Transcript Chapter 2 Rhetoric and Technical Communication

Chapter 2
Rhetoric and
Technical Communication
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Rhetoric Is the Study of
‣ How words persuade people
‣ How words work and affect audiences
‣ How writers or speakers use words to get
their ideas across to audiences
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Rhetoric Helps Writers to
‣ Understand writing in context
‣ Consider these contexts
‣ Use the correct documents for the correct
audience
‣ Acknowledge their participation in various
contexts
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
The Problem Solving Approach
‣ Involves rhetorical thinking
‣ Works through all types of documents
‣ Discovers why communication is necessary
‣ Supplies possibilities for all situations
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Problem Solving Should Consider
‣ An exigence, or situation, that must be
addressed
‣ A writer who must solve a problem
‣ A audience that must understand the writing
‣ A particular kind of document appropriate to
the context
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Exigence & Purpose
‣ The impetus, requiring some form of
communication and rhetorical assessment
‣ A problem to be solved
‣ An issue to be addressed
‣ A situation that requires a response,
explanation, or additional information
‣ Everyday occurrences in the workplace
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Purposes for Writing
‣ Consider what documents accomplish
‣ Consider who they reach and affect
‣ Consider how they reflect the writer
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Purposes for Documents
‣ To inform
‣ Present information or answer questions
‣ To define
‣ Illustrate the characteristics of something
‣ To explain
‣ Define how a process works
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Purposes for Documents
‣ To propose
‣ Recommend a particular course of action
‣ To convince
‣ Persuade its audience to do something
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Writers in the workplace
carefully analyze their
audiences and understand how
those audiences interpret and
use the documents you write
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Workplace Documents
Consider the Audiences’
‣ Knowledge and expertise about the subject
‣ Expectations and attitudes toward the subject
‣ Ability and power to act
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Classifying documents
allows writers to determine
‣ What kind of document to use
‣ What information to include
‣ What style of writing to address
‣ What vocabulary to employ
‣ What organizational strategies to use
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Writers must understand
audiences in these ways
because they often need to
produce documents intended
for multiple audiences
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Audiences
‣ Are not passive recipients of information
‣ Have expectations about documents
‣ Have different attitudes toward different subjects
‣ Require documents that suit their needs
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Addressing Audience Attitudes
‣ Positive Attitude
‣ Reaffirm that the readers’ attitudes are correct
‣ Negative Attitude
‣ Address and respond to readers’ objections
‣ Neutral Attitude
‣ Persuade readers to agree
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Workplaces are filled with people who
do not always get along, so it is crucial
for workplace writers to understand
the ways their documents address
audiences with varying expectations
and attitudes
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Ways that Audiences Use
Documents
‣ To skim quickly
‣ To read partially
‣ To read closely from beginning to end
‣ To revise and return to the author
‣ To make a decision or plan a course of action
‣ To support other documents
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Multiple Audiences
‣ Often read the same documents
‣ Often have different needs
‣ Often need to be considered in writing
documents
‣ Often need to be addressed with different
sections of a document
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Strategies for CrossCultural Audiences
‣ Compose shorter sentences
‣ Choose words carefully
‣ Avoid idioms and jargon
‣ Clarify acronyms and abbreviations
‣ Avoid confusing visuals
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Questions to Consider for
Cross-Cultural Audiences
‣ Is English the proper language to use?
‣ What cultural aspects might influence
communication?
‣ What laws might influence communication?
‣ How will technology influence communication?
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Writers Establish
Credibility Through
‣ Correctness
‣ Enhances the reputation and trustworthiness of
the writer
‣ Experience and Expertise
‣ Shows that the writer can deal with the
situation at hand
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Writers Establish
Credibility Through
‣ Goodwill
‣ Shows how the audience will benefit
‣ Similarity
‣ Shows shared beliefs and interests
‣ Trust
‣ Is developed through a combination all these elements
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.