October 3, 2008

Technical Communication does not disappoint when it comes to providing ideas for improving your writing's usability and persuasiveness. Chapters 8 and 19 are no exception. While there is a wealth of information in both chapters, I believe I will use the guidelines offered in chapter 8 more often than chapter 19.

Creating your voice, constructing sentences, and selecting words are all important to ensure your writing is not subject to misinterpretation or misunderstanding. Avoiding bureaucratese is one suggestion for creating your voice. The examples amused me because they are not unlike writing I see in my job every day. Seems it is too easy to write in plain language, and some people find it necessary to hide the ideas by using an inflated vocabulary and wordiness. Although I had long ago discredited many of those writing with bureaucratese, I now have a reason other than mere frustration. It was not me having an inability to decipher what these people want to say, rather there is a defined term for the practice, and it is ineffective writing.

The section on constructing sentences, writing in active rather than passive voice specifically, is an area I definitely wish to improve. I never really understood the ramifications of using passive voice, such as losing the identity of the subject or inhibiting speed of comprehension. Chapter 8 points out all the things. Perhaps knowing the reasons to use active voice will aid me in avoiding the use of passive voice more so than simply the notion I should not use it.

While I do not have the need to employ skills for writing with these purposes right now, Chapter 19 provides excellent insight for how to write with a client or for service-learning projects. A writer needs to figure out what their client wants and when the client wants it. The writer also needs to discuss what they will require from the client in order to produce what the client requests. Laying out all the specifics in a written agreement is the best way to make sure everyone gets what they are expecting. Ultimately, the writer must understand the concept that the customer (client in this case) is always right.