarize Professional Practice 2001

12. Keep in mind that Any writing must be: • Appropriate • Accurate • Adequate • Clear • Concise Professional Practice 2001

13. Some Structural Patterns • Purpose – Information – Opinion • Problem – Method – Solution • Cause – Effect • Order by • Chronology • Spatial • Classification Professional Practice 2001

14. Sample Structure – Paper/Essay • Abstract • Introduction • Body of the Paper • Conclusions Professional Practice 2001

15. Sample Structure-Lab Report/Thesis • Abstract • Introduction • Theory • Analysis • Experimental Results • Conclusions • References • Appendix Professional Practice 2001

16. Some Style Hints Professional Practice 2001

17. First - A Word about Abstracts The Abstract is probably read by more people than read the report itself. An Abstract is not an introduction ‑ it is written after the paper is completed.   Make the abstract informative, pick out salient facts, conclusions and recommendations. It should contain: • a pithy statement of the problem • identification of the author's approach to solution • statement of essential results Professional Practice 2001

18. Style Hints Introduction • Relate introduction to needs of the reader • show the purpose and scope • identify the subject matter • relate the subject matter to other projects • show the basic method and procedure used in carrying out the project Professional Practice 2001

19. Point of View • Adhere to a single point‑of‑view: tense, person, style Headings and Titles • Break your report into headings to: • organize the material into logical units • make reading easier • make it easier to refer to Professional Practice 2001

20. Paragraphing • Each paragraph is a unit ‑ express the main idea in a single, highly compressed sentence • Paragraphs can be constructed according to function ‑ the topic sentence is a preliminary over‑all statement - followed by details inherent in the topic sentence Transitional Material • Supply phrases and guide words that lead reader from one thought to another Professional Practice 2001

21. Figures and Tables • Determine whether the figures and tables should be placed in the text or an appendix Reference all external material References and Bibliography • Use a standard reference system, e.g. IEEE Transactions Professional Practice 2001

22. PLAGIARISM: What it is, and How to Avoid It Colin H. Gordon, Peter Simmons, and Graeme WynnThe University of British Columbia http://www.zoology.ubc.ca/bpg/plagiarism.htm Professional Practice 2001

23. The Construction Process Professional Practice 2001

24. Draft an Outline Use a top-down approach Table of Contents Expand sections as required Write quickly Overcome writer’s block Memory-dump – sort out order later Professional Practice 2001

25. Then … while(not Done) { re-read, review and revise }; Professional Practice 2001

26. Review and Revise • Have you covered everything on the outline? • Have you missed a point? • Is there enough detail so that everything is clear to the target audience? • Is your information accurate? Professional Practice 2001

27. Have you described the structure of the information to the reader? • do you have an introduction? • do you have a summary? • Have you made your point? • Are your arguments supported? • How is your style? • does each paragraph start with a topic sentence? • have you spell-checked? • are your references complete? • have you used too many relative pronouns? Professional Practice 2001

28. Wrap-up Let’s look at the process one more time Professional Practice 2001

29. Keep the Reader in Mind Professional Practice 2001

30. Checklist Formulate idea, write a summary, discuss with supervisor and colleagues. Search literature to determine what has been written on the subject. Write a comprehensive outline. Think the article through. Professional Practice 2001

31. Checklist - continued Gradually expand outline top‑down design with stepwise refinement. Smooth transitions and expand key words and ideas. Rough out illustrations. Professional Practice 2001

32. Write the rough draft, and review it. • Did you orient the reader? • Did you tell why the study was needed? Why is it significant or unique? What problem did you solve? • Did you define the scope, limitations and problems of the study? • Does the introduction generate enough interest to encourage the reader to continue? Professional Practice 2001

33. Clear Thinking is essential. • Unclear thinking is evidenced by three features: • Confusion of fact with non‑fact ‑ assumptions • Drawing conclusions which are unwarranted on the basis of the facts presented. • Failure to assign precise meaning to words ‑ "appropriate", "essential", "adequate": "among the prettiest young ladies at the garden party was the president of the Engineers' Society“ Professional Practice 2001

34. Have you given enough necessary background material? Too much? • Did you cover the problem, concept, or system adequately? • Did you cover the theory, results, applications and methods accurately? • Did you make a point? • Did you review the original problem, how it was solved and made real conclusions? Professional Practice 2001

35. Checklist - concluded Have you referenced all external material? Make sure all necessary citations are made. Proofread carefully. Spell check. Review the paper with your supervisor or colleague. Submit. Professional Practice 2001

36. Questions? Professional Practice 2001

37. References • Markel, M., Writing in Technical Fields: A Step-by-Step Guide for Engineers, Scientists, and Technicians. New York: IEEE Press, 1994. • Pfeiffer, W.S., Technical Writing: A Practical Approach. Toronto: Macmillan, 1991. • Berg, K., and A. Gilman. Get to the Point: How to Say What You Mean and Get What You Want. Toronto: Bantam Books, 1989. • Mathes, J.C., and D.W. Stevenson. Designing Technical Reports: Writing for Audiences in Organizations, 2nd Edition. Toronto: Collier Macmillan, 1991. • Poe, R. W., The McGraw-Hill Guide to Effective Business Reports. Toronto: McGraw-Hill, 1982. Professional Practice 2001

38. Web References • Internet resources on writing- http://www.iss.stthomas.edu/studyguides/bib_writing%20webs.htm • Biomedical Libraries PowerPoint- http://www.dartmouth.edu/~biomed/workshops/powerpt_faq.html • Design Guidelines for Power Point- http://education.umn.edu/tel/itfellows/power_point_design/index_design.htm • Effective talks menu 103- http://www.kumc.edu/SAH/OTEd/jradel/Preparing_talks/103.html • Examples of Poor Writing- http://chiron.valdosta.edu/mawhatley/writing.htm • How To Write Project Proposals- http://www.math.psu.edu/tseng/proposal.html • PowerPoint tips- http://medlib.med.utah.edu/library/edumaterials/eduservices/ppp-tips.pdf • Effective Presentations- http://www.presentingsolutions.com/effectivepresentations.html • Principles of Clear Writing- http://www.nara.gov/fedreg/dldprinc.html • Technical Writer's Ultimate Documentation Reference- http://www.angelfire.com/stars/techwriter/ • Technical Writing- http://goanna.cs.rmit.edu.au/~jz/writing.html • The Mayfield Handbook of Technical and Scientific - http://web.mit.edu/course/21/21.guide/Demo/web/ • Water Watch MultiMedia Presentations- http://water.nr.state.ky.us/ww/wired/slides.htm • WordTask in the Press- http://www.wordtask.com/CitizenArticle.htm Professional Practice 2001

39. Vocabulary Major Technological Breakthrough Back to the drawing board. Developed after years of intensive research It was discovered by accident. A number of different approaches are being tried We don't know where we're going, but we're moving. Professional Practice 2001

40. Vocabulary Extensive effort is being applied on a fresh approach to the problem We just hired three new guys; we'll let them kick it around for a while. Modifications are underway to correct certain minor difficulties We threw the whole thing out and are starting from scratch. The entire concept will have to be abandoned The only guy who understood the thing quit. Professional Practice 2001