Identifying and Analyzing 3 Aspects of Technical Communication

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Sheridan College *

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13729

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Communications

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Feb 20, 2024

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1 Identifying and Analyzing 3 Aspects of Technical Communication By: Carlos Rebelo Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology, Sheridan College COMM13729: The Art of Technical Communication For: Dr. Vidya Narayan 2023-10-20

2 Contents Introduction …………………………………………………………………………... 3 Collaboration …………………………………………………………………………. 3 Written Communication ……………………………………………………………... 4 Oral/Presentation Skills ……………………………………………………………… 5 Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………….. 6 References ……………………………………………………………………………... 7

3 Identifying and Analyzing 3 Aspects of Technical Communication In this report, three aspects of technical communication (TC) will be chosen and analyzed to describe each of their importance, effects on career trajectory, effects on social situations, what I’ve learned and done to strengthen my knowledge of these aspects, and how I plan to hone/improve these skills. The 3 aspects of TC chosen are collaboration, written communication, and oral/presentation skills. Although all aspects of TC are important and necessary for a successful career (Rebelo, 2023) , these aspects have been chosen based on their perceived importance and the need for improvement on my part, to allow for a meaningful analysis. Several sources will be referenced to allow for factual analysis and aid in describing each aspect. Collaboration The first aspect of TC being analyzed is collaboration, which consists of finding a balance between assertiveness and cooperation when working with someone else and allows for the effective completion of a mutual goal. To deepen my understanding of this aspect, I participated in a class activity in which my classmates and I were assigned the task of completing a vocabulary worksheet as a class using a collaborative space in the app “Piazza” (Narayan, 2023). For this task, we were assigned a section to write our completed answers which any of us could edit at any given time, forcing us to organize and separate the work effectively (Narayan, 2023). Although we were not able to successfully complete the task, participating in it allowed us to grasp the importance of assigning a leader, dividing work equally, and communicating efficiently with the people we were working with. While many of us who participated in this task had some prior knowledge of collaboration, doing this allowed for a real-time demonstration of how important effective collaboration truly is. This newfound understanding of collaboration will aid in my professional career by allowing me to work with others more effectively in my

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4 team. “A recent study from the Institute for Corporate Productivity found that companies that promote collaboration are five times as likely to be high performing” (Bodell, 2020). Although this video focuses on workplace collaboration, the same things apply to student collaboration in an educational setting. By collaborating with others, you can leverage people’s skills and knowledge to achieve goals faster and more economically (Bodell, 2020). Collaboration doesn’t only benefit your professional and scholarly career; it can also allow you to have a better experience in social interactions. Effective collaboration can create bonds between people and organizations, and facilitate people learning from each other (O’Leary, 2023). I plan to improve my collaboration skills by participating in more group activities, such as assignments that have the option to be completed as a group. This will allow me to have more experience collaborating and allow me to improve on any less effective habits I may have when doing these group activities. Through this, I can further hone this skill and incorporate it into the rest of my studies and professional career. Written Communication The second aspect of TC that will be analyzed is writing efficiently, which consists of using clear and precise language, avoiding redundancy, proper grammar, and the ability to tailor your writing to your audience's technical level (Lannon et al., 2021). To deepen my understanding of this aspect, I was able to complete two class assignments which consisted of writing documents effectively in a professional format and researching the importance of efficient communication. Doing these assignments and research allowed me to further understand the importance of writing effectively and understand the guidelines that can help make your writing more effective, which include making an outline for the piece you’d like to write, avoiding excessive formality, and favoring simple sentences that anyone can understand

5 (CMA Magazine, 2011) . This newfound knowledge will aid in my professional and academic career by allowing my written work to be more likely to be read, more persuasive and credible, more efficient and useful, and allow my work to build confidence and trust between my employers/colleagues and me (Newbold, 2023) . Writing effectively can also improve my social interactions in the future by allowing me to write non-formal documents cleanly and concisely, and by ensuring my documents are audience-driven, organized, and conversational/not excessively formal (Newbold, 2023) . I can improve my effective writing skills by regularly writing documents at different technical levels, formatting non-formal documents properly, and getting my documents reviewed by others to allow me to gain more experience and improve upon any inefficient habits I may have when writing. Oral/Presentation Skills The last aspect of TC that will be analyzed is oral/presentation skills, which consist of effective speaking, body language, tone & volume, and confidence. To deepen my understanding of this aspect, I completed a non-formal report in which I analyzed the importance of oral/presentation skills and how well-versed I am with these skills. Doing this report allowed me to fully grasp the importance of these skills in the workplace, and that after graduation, presentation skills are still employed under many circumstances such as in job interviews and assignments in the workplace (Tsang, 2020). Although it can be easy to think that presentation/oral skills will become mundane after graduation, they are still very important skills that can elevate your career trajectory (Rebelo, 2023) . Having good oral/presentation skills can also improve your social relationships, as effective oral communication can create trust between you and your colleagues/friends by allowing you to express your opinions in a manner that is inclusive to all and clear to whoever is listening. I plan to improve on this aspect of TC by

