TPC 12 - Communication and Collaboration (Process and Systems I)

PRESCRIBED LEARNING OUTCOMES

• demonstrate an understanding of the interactive and integrated nature of communication processes and systems
• formulate a definition of technical and professional communications that takes account of the range of technical and professional literature
• demonstrate an awareness of the varying degrees of formality and precision required in technical and professional communications, depending on situation and context

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

• Invite a guest from local industry to describe to the class communication systems within that industry and their relation to production, distribution, and marketing channels. (This discussion might set up a role play such as the following.)
• Conduct a role play based on this premise: a corporation with many departments needs an assistant for the marketing vice-president. Ask students to identify who within the system may be involved in hiring and in what sequence they participate. Then have each student assume a role and contribute to the presentation, identifying for that role:
  • modes of communication used
  • skills needed at each stage to accomplish the goal
  • possible difficulties to address or overcome
  After the role play, ask students to create flow charts of the process to identify each person's purpose and contribution.
• Give each of several groups of students an excerpt from a different technical source (e.g., Consumer's Guide, Popular Mechanics, Scientific American, a VCR manual, Macaulay's The Way Things Work). Instruct each group to produce an outline of its piece, conduct a MAP analysis, and describe its characteristics, with reference to introduction, conclusion, sentence and paragraph length, diction, transition words, number of technical words, number of polysyllabic words, headings, use of evidence and visuals, citation of sources, and economy of language. Have students identify, in jigsaw fashion, characteristics common to all or most examples and compare these features with those of short stories or professional sales materials.
• Provide examples of a range of communications. As a class, discuss the various degrees of formality and informality and their appropriateness to purpose and audience. Ask students to create their own oral presentations using the MAP approach.

SUGGESTED ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

• To assess students' understanding of communication systems, have them compile collages or other representations of the following types:
  • internal, external
  • formal, informal
  • verbal, non-verbal
  • manual, electronic
  Work with students to develop criteria they can use to guide and assess their work. For example:
  • clearly differentiates between types of communication
  • includes accurate and relevant details, examples, or illustrations
  • makes clear and specific connections among elements
• When students role-play hiring a vice-president for a large corporation, look at the extent to which they:
  • show sensitivity to audience and purpose
  • use language with precision
  • attempt to control body language and non-verbal cues to support message
  • attempt to control voice (pitch, clarity, intonation, volume, tone) to reflect context and support communication
• As students work with excerpts from different technical sources, assess the extent to which they are able to make generalizations about the nature and characteristics of technical and professional communications. For example:
  • clear sense of purpose (often practical) and audience
  • factual information (e.g., derived from primary or secondary source research)
  • organized to allow for selective, easy, and rapid access to information
  • plain language (accessible, concise, and simple)
  • clear; avoids ambiguity

RECOMMENDED LEARNING RESOURCES

• Canadian Writer's Companion
• The Communications Handbook
• Effective Technical Communication
• Guidelines for Report Writing
• Impact
• Information Systems
• Leading Workshops, Seminars, and Training Sessions
• Multimedia Literacy
• Technical Communication
• Technical Writing: Principles, Strategies, and Readings
• Technical Writing: Situations and Strategies
• Technically-Write!

• Computer Integrated Manufacturing
• Extraordinary Answers to Common Interview Questions
• More Bloody Meetings
• Visions of Heaven and Hell

• Technical Writing, Sixth Edition

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