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Information Should Never Be Random: A Guide to Business and Technical Writing

Information Should Never Be Random: A Guide to Business and Technical Writing

Author(s): Laurie Anderson

Edition: 1

Copyright: 2021

Pages: 354

Edition: 1

Copyright: 2021

Pages: 354

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Information Should Never Be Random: A Guide to Business and Technical Writing breaks down that writing process for students so they can capitalize on it and get ahead on the job faster. This book approaches teaching business and technical writing differently than other books. This text separates how information is organized from how the information is delivered to the writer’s audience. This separation makes the application of learning more flexible for any dynamic work setting.

This book takes the lowest common denominator approach and assumes that readers have taken a couple of English composition courses where they learned how to reflect on what they've read and communicated those reflections in writing with well-formed paragraphs with tailored topic sentences. Therefore, Information Should Never Be Random: A Guide to Business and Technical Writing includes small sections with well-defined headings. So readers can decide whether they need to read that section to learn its material or whether they already know it and thus can skim or skip it.

Each chapter/section covers the material, includes an example so students can learn by mimicking it, and offers exercises/review questions at the end of the chapter/section that assists in the application of the concepts covered.

The concepts covered in this text include:

  • The writing process consists of three stages: prewriting, drafting, revision.
  • Assistance in audience analysis.
  • The most common patterns of organizing information.
  • The various parts of a document that are common, misunderstood, or optional depending on the conditions: introductions, conclusions, abstracts, summaries, tables, and citing other sources' work.
  • The delivery mechanisms of the three common letterforms, memos for internal communications, and email.
  • The most common grammar difficulties encountered in business and technical writing.

 

Chapter 1: Introduction: Don't Make your Reader Figure You Out
1.1 Learning from Me
1.2 Assumptions about This Book's Audience
1.3 This Book's Approach: Information Organization versus Delivery
1.4 Structure of the Book

Chapter 2: Perfect your Writing Process: Information Never Dies
2.1 Reasons to Follow a Technical Writing Process
2.2 The Three Stages to Creating Successful Technical Writing
2.2.1 Stage 1: Prewriting Stage
2.2.2 Stage 2: Drafting
2.2.3 Stage 3: Revision
2.3 Using the Technical Writing Process in Practice
2.4 Writing Process Exercises
2.5 Brainstorming Exercises
2.6 Paragraph Analysis Exercises
2.6.1 Paragraph Analysis Exercise Examples

Chapter 3: Analyze your Audience: Who they are and What do they Need
3.1 Audience Analysis is the Author's Job
3.2 How to Approach the Analysis?
3.3 Who Is Your Audience?
3.3.1 Experts
3.3.2 Executives and Managers
3.3.3 Technicians
3.3.4 Others
3.3.5 Audience Analysis Summary
3.3.6 Example Audience Analysis
3.4 Who Is the Secondary Audience?
3.5 Tone Determines Accessibility
3.6 Pace Influences Accessibility
3.7 POV Determines Reader's Relationship to the Work
3.8 Comparing English Composition to Business and Technical Writing
3.9 Exercises

