Deck 2: Writing for Your Readers

Question 1

When planning content for a technical communication project, which of the following do you not need to consider?

A) The ideas that will achieve the goal of the message.
B) The completion date for the document.
C) Which ideas that do not need to be included.
D) How to arrange the ideas that will be included.

Answer 1

B
Explanation: When planning the content you need to include in a technical communication, you need to consider what ideas you should use to achieve the goal of the message, which ideas you can omit, and how you should arrange the ideas so that they make sense to the target readers.

Question 2

What is the final stage of the writing process and what do you do in this stage?

A) Editing - including design elements, like headers.
B) Reading - reading the document for comprehension.
C) Editing - reading and reviewing the document to correct mechanical errors, looking at the document's appearance, and making sure citations are correct.
D) Analyzing the situation - making sure you know who will read your document.

Answer 2

C
Explanation: The final, or sixth stage of the writing process is Editing. You may perform several edits of a technical communication, but editing refers to reading and reviewing the document to scrutinize and correct mechanical errors, such as the spelling, usage, punctuation, and sentence structure. Subsequent edits have you focus on the document as a whole, such as its appearance and how the information is displayed and presented. You will also edit to check citations and make sure you correctly cited sources of information, including illustrations, you may have borrowed. Remember to give credit to external sources of information.

Question 3

What purpose do illustrations serve in technical communication?

A) Illustrations are used for marketing.
B) Illustrations are used as alternative means of information for the readers.
C) Illustrations take time to do correctly so enable you to make more money for a project.
D) Illustrations serve as citations.

Answer 3

B
Explanation: Illustrations can be graphics, tables, charts, screen shots, or other information visuals in technical communication. Illustrations serve as alternative means of information for readers and may also be a source of information that readers can access quickly. Illustrations combined with text often provide the best means of communicating with your readers.

Question 4

What is a factor that affects how your readers will interpret your message and be able to use it in a meaningful way?

A) Their position in the organization.
B) Their technical expertise.
C) Their knowledge of the subject matter.
D) All of the above.

Question 5

The image you project in your writing…

A) Should be one of trust and credibility.
B) Will vary depending on who your readers are and their position in the organization.
C) Is only important when you are writing to your boss.
D) Both a and b are correct.

Question 6

When analyzing the writing situation you should try to discover…

A) How long the readers have to read the document.
B) What situation or problem has required writing this document.
C) How long the document should be.
D) How long you have to write the document.
Use the following scenario for the next three questions: Because Juanita is the volunteer (meaning unpaid) recruiter for a non-profit with branch offices in six cities, she receives more emails on a daily basis than she could possibly read and still have time for her other duties. When she opens her email every Monday morning she looks over the subject line for each email with the following questions in the back of her mind: "What is this? Do I have to read this? How does it affect me? What will I need to do? What are the main ideas?"
If the email subject heading doesn't answer at least one of these questions, she doesn't open it. Sometimes she misses out on information she should have. But she considers this the writer's problem rather than her own. If these people really want to get their message to her, they are responsible to let her know that there is a legitimate reason to read it. Match the following subject headings with the question that would most likely result in the reaction, "Yes, I need to read this email." Note that some of these email subject lines match more than one question; for instance, she might ask "What is this?" of every email she receives. Select the best possible answer.

Question 7

Juanita's first email subject line is, "For All Volunteer Recruiters," what question might Juanita ask herself when reading this subject line?

A) What is this?
B) Do I have to read it?
C) How does this affect me?
D) What will I need to do?

Question 8

Juanita's first email subject line is, "Overtime Compensation," what question might Juanita ask herself when reading this subject line?

A) What is this?
B) Do I have to read it?
C) How does this affect me?
D) What will I need to do?

Question 9

Juanita's first email subject line is, "What To Bring To Friday's Meeting," what question might Juanita ask herself when reading this subject line?

A) What is this?
B) Do I have to read it?
C) How does this affect me?
D) What will I need to do?
Use the following scenario for the next three questions: Stan is a technical communicator who has just begun a new position in an organization with over 50 employees. He has several higher-level managers in different departments, several same level co-workers, and several staff that he manages, as well. Stan is in charge of composing new company policies about employees using their phones at work. Stan has composing the document and is ready to email the updated company policies to the entire organization. He doesn't want to get a bad reputation by delivering bad news to his co-workers, and he certainly doesn't want those above him to think he is criticizing them for using their cell phones at work. Stan, then, works out a plan to email each target group with a different introduction so that he can begin to establish trust and credibility as a writer and project an image that conveys his level in the organization.

Question 10

Which of the following introductions should Stan use when he is emailing the higher-level employees in the organization?

