Technical Communication (13th edition)

Book Preface

Whether digital, face-to-face, handwritten, or printed, workplace communication is more than a value-neutral exercise in “information transfer:” it is a complex  social transaction. From reports to proposals, job applications to email messages,  video chats to oral presentations. every rhetorical situation has its own specific inter­personal, ethical, legal. and cultural demands. Moreover, today’s professional needs to be a skilled communicator and a discriminating consumer of information, skilled in methods of inquiry, retrieval, evaluation, and interpretation essential to informed  decision making.

Designed in response to these issues, Technical Communication, Thirteenth  Edition, addresses a wide range of interests for classes in which students from a variety of majors arc enrolled. The text explains, illustrates, and applies rhetorical accountability, exercises incorporate the problem-solving demands typical in college and on the job. Self-contained chapters allow for various course plans and customized assignments.

WHAT’S NEW IN THIS EDITION?

Technical Communication, Thirteenth Edition, has been thoroughly revised to account for the latest innovations in workplace communication and today’s technologically sophisticated, diverse, and global workforce. Students will benefit from a variety of new content and features in this edition, including

•    Throughly revised chapter on social media, with updated coverage of using Paccbook on the job, using Linkedln for networking, using customer review sites such as Y clp! as a form of surveying, and using Twitter feeds on the job.

•    Updated chapter on email, with a brand new section on using text messaging on the job.

•    Updated technology coverage throughout the book, including attending virtual meetings, digital brainstorming, using digitized print sources and sub­ject directories in the research process, using Prczi for oral presentations, and citing Facebook and Twitter sources.

•    New Digital and Social Media Projects throughout the book to emphasize the growing importance of using social media on the job.

•    Expanded coverage of plagiarism to highlight the ethical importance of avoiding intentional or unintentional plagiarism on the job.

•    New section on style, tone, and email to help students avoid unprofessional email habits.

•    More logical coverage of usability now highlighted in the chapters on audi­ence and instructions and procedures.