Chapter 4: Write to the Pattern Defined by Purpose and Audience
4.1 How to Select a Pattern
4.1.1 How to Read This Chapter? Definitions of Pattern Characteristics
4.1.2 Exercises
4.2 Inductive Pattern
4.2.1 Inductive Pattern Summary Table
4.2.2 Deciding on When to Use the Inductive Pattern
4.2.3 Organization of the Inductive Pattern
4.2.4 Don't Confuse the Inductive Pattern with English Composition
4.2.5 Prewriting Steps: Creating a Process Outline
4.2.6 Uses of the Inductive Pattern
4.2.7 Inductive Samples
4.2.8 Exercises
4.2.9 Inductive Exercises Answer Key
4.3 Persuasive Pattern
4.3.1 Persuasive or Position Writing Summary
4.3.2 Decision, Deciding to Use the Position Pattern
4.3.3 Organization of Position or Persuasive Writing
4.3.4 Prewriting Stage: Creating an Outline
4.3.5 Sample Outline
4.3.6 Uses of Position Pattern
4.3.7 Persuasive Sample
4.3.8 Exercises
4.4 Compare and Contrast Pattern
4.4.1 Compare and Contrast Pattern Summary Table
4.4.2 Decision, Deciding to Use the C/C Pattern
4.4.3 Organization of C/C Writing
4.4.4 Prewriting Stage: Getting Started
4.4.5 To extend the C/C Pattern
4.4.6 Uses of C/C Pattern
4.4.7 C/C Samples
4.4.8 Review Exercises
4.4.9 Practice Exercises
4.4.10 Prewriting for Writing Assignment
4.5 Instructions Pattern
4.5.1 Instructions Pattern Summary Table
4.5.2 Do You Need to Write Instructions?
4.5.3 Organization of Instruction Writing
4.5.4 Uses of Instructions Pattern
4.5.5 Prewriting Steps: Creating an Instructions Outline
4.5.6 Instructions Sample
4.5.7 Exercises
4.5.8 Instructions Answer Key
4.6 Process Pattern
4.6.1 Process Pattern Summary Table
4.6.2 Deciding to Use These Patterns
4.6.3 Organization of Process Writing
4.6.4 Prewriting Steps to Create Process Writing
4.6.5 Uses of Process Pattern
4.6.6 Process Sample
4.6.7 Exercises
4.6.8 Exercises Answer Key
4.7 Problem Solution Pattern
4.7.1 Problem Solution Pattern Summary Table
4.7.2 Deciding When to Use the Problem Solution Pattern
4.7.3 Organization of Problem Solution Pattern
4.7.5 Prewriting Stage: Getting Started
4.7.6 Uses and Variations of Problem Solution Pattern
4.7.7 Problem Solution Sample
4.7.8 Exercises
4.8 Other Common Patterns and Combining Patterns
4.8.1 What Are the Most Common Patterns
4.8.2 How to Insert a Pattern into a Document
4.9 How to Combine Patterns
4.9.1 Exercises
4.9.2 Exercises Answer Key

Chapter 5: Perfect Common Parts of your Writing
5.1 Writing Introductions and Conclusions
5.1.1 Writing Introductions
5.1.2 Writing Conclusions
5.1.3 Exercises
5.2 Writing Abstracts and Summaries
5.2.1 Requirements for Writing Abstracts and Summaries in a Business Setting
5.2.2 What to Produce: Abstract or Summary?
5.2.3 Writing Abstracts and Summaries
5.2.4 Sample
5.2.5 Exercises
5.3 Creating a Table
5.3.1 Choosing the Type of Table to Use
5.3.2 Formatting a Table
5.3.3 Integrating Tables and Figures into a Document with Titles
5.3.4 Identifying Sources in Tables
5.3.5 Using Word to Format a Table
5.3.6 Exercises
5.3.7 Exercises Answer Key
5.4 Citing and Integrating Sources
5.4.1 Definitions
5.4.2 How to Cite Sources: A Two-Step Process
5.4.3 Why Are These Steps Always Confusing
5.4.4 What Do In-Text Citations Look Like
5.4.5 Why Do You Need to Know Different Citation Methods?
5.4.6 What Do In-Text Citations NOT Look Like in Technical Writing
5.4.7 What Do Sources Look Like
5.4.8 Citing Sources
5.4.9 Quoting Sources
5.4.10 Review Exercises

Chapter 6: Show Technical Writing Format for Your Delivery
6.1 Exercises

Chapter 7: Use Letters like Email
7.1 Design of Three Letter Forms
7.1.1 Formal Tone Uses Full-Block Form
7.1.2 Medium Formal = Semiblock: Delivers a Tone of Camaraderie
7.1.3 Impersonal = Simplified: Delivers a SPAM-like Tone
7.2 Letter Content Forms
7.2.1 Neutral News
7.2.2 Good News
7.2.3 Bad News
7.2.4 Mixed: Good News and Bad News
7.3 Discussion of Each Letter Element
7.4 Memos
7.4.1 Memo Form
7.4.2 Memos as a Delivery Mechanism
7.4.3 Memo Uses
7.4.5 Comparison: Letters, Memos, and Email
7.4.6 Relationship of Letters and Memos to Email
7.5 Review Exercises
7.6 Exercises
7.7 Practice Letters

Chapter 8: Critique Other's Writing with Care
8.1 Why Critique?
8.1.1 As the Reviewer?
8.1.2 As the Author?
8.2 How to Critique?
8.2.1 As the Reviewer?
8.2.2 As the Author?
8.3 How to Use This Critique Method
8.3.1 In a Class
8.3.2 On the Job

Chapter 9: Revitalize Your Grammar for Business and Technical Writing
9.1 Sentence Structure
9.1.1 Reviewing Transitions – or How to Relate Ideas for the Reader
9.1.2 Signaling Subordination or Connections within Sentences
9.1.3 Reviewing Sentence Structure: Parallelism and Faulty Modifiers
9.1.4 Sentence Structure Exercises
9.2 Understanding Passive Voice
9.2.1 Weak Verbs
9.2.2 Missing Subject
9.2.3 Expletives
9.2.4 Nominalizations
9.2.5 Passive Voice Exercises
9.3 Word Choice
9.3.1 Using Slang, Colloquialisms, Clichés, Affectation, Jargon, Abbreviations, Acronym, Noun Stacks, Quoted Words
9.3.2 The Pronoun Problem and Gender-biased Problem Words
9.3.3 Understanding Homonyms and Commonly Misused Words
9.3.4 Word Choice Exercises
9.4 Punctuation Review
9.4.1 Commas
9.4.2 Semicolons
9.4.3 Colons
9.4.4 Dashes and Hyphens
9.4.5 Possession and Contractions
9.4.6 Punctuation Review Questions
9.4.7 Punctuation Exercises

Grammar Exercises Answer Key
9.1 Sentence Structure Exercises Answer Key
9.2 Verb Choice Exercises Answer Key
9.3 Word Usage Exercises Answer Key
9.4 Punctuation Exercises Answer Key

Laurie Anderson
Laurie Anderson, Ph.D. worked for two decades in the high-tech computer marketplace as a software developer, network manager, competitive analyst, product manager, and technical and marketing writer. Working at both small and large computer corporations, including DEC, SUN, and IBM, she has experience in all aspects of the product development cycle and with mini-, micro-, and personal- computers, operating systems, networking, and computer security. Her varied experience brings a practical, real-world view of computer technology and business communications that she applies to her teaching. Information should never be Random is her first textbook culminating two decades of experience teaching technical writing to students in the School of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM). Organized uniquely to separate how information is delivered with how information is organized, the book focuses on organization of patterns to deliver content so information is never random.

Information Should Never Be Random: A Guide to Business and Technical Writing breaks down that writing process for students so they can capitalize on it and get ahead on the job faster. This book approaches teaching business and technical writing differently than other books. This text separates how information is organized from how the information is delivered to the writer’s audience. This separation makes the application of learning more flexible for any dynamic work setting.

This book takes the lowest common denominator approach and assumes that readers have taken a couple of English composition courses where they learned how to reflect on what they've read and communicated those reflections in writing with well-formed paragraphs with tailored topic sentences. Therefore, Information Should Never Be Random: A Guide to Business and Technical Writing includes small sections with well-defined headings. So readers can decide whether they need to read that section to learn its material or whether they already know it and thus can skim or skip it.

Each chapter/section covers the material, includes an example so students can learn by mimicking it, and offers exercises/review questions at the end of the chapter/section that assists in the application of the concepts covered.

The concepts covered in this text include:

  • The writing process consists of three stages: prewriting, drafting, revision.
  • Assistance in audience analysis.
  • The most common patterns of organizing information.
  • The various parts of a document that are common, misunderstood, or optional depending on the conditions: introductions, conclusions, abstracts, summaries, tables, and citing other sources' work.
  • The delivery mechanisms of the three common letterforms, memos for internal communications, and email.
  • The most common grammar difficulties encountered in business and technical writing.

 

Chapter 1: Introduction: Don't Make your Reader Figure You Out
1.1 Learning from Me
1.2 Assumptions about This Book's Audience
1.3 This Book's Approach: Information Organization versus Delivery
1.4 Structure of the Book

Chapter 2: Perfect your Writing Process: Information Never Dies
2.1 Reasons to Follow a Technical Writing Process
2.2 The Three Stages to Creating Successful Technical Writing
2.2.1 Stage 1: Prewriting Stage
2.2.2 Stage 2: Drafting
2.2.3 Stage 3: Revision
2.3 Using the Technical Writing Process in Practice
2.4 Writing Process Exercises
2.5 Brainstorming Exercises
2.6 Paragraph Analysis Exercises
2.6.1 Paragraph Analysis Exercise Examples