A) We appreciate your leadership and effective management you have demonstrated to all employees, and this message is to communicate to you that there has been some company policy updates regarding mobile phone usage in the office.
B) Hi team. I want to first thank you so much for your hard work and dedication to the project. I know you may need to take brief breaks throughout the day, but there have been some company policy updates that I wanted you to be aware of regarding mobile phone usage at work.
C) Hello all. Thank you so much for your support and collaboration at work. It is a pleasure to work with you. I wanted to provide this company policy update regarding mobile phone usage in the office. It is something we all need to be aware of.
D) All of the above will be fine.

Question 11

Which of the following introductions should Stan use when he is emailing the colleagues that are at the same level as he is in the organization?

A) We appreciate your leadership and effective management you have demonstrated to all employees, and this message is to communicate to you that there has been some company policy updates regarding mobile phone usage in the office.
B) Hi team. I want to first thank you so much for your hard work and dedication to the project. I know you may need to take brief breaks throughout the day, but there have been some company policy updates that I wanted you to be aware of regarding mobile phone usage at work.
C) Hello all. Thank you so much for your support and collaboration at work. It is a pleasure to work with you. I wanted to provide this company policy update regarding mobile phone usage in the office. It is something we all need to be aware of.
D) All of the above will be fine.

Question 12

Which of the following introductions should Stan use when he is emailing the employees he manages?

A) We appreciate your leadership and effective management you have demonstrated to all employees, and this message is to communicate to you that there has been some company policy updates regarding mobile phone usage in the office.
B) Hi team. I want to first thank you so much for your hard work and dedication to the project. I know you may need to take brief breaks throughout the day, but there have been some company policy updates that I wanted you to be aware of regarding mobile phone usage at work.
C) Hello all. Thank you so much for your support and collaboration at work. It is a pleasure to work with you. I wanted to provide this company policy update regarding mobile phone usage in the office. It is something we all need to be aware of.
D) All of the above will be fine.

Question 13

Which is NOT a focus when you begin to plan a document?

A) Determining the business context in which the readers will need to use the technical communication.
B) Determining the content to include in the technical communication.
C) Revising your message to make it clearer.
D) Determining who will read your writing.

Question 14

"How much do your readers know about your topic?" "What are your readers' cultural backgrounds?" "How much do my readers know about the topic?" These are questions you might ask yourself when…

A) Revising your message to make it clearer.
B) Determining your readers and their perspectives.
C) Analyzing the context in which the communication will be delivered.
D) Determining how you will deliver the communication.

Question 15

What is one tip the text provides for helping to say on track during the "Choosing/discovering information" stage in the document development or composition process?

A) Only select easy-to-read text.
B) Select mostly visuals, like "catchy" graphics and images to include.
C) Keep looking at the time.
D) Begin your document by writing your purpose for the technical communication.

Question 16

How does knowing your role in the organization as a writer affect your writing?

Question 17

Your textbook identifies "analyzing the writing situation" as the most critical step in the writing process. Why is this first step so important?

Question 18

Identify the differences between a primary and secondary audience and how those differences might affect your goals.

Question 19

Your textbook gives a list of demographic factors that determine your readers' perception, defined as how the reader "sees the world." Identify three demographic factors you see as important and explain why they might be important when considering audience. You need not restrict yourself to the items on the list, which does not cover all the possible demographics.

Question 20

The title of Chapter Two is "Writing for Your Readers." The textbook goes on to say that the "heart of the planning process" is understanding your readers. Explain why understanding your reader takes precedence in workplace writing, affecting purpose, goals, content, and style.

Question 21

In businesses and organizations, today, most employees have…

A) have more to read than they can or will read.
B) have less to read than they need.
C) have the right amount to read if they manage their time well.
D) only read their emails from their boss.

Question 22

The most important information in a document should be placed…

A) near the end of the document to ensure that the entire document is read.
B) in the middle after you grab your readers' attention with a visual.
C) have the right amount to read if they manage their time well.
D) in the beginning of the document, on the first page, or at the beginning of an email.

Question 23

What are the first three stages of developing an effective technical communication?

A) Analysing the audience, choosing content, and drafting.
B) Analyzing the situation, choosing information, and arranging information.
C) Analyzing the situation, editing the finished draft, and arranging information.
D) Drafting, revising, and editing the finished draft.

Question 24

What are the last three stages of developing an effective technical communication?

A) Analysing the audience, choosing content, and drafting.
B) Analyzing the situation, choosing information, and arranging information.
C) Analyzing the situation, editing the finished draft, and arranging information.
D) Drafting, revising, and editing the finished draft.

