Techinal Writing

2

Creating an instruction manual

Your document should contain:

· Headings and subheadings

· Listed instructions.

· Images/pictures

· General locating devices (e.g., page numbers, headers, footers, etc.)

When you think about it, we receive instructional content all the time:

· Retailers tell you to "like us on Facebook!"

· Your phone tells you to "install new updates."

· I tell you to "complete assignments in these modules." ;-)

· etc.

And the above items are the simple instructions that we receive. When you consider what you're taught—and expected to then do—by classmates, coworkers, governmental agencies (aren't tax returns fun?), and so on, you'll probably agree that some instructions are better than others. If you've ever found yourself following a set of instructions but needing to access Google or YouTube or a person to fill in blanks, then you were working with instructions that failed you. A good set of instructions should empower you to accomplish clear goals without having to investigate on your own. Does that mean that all instructions need to be usable by everyone? No. But they should be usable by everyone in the intended audience. For example, Boeing's instructions for shutting down an overheated engine on an 747-400 may be perfectly clear to an experienced 747 pilot, though they might be a mystery to you and me. But if those instructions identify which readers should be using them and what their knowledge should before using them, then you and I would know that we can't be expected complete the tasks. Writing effective instructions will force you to assemble all the tools that we've been learning and practicing this semester:

· Understanding the writing situation.

· Analyzing your audience and its needs.

· Designing an appropriate page layout.

· Researching necessary information.

· Writing stylistically sound text.

· Reviewing and editing.

· Testing your instructions.

· Producing a complete, polished document that delivers what it promises.

I'm sure you can understand why instructions are saved for the latter part of the semester. Good instructions, even if written about something that is "easy" to complete, are difficult to plan, design, and write. But they're also kind of fun; you'll see. :)