Chapter 3: Analyze your Audience: Who they are and What do they Need
3.1 Audience Analysis is the Author's Job
3.2 How to Approach the Analysis?
3.3 Who Is Your Audience?
3.3.1 Experts
3.3.2 Executives and Managers
3.3.3 Technicians
3.3.4 Others
3.3.5 Audience Analysis Summary
3.3.6 Example Audience Analysis
3.4 Who Is the Secondary Audience?
3.5 Tone Determines Accessibility
3.6 Pace Influences Accessibility
3.7 POV Determines Reader's Relationship to the Work
3.8 Comparing English Composition to Business and Technical Writing
3.9 Exercises

Chapter 4: Write to the Pattern Defined by Purpose and Audience
4.1 How to Select a Pattern
4.1.1 How to Read This Chapter? Definitions of Pattern Characteristics
4.1.2 Exercises
4.2 Inductive Pattern
4.2.1 Inductive Pattern Summary Table
4.2.2 Deciding on When to Use the Inductive Pattern
4.2.3 Organization of the Inductive Pattern
4.2.4 Don't Confuse the Inductive Pattern with English Composition
4.2.5 Prewriting Steps: Creating a Process Outline
4.2.6 Uses of the Inductive Pattern
4.2.7 Inductive Samples
4.2.8 Exercises
4.2.9 Inductive Exercises Answer Key
4.3 Persuasive Pattern
4.3.1 Persuasive or Position Writing Summary
4.3.2 Decision, Deciding to Use the Position Pattern
4.3.3 Organization of Position or Persuasive Writing
4.3.4 Prewriting Stage: Creating an Outline
4.3.5 Sample Outline
4.3.6 Uses of Position Pattern
4.3.7 Persuasive Sample
4.3.8 Exercises
4.4 Compare and Contrast Pattern
4.4.1 Compare and Contrast Pattern Summary Table
4.4.2 Decision, Deciding to Use the C/C Pattern
4.4.3 Organization of C/C Writing
4.4.4 Prewriting Stage: Getting Started
4.4.5 To extend the C/C Pattern
4.4.6 Uses of C/C Pattern
4.4.7 C/C Samples
4.4.8 Review Exercises
4.4.9 Practice Exercises
4.4.10 Prewriting for Writing Assignment
4.5 Instructions Pattern
4.5.1 Instructions Pattern Summary Table
4.5.2 Do You Need to Write Instructions?
4.5.3 Organization of Instruction Writing
4.5.4 Uses of Instructions Pattern
4.5.5 Prewriting Steps: Creating an Instructions Outline
4.5.6 Instructions Sample
4.5.7 Exercises
4.5.8 Instructions Answer Key
4.6 Process Pattern
4.6.1 Process Pattern Summary Table
4.6.2 Deciding to Use These Patterns
4.6.3 Organization of Process Writing
4.6.4 Prewriting Steps to Create Process Writing
4.6.5 Uses of Process Pattern
4.6.6 Process Sample
4.6.7 Exercises
4.6.8 Exercises Answer Key
4.7 Problem Solution Pattern
4.7.1 Problem Solution Pattern Summary Table
4.7.2 Deciding When to Use the Problem Solution Pattern
4.7.3 Organization of Problem Solution Pattern
4.7.5 Prewriting Stage: Getting Started
4.7.6 Uses and Variations of Problem Solution Pattern
4.7.7 Problem Solution Sample
4.7.8 Exercises
4.8 Other Common Patterns and Combining Patterns
4.8.1 What Are the Most Common Patterns
4.8.2 How to Insert a Pattern into a Document
4.9 How to Combine Patterns
4.9.1 Exercises
4.9.2 Exercises Answer Key

