Technical Writing: Manuals

1. Manuals 1 Technical Writing: Manuals David M. Cromer

2. Manuals 2 Statement of Intent Across Three Meetings We Will Accomplish the Following Objectives: Discuss the General Tenets of Style, Grammar, Form, and Function in Writing Policy and Procedure Manuals Practice Those Tenets Through Two Drafts of the Manual Product a �Clean Copy� before Deadline Apply Those Tenets to Other Writing Formats

3. Manuals 3 Philosophical Questions What are the Major Purposes of Your Policy and Procedures Manual? Who are the Audiences? What Will Make the Manual Good?

4. Manuals 4 Tactical Questions Relationship of Teams? Project Manager? Number of Drafts? Intermediate Editor? Final Editor? Deadline? Enough Time For Testing?

5. Manuals 5 Sentence Style: KISS No air carrier may seat a person in a designated seat if it is likely that the person would be unable to perform one or more of the functions under REQUIREMENTS listed below. To sit in an exit seat you must meet the following conditions.

6. Manuals 6 Table 1-1: KISS-ing Your Sentences

7. Manuals 7 Sentence Style: Concise We wish to request that you notify us if the Lexmark Z65 will be ready to be shipped and in our hands no later than September 1, 2003. Please confirm delivery of the Lexmark Z65 needed by September 1, 2003. Why #2

8. Manuals 8 Sentence Style: Active Voice Acapulco Tone Make Somebody or Something �Kick� something else More �Do� Verbs Fewer �Be �Verbs� Legitimate Uses of Passive Voice

9. Manuals 9 Practice: Concise Sentences, the Paramedic Method Paramedic Method Circle the prepositions Circle the �be� verbs Ask �Who is kicking whom?� Underline nominalizations and inflated phrases Group the words into meaningful units Identify logical relationships Rewrite by starting fast, converting the nouns to verbs, and eliminating most prepositional phrases.

10. Manuals 10 Sentence Style: Accentuate the Positive Let the readers know what they will and can do We expect that you will be pleased with the placement results. We hope you will not be disappointed with the placement results.

11. Manuals 11 Sentence Style: Clarity and Consistency Be consistent with wording If you refer to a personnel manual, don�t call it a reference manual, guide, or document later. Why? Readers won�t know the second reference is the same publication. Avoid ambiguity Don�t use the words should or may when no options exist. Specific: Do not give a client�s name to any person or organization. Not Specific: You should not give a client�s name to a any person or organization.

12. Manuals 12 Sentence Style: Defining Terms Use the language of your readers and define any terms they might not understand. Major Consideration: Be sure the words you use to define terms do not confuse the matter more. Methods Dictionary Synonym Antonym Etymology

13. Manuals 13 Style: Reading Ease - Length Sentence Length No sentence over 25 words Paragraph Length: No paragraph over 8 lines Bullet List I: Use when list has no rank and sequence are unimportant Bullet List II: Use to highlight features or topics Numbered List: Use when list has an order

14. Manuals 14 Grammar and Usage Oversights Common in Technical Documents Gender Neutrality To maintain gender neutrality, try rewording the sentence after remove unnecessary prepositional phrase and making the sentence active voice. Each person did the work quietly. (Good) Each person worked quietly. (Good) Everyone worked quietly. (Good) Each person did his or her work quietly. (Clunky) Each person did their work quietly. (Wrong) If rewording is not working, use the plural when referring to all members of a defined group. That is, �children� rather than �a child� or �every child� or �any child.� If both of these fail, use the accurate �he or she� or �him or her� structure. Were and Was Wishes or conditions contrary to fact use were, but statements of fact use was. She acts as if she were president of the company. (She�s not) If George was at the conference, I didn�t see him. (He could have been.) Was is the past tense of is. (This one can be very tricky.) I thoroughly enjoyed reading the report � even though it (is, was) 950 pages long. Is is the correct response because the report remains that length. Errors in Singular or Plural: Pronouns A Unit comprised of many people (a company, an agency, a corporation, etc.) is still one unit and pronouns that refer to it must be singular. The Department of Adoptions will have its (not their) quarterly meeting tomorrow. Errors in Singular or Plural: Subjects and Verbs A, many, an, each, and every always take a singular verb Each and every client has a case worker. Many a woman is denied her (not are denied their, or is denied their) chance. Beware of phrases or clauses that split the subject from the verb The diamonds in her ankle bracelet (was, were) perfect. The mark on all the walls of every high school in the county (identifies, identify) the perpetrators. When compound subjects are joined by or or nor, the verb agrees with the subject closest to the first verb. The adults or the child (has, have) helped Ms. Morris. The child or the adults (has, have) helped Ms. Morris The child, the adults, or the storeowner (has, have) helped Ms. Morris. The child, the storeowner, or the adults (has, have) helped Ms. Morris