Question 25

All but one of the following is an important goal that connects your reader, purpose, and context:

A) You want your readers to understand your meaning.
B) You want to keep the goodwill of your reader.
C) You want your writing to achieve its goal with the designated readers.
D) You want your readers to read EVERYTHING you write.

Question 26

All but one of the following are questions readers' may ask of a technical communication they interact with:

A) What is this?
B) How long is it going to take me to read this entire document?
C) Does this affect me?
D) What will I have to do after reading this?

Question 27

When determining who your readers are and their perspective, what are three factors you need to consider that affect how they will access, read, interpret, and gain meaning from your writing?

A) Readers' knowledge level and expertise of the subject, their educational background, and their demographics.
B) Readers' cultural background, dietary preferences, and job levels.
C) Readers' health practices, social behaviors, and cognitive function.
D) Readers' dietary preferences, social behaviors, and number of pets.

Question 28

Elaine is the office manager for a small medical center with five doctors, a dozen nurses, and twenty-five miscellaneous staff, including reception and clerical staff. Because of past difficulty in getting the right patients to the doctor with whom that patient has an appointment, she has developed a set of patient intake procedures that all staff will be required to follow. Before she distributes the new procedures, she reminds herself that her various readers may have different perspectives on the new procedures. To clearly understand their perspectives, she plans to do several tasks prior to disseminating the new procedures. While each task is important for understanding the perspectives various readers will bring to the document, she decides that one is so critical that it should be her first consideration. Which of the tasks listed should be Elaine's first consideration?

A) Review what she knows about each reader personally.
B) Ask herself why each reader is on the distribution list for the new procedures.
C) Review the job descriptions for each reader in order to understand what their responsibilities will be based on the new procedures.
D) Ask herself what situations, that is, problems with previous intakes, led to the need for changes in the procedures in the first place.

Question 29

How can you tailor your message for people at work and compel them to read your communication?

A) Associate the message to the readers' job.
B) Request a "read receipt" for all email communication.
C) Always begin the first heading with, "Urgent."
D) Talk about your message in the lunchroom to promote it.

Question 30

What is the most important stage of the technical communication development process?

A) Revising.
B) Verifying the information.
C) Editing.
D) Analzying the situation.

Question 31

The most important point of drafting is to…

A) write so you don't ever have to revise as you go along.
B) worry about style rather than content.
C) transfer the basic ideas from your mind onto the computer screen to be communicated to your readers.
D) get the words and sentences exactly right the first time.

Question 32

Maggie has just been emailed 20 pages of software content from her manager. As the technical communicator on staff, he has instructed her to revise it to "make sense" to people. What are the three questions Maggie should ask her manager before she begins the project of revising the content?

A) What do you mean by "make sense?" How do you want me to revise the content? Who are my readers?
B) What is the purpose of the project? Who are my readers? In what context will they be accessing this information?
C) Who are my readers? What do they need to do with the content? What is the purpose?
D) What is the deadline for this project? What software do you want me to use to compose the documentation? Do you want me to save it on a USB?

Question 33

What should you always keep in mind during the "Choosing/discovering information" stage in the document development or composition process?

A) Keep in mind the purpose of your document, who your readers are, and what they need to be able to do with the content.
B) Keep in mind how long the document should be.
C) Keep in mind the readers' knowledge level so you can only choose plain language text.
D) Keep in mind how long you have to write the document.

Question 34

What is one element you focus on during the Revision stage of the writing process?

A) Collecting more information.
B) Implementing design elements that make the document more usable.
C) Attaching the document in an email.
D) Understanding your readers.

Question 35

In what stage of the writing process do you focus on organizing the information flow and presentation?

A) Analyzing the situation.
B) Choosing / discovering information.
C) Revising
D) Arranging information

Question 36

What are the three main goals of technical communication that connect the audience, the purpose, and the context?

Question 37

What are the four main tasks you must pursue in order to be able to understand the purpose of a technical communication, the audience, and the content in which it will be delivered or used?

Question 38

When choosing or selecting the information/content you should include in a technical communication, explain why it is important to keep in mind the purpose of your document, who your readers are, and what they need to be able to do with the content?

Question 39

Why is it important to consider the context in which your reader will access and interact with your technical communication? Describe a real-life situation that either you have encountered or that you imagine in which context has a significant impact on a readers' use of a technical communication. What are ways the writer could accommodate the readers' context of use?

Question 40

You have been asked by your student organization to write a proposal to the university dining services to make a case to include more healthy food options in the cafeteria and around campus. You know that you want to support the student organization's goals, yet you are going to be writing this proposal to the decision makers in the dining services who have to balance students' needs and resources available. Use this scenario to describe why "analzying the situation" the most critical step of the technical communication development process.