Textbook Analysis: Technical Communication (9th ed.), Mike Markel
The 9th edition of Technical Communications comprehensively covers the topics necessary to a student’s success in field of technical communication by giving them an accessible guide that leads them through the processes of writing documents that will be of importance in their professional careers. Mike Markel writes in his preface that, “Technical communication remains a thorough, accessible introduction to planning, drafting, designing, revising, and testing technical documents,” (v).
This edition included two new chapters and accompanying cases to reflect the developments in ways people communicate, specifically in highlighting the importance of the growth of Web 2.0 tools and how “technical communication in the academy is connected to technical communication in the workplace,” (v). The two new chapters are “Writing Lab Reports” (Chapter 18) and “Connecting with the Public” (Chapter 22). The first highlights a writing style most students use in their academic careers and how to use those skills in writing science and engineering articles. The latter discusses “the importance of communicating with various stakeholders…(and) covers presentation applications (brochures, white papers, podcasts, newsletters…blogs, discussion boards, and wikis,” (v) There is also an emphasis on a use of social media practices and how to use them effectively in technical communication.
Technical Communications 9th edition offers a wider coverage of technical documents and of the issues that accompany them in an organized, understandable, and student-friendly manner. This book also offers and accompanying web source, “TechComm Web” that offers resources such as sample documents, flash cards, and online tutorials. This is a free service to enhance learning experience.
Writing Process
Being that a focus of this text is on the “planning, drafting, designing, revising, and testing technical documents,” (v), the entire book’s coverage of the writing process is comprehensive and definitely is a student friendly-friendly guide to understand the writing process. This five-part text highlights the importance of the writing process in technical communication and gives equal weight to the development of text and graphics in documents and Web sites (xii). Chapter 3 specifically focuses on “Writing Technical documents” and moves from planning, to drafting, to revising, to editing and proofreading. There are step-by-step guidelines within each chapter to condense the ideas being discussed so that students may follow them within their writing process. This text not only serves to help students understand the writing process, but how to implement it easily into their work.
Rhetoric and Persuasion
There are four major chapters in which theories of rhetoric and persuasion come through most strongly – “Understanding Ethical and Legal Considerations” (Chapter 2); “Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose” (Chapter 5); “Communicating Persuasively” (Chapter 8); and “Making Oral Presentations” (Chapter 21).
“Understanding Ethical and Legal Considerations” focuses on how to fulfill your job while also fulfilling ethical obligations to the public. It also discusses how to communicate effectively with and appeal to cultures that have different ethical beliefs and laws.
“Analyzing Your Purpose and Audience” discusses how to “determine the important characteristics for your audience” and how to do so effectively. It teaches how to utilize what one knows about an audience to communicate with them effectively and appeal to their interests.
“Communicating Persuasively” is one of the two chapters most focused on rhetoric. It discusses not only understanding the goals of an audience but how to form a persuasive argument by using the evidence that will be most effective, appealing emotionally to the audience, considering opposing viewpoints, and how to present one’s self with as a professional.
“Making Oral Presentations” is the second chapter with a strong emphasis on the use of rhetoric and persuasion. It focuses on preparing presentations by analyzing the situation, choosing effective language, using body and voice effectively, and how to use media effectively.
However, throughout all of the chapters there is a least some underlying theme on how to create documents by analyzing the situation and writing for a proper audience.
Style and Tone
This text does not have a chapter dedicated to style and tone. However, throughout the text, there are sections about style and tone and how to use them appropriately within the writing processes of various documents. For example, Chapter 17 has a “Guidelines” box on “Projecting an Appropriate Tone in a Progress or Status Report.” All of chapters on how to write different types of documents offer options for styles depending on the genre, both in print text and electronic text.
Document Design
Technical Communication has a strong focus on document design that is present throughout the text. Most obviously, “Designing Documents and Websites” (Chapter 11) first focuses on teaching design principles so that a student may understand them and then talking about various aspects of design such as “proximity, alignment, repetition, contrast, size, paper, bindings, accessing tools, layout, typography, titles, etc.,” (253). However, each chapter offers ideas for designing the documents based upon genre, how to effectively use headings, understanding the elements of individual documents, and how to implement the use of images within document design.
Document Genres and Types of Writing
This text truly offers a comprehensive look at document genres and types of writing. The following is a list of the different documents that are taught in this book:
- technical documents
- letter, memos, and e-mails proposals
- job application materials informational reports
- recommendation reports
- definitions, descriptions, and instructions, oral presentations,
- web sites, blogs, and other online docs
- graphics and charts
- articles
Technical Communication not only helps the reader to understand the importance of these documents and their elements, but how to create them effectively as well as transfer them from the classroom to the professional world. Again, the guidelines boxes and samples in each chapter help offer understanding of these various types of writing by giving the students tangible examples.
Visuals and Oral Communication
In Part 3 of this text, “Developing and Testing the Verbal and Visual Information” contains chapters on “Designing Documents and Web Sites” and “Creating Graphics.” It also contains a chater focusing on “Reviewing, Evaluating, and Testing Documents and Web Sites.” As a focus of this edition was on Web 2.0 and newer technologies, the implementation of using images, charts, and graphs is evident throughout the text. The varying genres have discussions on images that would be useful in the context of writing and how to decide what visual elements would be most effective. There is also a heavy emphasis on visual elements in the chapter of “Making Oral Presentations.” It discusses how to use slides effectively and what types of graphics are appropriate for varying speaking situations.
Research and Writing Technologies
Chapter 6 of Technical Communication is entitles “Researching Your Subject” and places a heavy emphasis on “choosing appropriate research methods, understanding the process, how to use various search tools, how to evaluate information, and how to conduct primary research,” (113). However, many of the chapters talk about understanding audience or understanding how to review and evaluate and test various documents which all require some sort of research knowledge.
Throughout the text there are also examples of writing technologies from word processors to making graphics to using PowerPoint to writing blogs. With the new emphasis on Web 2.0, web writing technologies are present throughout the book.
Recommendation
I would definitely recommend that this text be used in a Business or Technical Communications course. It’s comprehensive nature would prepare students for any type of document that the might be asked to create in their academic or professional lives. With extras like “Guidelines”, “Ethics Notes”, “Interactive Sample Documents”, “Tech Tips”, “Writer’s Checklists”, and “Cases” (real-world writing scenarious) in each chapter, students are able to understand the principles behind the writing of documents, see how they are effective, and given ways to easily implement the tools they read about into their own writing. This text is extremely effective in presenting ways to take what students learn in the classroom and apply them to their careers in the real world. Plus, it is completely accessible and understandable and can be used in the future to look back at as a guide for forming any type of document.
Markel, Mike. (2007). Technical Communication (9th ed.). Bedford/St. Martin’s.