Chapter 5: Perfect Common Parts of your Writing
5.1 Writing Introductions and Conclusions
5.1.1 Writing Introductions
5.1.2 Writing Conclusions
5.1.3 Exercises
5.2 Writing Abstracts and Summaries
5.2.1 Requirements for Writing Abstracts and Summaries in a Business Setting
5.2.2 What to Produce: Abstract or Summary?
5.2.3 Writing Abstracts and Summaries
5.2.4 Sample
5.2.5 Exercises
5.3 Creating a Table
5.3.1 Choosing the Type of Table to Use
5.3.2 Formatting a Table
5.3.3 Integrating Tables and Figures into a Document with Titles
5.3.4 Identifying Sources in Tables
5.3.5 Using Word to Format a Table
5.3.6 Exercises
5.3.7 Exercises Answer Key
5.4 Citing and Integrating Sources
5.4.1 Definitions
5.4.2 How to Cite Sources: A Two-Step Process
5.4.3 Why Are These Steps Always Confusing
5.4.4 What Do In-Text Citations Look Like
5.4.5 Why Do You Need to Know Different Citation Methods?
5.4.6 What Do In-Text Citations NOT Look Like in Technical Writing
5.4.7 What Do Sources Look Like
5.4.8 Citing Sources
5.4.9 Quoting Sources
5.4.10 Review Exercises

Chapter 6: Show Technical Writing Format for Your Delivery
6.1 Exercises

Chapter 7: Use Letters like Email
7.1 Design of Three Letter Forms
7.1.1 Formal Tone Uses Full-Block Form
7.1.2 Medium Formal = Semiblock: Delivers a Tone of Camaraderie
7.1.3 Impersonal = Simplified: Delivers a SPAM-like Tone
7.2 Letter Content Forms
7.2.1 Neutral News
7.2.2 Good News
7.2.3 Bad News
7.2.4 Mixed: Good News and Bad News
7.3 Discussion of Each Letter Element
7.4 Memos
7.4.1 Memo Form
7.4.2 Memos as a Delivery Mechanism
7.4.3 Memo Uses
7.4.5 Comparison: Letters, Memos, and Email
7.4.6 Relationship of Letters and Memos to Email
7.5 Review Exercises
7.6 Exercises
7.7 Practice Letters

Chapter 8: Critique Other's Writing with Care
8.1 Why Critique?
8.1.1 As the Reviewer?
8.1.2 As the Author?
8.2 How to Critique?
8.2.1 As the Reviewer?
8.2.2 As the Author?
8.3 How to Use This Critique Method
8.3.1 In a Class
8.3.2 On the Job

Chapter 9: Revitalize Your Grammar for Business and Technical Writing
9.1 Sentence Structure
9.1.1 Reviewing Transitions – or How to Relate Ideas for the Reader
9.1.2 Signaling Subordination or Connections within Sentences
9.1.3 Reviewing Sentence Structure: Parallelism and Faulty Modifiers
9.1.4 Sentence Structure Exercises
9.2 Understanding Passive Voice
9.2.1 Weak Verbs
9.2.2 Missing Subject
9.2.3 Expletives
9.2.4 Nominalizations
9.2.5 Passive Voice Exercises
9.3 Word Choice
9.3.1 Using Slang, Colloquialisms, Clichés, Affectation, Jargon, Abbreviations, Acronym, Noun Stacks, Quoted Words
9.3.2 The Pronoun Problem and Gender-biased Problem Words
9.3.3 Understanding Homonyms and Commonly Misused Words
9.3.4 Word Choice Exercises
9.4 Punctuation Review
9.4.1 Commas
9.4.2 Semicolons
9.4.3 Colons
9.4.4 Dashes and Hyphens
9.4.5 Possession and Contractions
9.4.6 Punctuation Review Questions
9.4.7 Punctuation Exercises

Grammar Exercises Answer Key
9.1 Sentence Structure Exercises Answer Key
9.2 Verb Choice Exercises Answer Key
9.3 Word Usage Exercises Answer Key
9.4 Punctuation Exercises Answer Key

Laurie Anderson
Laurie Anderson
Laurie Anderson, Ph.D. worked for two decades in the high-tech computer marketplace as a software developer, network manager, competitive analyst, product manager, and technical and marketing writer. Working at both small and large computer corporations, including DEC, SUN, and IBM, she has experience in all aspects of the product development cycle and with mini-, micro-, and personal- computers, operating systems, networking, and computer security. Her varied experience brings a practical, real-world view of computer technology and business communications that she applies to her teaching. Information should never be Random is her first textbook culminating two decades of experience teaching technical writing to students in the School of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM). Organized uniquely to separate how information is delivered with how information is organized, the book focuses on organization of patterns to deliver content so information is never random.