Technical & Report Writing

Course Length 3 Days

Prerequisites Students should bring at least five writing samples of varying
lengths, content, and purpose. These may be their own or from some else. The
author’s identification may be blocked. During this course, these are reviewed
and rewritten.

Overview

The ability to write clear, concise documents related to technical issues is a highly desirable skill that is much different from writing letters, emails, and non-technical
documents. The creation of effective technical materials requires discipline, organization, and a keen eye for detail. This course is designed to give good writers or technical staff who have decent writing skillsthe tools needed to design, develop, and maintain technical documents.

The Problem

• Lack of consistency, format and type style
• Inconsistent organization and structure
• Failure to consider target audience

Our Solution
To Learn...

• How to put complex subjects in terms that are clear and concise.
• The development of a writing style that’s more useful to readers.
• An approach to writing reports that’s fast and easy.
• How to write reports that maximize impact on your readers.
• To write so others apply your ideas.
• The command of language and grammar.
• Organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Various strategies of technical writing.
• How to enhance documents with visuals and graphics.

Course Outline

Day 1:

• Understand the general format of reports - categories
• Brainstorm and organize information – feasibility studies – abstract
• Apply mechanics of writing – usage – capitalization – punctuation
• Active/passive voice
• Avoid wordiness and pompous language
• Introduce variety in sentences – graphics and visual aids
• International guideline variations
• Write for the reader
• Write executive summaries

Day 2:

• Describe responsible research
• Avoid plagiarism and distortion of tests and research results
• Describe ethical implications of research & development
• Use effective laboratory research reports
• Write persuasive evaluation reports
• Write definition assessments-describing mechanismsessays-surveys
• Use tables, graphs and charts effectively
• Format documents effectively
• Use numeric information
• Copyright considerations

Day 3:

• Use of visual enhancements
• Apply U.S. Military writing guidelines
• Understand ethical implications
• Write abstracts
• Calculate the Fog Index
• Comply with approved styles guides
• Engage in review of participant’s writing with constructive critique