6 regularly practicing good presentation and oral communication habits. Practice is one of the best ways to improve upon any skill, and we can even recall the famous saying “Practice makes perfect”. “ This point is further proven by a study conducted by the journal Active Learning in Higher Education , in which participants from the workforce were tested on the importance of oral/presentation skills” (Rebelo, 2023) . “Most of them shared that a major area of improvement was their higher degree of familiarity of speaking in front of an audience, hence becoming less nervous and having greater confidence.” (Tsang, 2020). Through practice and consideration of effective oral/presentation skills, I can improve upon this aspect of TC and hone the skill further. Conclusion To conclude, we have learned the importance of collaboration in creating positive relationships with your colleagues, which can be achieved through a balance of assertiveness and cooperation. We have also learned the importance of written communication skills, concluding that effective writing can not only increase your career trajectory but also build trust with the people you are writing for. Finally, we analyzed the importance of oral/presentation skills, and how the importance of these skills is overlooked in the workplace, even though they are key to building better relationships with colleagues and ensuring information is presented effectively. With this new-found knowledge, I can practice being effective in each of these aspects to ensure I improve on these skills for the future.

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7 References Bodell, L. (2020). Collaboration drives high performance. Creating a Culture of Collaboration. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/learning/creating-a-culture-of-collaboration/ collaboration-drives-high-performance?resume=false&u=2272289 CMA Magazine. (2011). TIPS for effective writing. Society of Management Accountants of Canada. Retrieved from https://link-gale-com.library.sheridanc.on.ca/apps/doc/A264273872/ITOF? u=ko_acd_shc&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=befd5896 Lannon, J. M., Gurak, L. J., Klepp, D., & Kelly, S. (2021). Technical Communication (Canadian Edition) (8th ed.). Pearson Canada. Retrieved from https://www.pearson.com/en-ca/subject-catalog/p/technical-communication-canadian- edition/P200000002522/9780137596270 Narayan, V. (2023). Slides_challenge . The Art of Technical Communication. Sheridan College. Newbold, C. (2023, May). Effective Communication Skills: Improve Your Listening, Speaking, and Writing for Maximum Impact . O'Reilly Media, Inc. Retrieved from https://learning.oreilly.com/videos/effective-communication-skills/0636920874195/ O'Leary, Z. (2023, October). Effective Collaboration: Developing the Skills You Need to Maximize Results . O'Reilly Media, Inc. Retrieved from https://learning.oreilly.com/videos/effective-collaboration-developing/0636920908036/ Rebelo, E. C. (2023). What Is Communication? [Unpublished Manuscript]. Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology, Sheridan College.

8 Tsang, A. (2020). Enhancing learners’ awareness of oral presentation (delivery) skills in the context of self-regulated learning . Active Learning in Higher Education , 21(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787417731214

9 Appendix A CRAAP Evaluation O'Leary, Z. (2023, October). Effective Collaboration: Developing the Skills You Need to Maximize Results . O'Reilly Media, Inc. Retrieved from https://learning.oreilly.com/videos/effective-collaboration-developing/0636920908036/ Table A1. Currency  This information was published in October of 2023.  The topic of my report does not require newer sources, but sources that have been recently posted/edited provide more current information. Relevance  This source is relevant to my topic, specifically “collaboration” which is the focus of this source.  The intended audience of this source is anyone looking to improve their collaboration skills, as it is a course meant for learning. Authority  The author of this source is Dr. Zina O’Leary and the publisher of this source is O’Reilly Media, Inc.  The author of this source is a senior lecturer at UNSW in Sydney, Australia. She is also an adjunct professor at the University of Delaware  This author is very qualified to provide information on this topic and can be found at https://www.linkedin.com/in/zinaoleary/? originalSubdomain=au Accuracy  The information in this source has been fact-checked by O’Reilly Media, Inc. Purpose  The objective of this source is to teach people how to be an effective collaborator, as it is a course to learn more about this topic

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10 Appendix B CRAAP Evaluation Newbold, C. (2023, May). Effective Communication Skills: Improve Your Listening, Speaking, and Writing for Maximum Impact . O'Reilly Media, Inc. Retrieved from https://learning.oreilly.com/videos/effective-communication-skills/0636920874195/ Table B2. Currency  This information was published in May of 2023.  The topic of my report does not require newer sources, but sources that have been recently posted/edited provide more current information. Relevance  This source is relevant to my topic, specifically “written communication” which is one of the focuses of this source.  The intended audience of this source is anyone looking to improve their communication skills, as it is a course meant for learning. Authority  The author of this source is Curtis Newbold, who is a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Rhetorics, Communication, and Information Design and is a lecturer/professor in many universities.  Through this I can conclude that this author is more than qualified to inform people about this topic Accuracy  The information in this source has been fact-checked by O’Reilly Media, Inc. Purpose  The objective of this source is to teach people how to be an effective communicator, as it is a course to learn more about this topic

Identifying and Analyzing 3 Aspects of Technical Communication

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