Course Title:

Technical Report Writing

Course Instructor:
Muhammad Numan Gulzar
IQRA National University
Phase-2 Hayatabad, Peshawar
 Hadith of the Day
Usamah ibn Sharik reported: The
Messenger of Allah, peace and
blessings be upon him, said,
“Whatever Allah hates for you
to do, then do not do it in
private.”

Source: Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān 1873

Manners and Traits of a Good Muslim Student

Work and study hard.

Be helpful.
Be punctual.
Treat others how you would
want to be treated.
Speak kindly and respectfully
to everyone.
Students Counseling
Hours
Monday:
9:30 A.M. – 11:30 A.M.

Wednesday:
9:30 A.M. – 11:30 A.M.
 Topic

Style in Technical
Communication
Introduction
When you write a letter to your friend,
you try to be personal and subjective.
On the other hand, you are
impersonal, objective, and direct
when you write your project report.
 Similarly, when you talk to a friend,
you use informal language and casual
style. In contrast, you use formal
language when you make an oral
presentation.
Continued…
The reason is obvious. You may like to
express your feelings, emotions, and
sentiments through a letter or an
informal casual conversation, but you
are only concerned with facts when
you are writing a technical report or
making an oral presentation.
This difference of attitude and
approach determines the
characteristic features of ‘general
style’ and ‘technical style’.
What is ‘Style’ in Technical
Communication?
Since ‘style’ is a major
consideration in technical
communication, we need to look
more closely at the concept of
style in technical communication.
Style in technical communication
is the way one speaks or writes
to convey technical information.
Continued…
Style refers to the way something
is said rather than what is said.
For our purposes, style is the
distinctive mode or manner of
expressing ideas in language.
But what is this distinctive mode
or manner of expression?
This distinctive manner may refer
to the process of choosing
appropriate:
Continued…
Words and phrases (formal, informal,
technical, and so on)
Sentence structure (simple, complex,
compound, mixed, and so on)
 Sentence type (affirmative, negative,
questions, question tags, and so on)
Rhetorical devices or discourse writing
techniques (description, narration,
explanation, comparison and contrast, and
so on)
Effective logical structure and organization.
Continued…

Style in communication depends on several

factors. It largely depends on:
 The audience—for example, the same message
when addressed to a superior is expressed more
diplomatically and tactfully, but when addressed
to subordinates it is more direct and forceful.
 The communicative context—for example,
conveying routine information and making
requests, communicating good or bad news,
conveying goodwill or trying to persuade
someone.
 The purpose—for example, the way one conveys
good news is not the same as conveying bad
news.
Continued…
Style could be very formal, as in a
technical report or a professional
presentation, or very informal, as in a
personal letter or casual
conversation.
The most effective style is the one
that accurately encodes the thought
content of the message into
appropriate language. It is important
to adopt and use an appropriate style
in order to be effective.
Continued…
Thus, style in technical communication
may refer to the way a person puts
words together into sentences,
arranges sentences into paragraphs,
and organizes paragraphs to frame a
piece of writing or an appropriate oral
discourse to convey technical
information clearly and accurately. In
short, it is the way one speaks or
writes when one deals with a technical
or scientific subject.
ABC of Technical
Communication
1. Accuracy
2. Brevity
3. Clarity
1.Accuracy
The first characteristic feature of
technical communication is accuracy,
which includes accuracy of information
as well as accuracy of expression.
One must assure oneself of the accuracy
of information before communicating.
For example, if a person has to write a
technical report or give an oral
presentation, he/she should repeatedly
check all the facts that need to be
included in the report/presentation.
1.Accuracy
Any factual error will put a question mark on
the reliability of the report or presentation
and thereby reduce its effectiveness.
Moreover, facts have to be recorded
carefully and appropriately.
Accuracy of expression demands that there
should be no errors of grammar, spelling,
punctuation, or usage.
One has to be careful about grammar and
punctuation mistakes and should review and
revise the draft thoroughly for these errors.
1.Accuracy
 Ifa person is making a professional oral
presentation, or taking part in a conversation,
meeting, or discussion, he/she should take
care of pronunciation, accent, intonation, and
non-verbal mannerisms.
 Accuracy is essential for a professional and
technical communicator. Accuracy of
expression also demands ‘precision’ in the use
of words, phrases, sentences, and paragraphs.
 One must be certain that one is expressing
one’s ideas precisely and exactly so that the
reader/audience is able to understand without
confusion or misunderstanding
Points to Remember for
Achieving Accuracy:

1. Precision
2. Using exact words and phrases
3. Use Simple and familiar words
Some examples of simple words
Some examples of exact
words
2.Brevity
Brevity is the quality of being brief but
comprehensive in expression.
You must try to be as brief as possible and
give maximum information in the minimum
number of words possible.
Nobody has the time to read or listen to
long and dull discourses. Lengthy
documents or speeches and presentations
with unnecessary details bore readers or
listeners.
A document can be made brief and concise
by avoiding wordiness and repetition.
2. Brevity
a) Avoiding Wordiness
b) Avoiding Repetition
a. Wordiness
Wordiness normally results from
the desire to impress the reader
with learning, language skills, or
intellect by substituting words for
thoughts.

Read the given passage on the

next slide and note the use of a
wordy style:
Blasting is a very important and significant process,
which can be defined as a process where rock is
broken into fragments for a remarkable purpose, that
is, recovery of valuable ore. It cannot be denied that
modern technology has led to the advent of modern
earth moving and rock-breaking equipment, but the
advent of such sophisticated equipment has not
diminished the value of explosives, which still remain
the cheapest method of rock-breaking. However, there
is no doubt that rock breakage by explosives has a
negative impact on the environment, resulting in
certain negative environmental consequences. These
negative environmental consequences include ground
vibration, air-overpressure, noise, dust, and toxic
fumes.
You will notice that the writer uses wordy
expressions and repeats several points in order
to increase the effectiveness of communication
but the result is an ineffective wordy passage.

Now read the following

version of the same passage
on the next slide
Blasting is a process where rock is broken into
fragments for recovery of valuable ore. Despite the
advent of modern earthmoving and rock breaking
equipment, explosives still remain the cheapest method
of rock breaking. However, rock breakage by
explosives has environmental consequences, which
include ground vibration, air-overpressure, noise, dust,
and toxic fumes.
You will agree that the second passage is concise as it
conveys the same message in only 54 words.
Wordiness has no place in technical communication.
You can avoid wordiness by excluding unnecessary or
trivial details, substituting one precise word for
several words or phrases, and avoiding fancy words
3. Clarity
Clarity in communication is the quality of
being unambiguous and easily understood.
Clarity can be achieved by using direct
language, specific and concrete words, and
clear expressions.
Clarity is achieved when the communicator
has communicated his or her meaning to the
reader or listener. In technical
communication, clarity contributes to
communicative effectiveness.
You will not be able to achieve your
communicative objective if you are not clear.
Explanation of ‘Style’ in Technical
Communication with Example

Let us try to understand Technical

Style with the help of an
example. Read the given short
passage about “Sounds” and
note its style and language:
Example
“For a sound to be produced and heard, a
source of vibratory energy, a material
medium, and a receiver are required. Some of
the energy from a vibrating source is
transmitted as a longitudinal wave through
the medium to the ear. Sound waves will not
travel through a vacuum. The ear is sensitive
to the small pressure variations caused by
the sound wave and is able to convert these
small pressure changes into electrical
impulses. These are transmitted by auditory
nerves to the brain, where they produce the
sensation of sound.
Refined Version of
Example
“Sound sources are present almost
everywhere in our environment, and
the control of sound is a major
problem. Unwanted sounds are called
noise. The control of noise is becoming
an important consideration in our
everyday lives. Excessive noise is
known to produce drastic changes in
our personalities; it is fatiguing; and it
may cause deafness and even a
reduction in our life span.”
Explaining and Examining
Example

Now let us examine the salient

features of this passage.
Explaining and Examining
Example
The passage describes the topic with
objectivity as the writer does not use
personal pronouns, subjective
comments, or emotional expressions.
The writer uses formal words and
makes the passage objective and
impersonal by choosing passive
constructions such as “to be produced
and heard”, “are required”, “is
transmitted”, “caused by”, “are
called”, “is known to”, and so forth.
Explaining and Examining
Example
The writer uses compact phrases
containing scientific
words/technical terms such as
“vibratory energy”, “vibrating
source”, “longitudinal wave”,
“pressure variations”, “electrical
impulses”, and “auditory nerves”,
and so on.
Explaining and Examining
Example

The language is simple, direct,

factual, and precise. There is no
use of decorative language,
figures of speech, or roundabout
expressions.
Thank You