[Place-Based Technical Communication]
X - What is another name for a “progress report”?
Interim report
What is the conventional font size for most technical documents?
11-12 point font
X - What are 2 adaptation strategies that can be used to communicate technical information to non-expert audiences?
Narrative
Examples
Graphics
Comparison
Definition
Analysis
What is the design principle where communicators arrange and format document elements from most prominent to least prominent?
Visual Hierarchy
X - What term is often preferable to “stakeholders” for First Nations and Indigenous communities?
Partners
X - What are 2 technical genres where you might find a technical diagram / description in engineering?
Reports
Proposals
Memos
Presentations
Posters
What are 3 ways to reduce “noise” on presentation slides?
- Aligning message with audience + purpose
- Minimizing non-essential visual elements
- Using principles of visual hierarchy (e.g., contrast + proximity)
- Avoiding PowerPoint’s auto-design feature
- Designing charts and figures with minimal non-data ink (+ avoiding 3D-style charts
- Avoiding blocks of text and bullet lists
X - What is the name for the slide design style where you place a full-sentence claim in the “title” position, typically followed by visual or graphical support of that claim?
Assertion-Evidence model
What is the name for the embedded information that you can add to images to make them accessible for people using screen readers?
Alt text
X - What does the “GPT” in ChatGPT stand for?
Generative Pre-trained Transformer
X - (1) Need Statement, (2) Goal Statement, (3) Objectives, and (4) Constraints are all steps of what process common in engineering design?
Problem Formulation model (via Barry Hyman), AKA Problem-Solving Process
X - What are the 4 pieces of information conventionally included in a memo heading?
To
From
Date
Subject / RE
X - What are the “3P’s” that can be used to critically situate technical communication situations in real-world inequities?
Privilege
Positionality
Power
X - What issue(s) might arise when using the passive voice, in terms of clarity?
Can obscure who / what performed actions, thus downplaying agency and accountability.
What are 3 criteria of the CRAAPO test for evaluating sources?
Currency
Relevance
Authority
Accuracy
Purpose
Objectivity
X - What grammatical perspective is most conventional in engineering reports?
Third person perspective (i.e., they, she, he; using name of engineering firm in narration)
X - Any time you include a figure or table in a document like a report, what are 3 things you should do to ensure it is fully incorporated?
- Caption it
- Enumerate it
- Refer to it in text
- Explain it in text
- Place it in suitable location
- BONUS: Add alt text
X - What are 2 limitations for using generative "A.I." tools like ChatGPT in technical communication situations?
- Output usually draws only from freely-accessible web data
- Gen A.I. tools don't understand language or rhetorical situations
- Models are well-trained for general prompts, but lose accuracy for more localized, recent, or technical content
- Is well-known to invent false academic sources, authors, or information
X - What are 2 benefits of using the Styles feature in Microsoft Word?
- Consistent design / visual hierarchy
- Auto-populate TOC
- Facilitate screen reader accessibility
- Streamline workflow
What are 2 strategies for writing with concision, as outlined by Dr. B?
- Get to the point
- Reduce prepositions
- Convert complex nouns to verbs
- Cut filler phrases
- Use active voice (when conventional)
Complete the following tenet from the Code of Ethics recorded by Engineers Canada:
“Uphold and enhance the _____ and _____ of the profession.”
Honour + Dignity
X - According to Bob Watson’s explanation of how readers interact with information, what reader goal does this chart visualize?
Reading to Learn (in contrast with Learning to Do)
X - What are 3 elements of the rhetorical situation, as defined in the Technical Writing Essentials textbook?
Writer
Purpose
Audience
Context & Culture
Message
X - What are 3 of the “7C’s” of professional / technical writing, as defined in the Technical Writing Essentials textbook?
Clear
Coherent
Concise
Concrete
Correct
Complete
Courteous
X - What city did Dr. B move to PG from?
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA