Intercultural Technical Communication: The Pedagogical Possibilities of Paralogic Hermeneutics

Our rejection of language as a system necessitates the rejection of pedagogical methods that seek to cultivate 'linguistic competence' or seek to develop 'intercultural competence' on top of the 'regular' work of technical communication instruction.

Daisy, Brenda. Orange Journal, The (2005). Articles>Language>Education

Interpretation Within Audience Analysis Theories and the Crusade for True Empiricism

Audience analysis frameworks do not address an important aspect of communication in writer/audience relationships. This element is the humanistic aspect of cognitive processing, which encompasses emotional and cultural aspects. These elements exist on behalf of the writer as well as the reader, which without taking either into account lead us to a less than full understanding of how we can progress in our studies around this issue. We continue to study and theorize about how to improve interactions between writer and audience. Although current theories seem to add considerations important in the audience analysis process and the writer/audience relationship, there remains a need to find ways to address the truly empirical aspects of human interpretation.

Wolfe, Melissa. Orange Journal, The (2001). Articles>Rhetoric>Theory>Audience Analysis

Just a Cog in the Machine? Implications for Technical Communicators

This article explores the implications of choosing to work as a cog in the field of technical communication. The author includes perspectives from cog-colleagues and manager/cogs, and touches on concepts of ownership, recognition, and egoless communication. She recommends exercises in discipline-specific poetry and editing in a workshop setting as practical ways to work toward detachment.

MacQueen, Lisa Clare. Orange Journal, The (2002). Articles>TC>Collaboration

The Orange Journal: Creating a Student Writing Space

Argues that the Orange Journal can provide a way to help graduate student scholars create a map for those inherent contradictions of being a graduate student, providing a space that serves our needs and that can give us legitimacy.

Gulbrandsen, Karen. Orange Journal, The (2005). Articles>Publishing>Education

Planning a Web Project

One of the most important aspects of information design is the planning process. Unfortunately, the planning process is one of the first items to get cut when schedules are tight. Projects that have skipped this step often suffer from problems that are difficult to fix once the site has been developed. For example, sites that have not been planned in advance often contain information that was added randomly and inconsistently, related topics don't link to one another, and readers have a frustrating experience navigating the site.

Kerr, Amy. Orange Journal, The (2001). Design>Information Design>Planning

Professional versus Practitioner: Making the Case for Theory

To the ongoing question over whether the status or role of the technical communicator is to be considered as that of a 'professional' versus a 'practitioner'. If the answer to this question is an unequivocal 'yes' then how do we as aspiring technical communicators position ourselves in the field to overcome this kind of prejudice and narrow-mindedness? Are there skills and theories that are important to learn or at least be aware of that will not only help foster respect for the field of technical communication as a recognized profession but also aid in distancing ourselves from being labeled mere practitioners?

Hubbard, Susan. Orange Journal, The (2002). Articles>TC>Professionalism

Reader Roles: Building a Bridge Between Content and Navigation

Will the generation of readers that grow in the age of the Internet respond to text differently than earlier generations? What if in the year 2015 a teenager chooses an online version of Harry Potter where they can actually influence the text to determine an adventure that no one else has ever encountered? It is entirely possible that the Internet could potentially affect how future readers respond to text based on their online experiences. Perhaps these future readers will no longer respond to the passive roles that static text can sometimes place them in. They may seek instead, an active role in both the text and the options they have in the online world. How can text support this role? What kinds of rhetorical reading strategies brought fourth by Technical Communication (TC) could support new adaptations to text that allow the reader to actively engage in both content and navigation online to capture a richer, more rewarding experience?

Michael, John W. Orange Journal, The (2001). Design>Information Design>Web Design

Reconsidering the Role of Plain Style in Technical Writing

According to the technical writing textbook used in the Introductory to Technical Writing class I teach, there are two purposes and at least five audiences of technical documents. Yet students are taught only one style of writing to satisfy all writing situations: the plain style. This essay examines the history and current state of plain style's role in technical writing. It further discusses plain style's relation to rhetorical and instrumental approaches to technical communication, and finally offers writing teachers a new approach to plain style and instrumental language in technical writing.

Campbell, Jill. Orange Journal, The (2002). Articles>Rhetoric>Writing

The Rhetoric of Critical Procedures

One important aspect of technical writing is the production and use of procedures. Though technical writing serves a variety of purposes, teaching, informing, persuading, and even questioning, one of its primary and most common purposes is the 'how-to' function of providing procedures. There is a great deal of information available on writing procedures, the vast majority of it focusing on software documentation and product documentation.

Boelter, Walter H. Orange Journal, The (2003). Articles>Documentation>Rhetoric>Technical Writing

Rhetorical Shifts in Author/Audience Roles on the World-Wide Web

Audience analysis figures prominently into Technical Communication curricula because the focus of technical communication is to take complex technical information and create materials that can help readers use, learn, repair, or build equipment or systems (Alred et al. 2). In order to help readers perform these specialized tasks, we must be intimately familiar with their real and anticipated needs, expectations, and limitations. Many different models of the author/audience relationship have been proposed to aid in this analysis. These models have worked well (depending on what school of thought one subscribed to) when the main delivery system consisted of print media.

Bartell, Sandy. Orange Journal, The (2001). Articles>Rhetoric>Theory

The Role of Social Construction in Technical Communication

Technical communicators perform an important role in society, relaying complex messages in a clear and concise manner to people who would otherwise have to spend an inordinate amount of time tracking down this information for themselves. Among other things, technical communicators are responsible for writing software manuals and computer help systems, instruction manuals for everything from appliances to airplanes, and health-related pamphlets and warnings. If this information is misunderstood – either through the shortcomings of the writer or reader – the consequences can be devastating.

Robinson, Alyssa. Orange Journal, The (2001). Articles>Rhetoric>Theory

The Role of the Professional Technical Communicator

To meet the challenge of addressing the needs of subject matter experts (SME) and non-experts, alleviating fears, and keeping the public informed requires knowledge of communication theory, subject-matter expertise, and adherence to a code of ethics. A model illustrating the professional technical communicator's knowledge base and relationship with the SME and non-expert is presented.

Gilliland, Gail. Orange Journal, The (2002). Articles>TC>Professionalism>SMEs

Staking a Claim: Positioning Technical Communication in Knowledge Management

If knowledge management is an appropriate framework for technical communication, how should technical communicators define their roles in knowledge management systems? Perhaps more importantly, how do technical communicators want others in their organizations to perceive them?

Smith, Sara. Orange Journal, The (2005). Articles>Knowledge Management>TC

Streaming Media

Streaming media is a method for delivering multimedia content, where video, audio, graphics, and animation can all play simultaneous roles in the presentation.

The advantage of streaming media is that you can start viewing the presentation almost immediately while the file itself is still being sent from the server; there is no waiting period while all the component files are first downloaded to your hard drive. When the presentation is over, none of the component files remain on your computer.

Dereg, Tim. Orange Journal, The (2001). Design>Web Design>Streaming>Multimedia

A Study of Theories on Style in Technical Communication

One of the most frequent questions technical communicators encounter is what style they should write in. Unfortunately it is not an easy question. The answer to this question should come from careful theoretical studies and deliberate analysis of the audience and many other factors, such as social environment. In this paper, I wish to analyze theories, which guide the style in technical communication, from three angles: reader analysis, interpretive communities and whether technical communication is plain, instructional, or rhetorical. In the conclusion section, I will try to analyze the importance of extracting valuable parts from each theory and how the valid points from each theory work together to guide technical communicators to choose the right style in technical communication.

Sun, Lily. Orange Journal, The (2001). Articles>Rhetoric>Theory

The Sustainability of New Technologies: Are We Considering Our Future?

Argues that technical communicators need to evaluate our dependence on electricity so that we are prepared for the possibility of a future without traditional sources of electricity. In order to evaluate our energy dependence, we need to consider the sustainability of new technologies before introducing them to our society.

Henson, Jacque. Orange Journal, The (2005). Articles>Technology>Planning

A Technical Communicator’s Role in Planning, Developing, and Maintaining a Corporate Intranet Site

Technical communicators can gain knowledge and expertise in web technology including developing intranet sites, usability engineering, and knowledge management.

Kays, Tami. Orange Journal, The (2004). Articles>Web Design>Intranets

Technically, It's All Communication: Defining the Field of Technical Communication

There is a certain need to define the field of technical communication: a definition that we as practicioners and scholars can adapt for different audiences in order to create a clear image. The reasons to create a definition are stronger than the reasoning behind letting our field remain perpetually undefined.

Metz Bemer, Amanda. Orange Journal, The (2005). Articles>TC>Professionalism

Tell It Like It Is: Rehabilitating Positivism in Technical Communication

For over thirty years, “humanistic” theorists in the field of technical communication have attempted to link it to the more established academic disciplines of rhetoric and literary theory. These theorists, such as Carolyn Miller and David Dobrin, have based their attempts on the following (grossly simplified) logic: objectivity, in language as well as reality, is a sham; therefore, those of us in technical communication do not objectively report reality, but rather, persuade readers to accept reality as we see it; furthermore, to claim that we do anything less is to distort the truth. Patrick Moore subscribes to an opposing view termed “positivist,” yet it is so universally panned that no one outside the sciences presently dares embrace it. Moore notes that Miller “expresses her concern that technical communication is ‘coercive’”, and goes on to cite other humanistic theorists, such as Dobrin and Charles Bazerman, who try to make technical communication theory dance to the tune of rhetoric, which is more pleasing to their ears.

deMaagd, Christian. Orange Journal, The (2001). Articles>TC>Theory

Ten Strategies for Consilience

Can we achieve a true convergence among fields, with science and the humanities working in tandem to produce knowledge? This paper attempts eight rhetorical and two political strategies in a 'gedanken experiment' to assess which among them might meet with greatest success in achieving that congruence.  Some of the strategies will be adaptations of prominent writers, including theorists in Technical Communication.  The question whether science and the humanities should, in fact, operate from the same attitudes and assumptions will be addressed in a final section.

Missimer, Constance A. Orange Journal, The (2001). Articles>Collaboration>Community Building

Toward a More Productive Discussion about Instrumental Discourse

This article traces the ongoing debate surrounding instrumental discourse in technical communication scholarship and identifies steps that scholars should take to increase the efficacy of this debate.

Warnick, Quinn. Orange Journal, The (2005). Articles>Workplace>Writing

Towards a Sense of Ethics for Technical Communication

Many articles from recent decades begin with the assumption that technical communicators do not have much power to make ethical decisions about their work. We need to start with a basic understanding of the relationships that technical communicators build with that audience in their work and identify ways in which those relationships might have ethical implications.

McBride, Alicia. Orange Journal, The (2002). Articles>TC>Ethics

Trouble Free Computing: Leveraging Published Information to Assist with Computing Errors

As computers become more complex and pervasive in modern society, humans also become more dependent on the systems and services supporting the computer. The ability to efficiently deal with problems when there is a break in the technical system will be more critical as society heads down this technological path.

Bennett, Benford A. Orange Journal, The (2004). Articles>Computing>User Centered Design

Usability: Lighting the Path to the Future of Technical Communication

The future of Technical Communication is something that we are all, as either practitioners, academics or students, keenly interested in. What is the future of our chosen discipline? What exactly is it that a practitioner in the field does today? This paper will explain that through examining one sub-discipline of Technical Communication, Usability, we may see an example of the beginnings of a pattern of professional development.

Torrence, Anthony. Orange Journal, The (2003). Articles>TC>Professionalism>Usability

Why Should People Care? Using Journalistic Techniques to Keep Readers Interested

Technical communication strives to convey information in ways to best help the reader, whether a jet-engine mechanic with manual in hand, a physicist reading a peer-reviewed article, or the new owner of the latest computer or coffeepot. Ideally, it presents information that people will read, understand, and find interesting. 'Just writing a document isn’t enough to ensure that people will read it. Reading is a voluntary act; people don’t have to do it,' says Janice C. Redish in 'Understanding Readers' (15). She and other academics endeavor to improve the field, recording their efforts in such publications as the Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, Technical Communication, Technical Communication Quarterly, and Techniques for Technical Communicators. The hybrid discipline has tapped other fields to further its goals of readability and comprehension, from psychology to computer science. Technical communication could also draw from another field, journalism, which uses story structure and writing styles that readers everywhere are familiar with. And journalism is adept at adapting to an array of audiences.

Bryant, M. Orange Journal, The (2001). Articles>Writing>Journalism