ALERT: Before you purchase, check with your instructor or review your course syllabus to ensure that you select the correct ISBN. Several versions of Pearson's MyLab & Mastering products exist for each title, including customized versions for individual schools, and registrations are not transferable. In addition, you may need a CourseID, provided by your instructor, to register for and use Pearson's MyLab & Mastering products.   Packages Access codes for Pearson's MyLab & Mastering products may not be included when purchasing or renting from companies other than Pearson; check with the seller before completing your purchase.   Used or rental books If you rent or purchase a used book with an access code, the access code may have been redeemed previously and you may have to purchase a new access code.   Access codes Access codes that are purchased from sellers other than Pearson carry a higher risk of being either the wrong ISBN or a previously redeemed code. Check with the seller prior to purchase.   -- Technical Communication Strategies for Today offers students all of the topics and genres they need for their technical communication course—in fewer pages and at a significantly lower price.   Students want their textbooks to cost less, and they want comprehensive topical coverage presented in a succinct and clear writing style. Technical Communication Strategies for Today offers both and speaks to today's students.  Instructional narrative is “chunked,” so that portions of text are combined with graphics. The chunked presentation also integrates an awareness of how documents are read—often skimmed by readers seeking the information they need, and it models the way today’s technical documents should be designed.    The contemporary writing style is matched by an approach that accurately reflects the modern day computer-centered technical workplace: Technical Communication Strategies for Today presents computers as thinking tools that powerfully influence how we develop, produce, design, and deliver technical documents and presentations. 

Table of Contents:
Preface   PART 1: ELEMENTS OF TECHNICAL COMMUNCATION   Chapter 1          Communicating in the Workplace                           How Important is Technical Communication?                           What is Technical Communication?                            Technical Communication: Actions, Words, Images                                     Technical Communication is Interactive and Adaptable                                     Technical Communication is Reader Centered                                     Technical Communication Relies on Teamwork                                     Technical Communication is Visual                                     Technical Communication Has Ethical, Legal, and Political                                       Dimensions                                     Technical Communication Is International and Cross Cultural                           Your Career and Technical Communication                                     Help: How to Learn New Software Quickly                           Exercises and Projects Chapter 2          Readers and Context of Use                            Profiling Your Readers                                     Identifying Your Readers                                     Profiling Your Readers’ Needs, Values, and Attitudes                                     Help: Profiling Readers with Search Engines                            Profiling Contexts of Use                                     Identifying the Context of Use                            International and Cross-Cultural Communication                                     Differences in Context                                     Difference in Organization                                     Differences in Style                                     Differences in Design                                     Listen and Learn: The Key to International and Cross-Cultural                                       Communication                            Exercises and Projects Chapter 3          Working in Teams                            The Stages of Teaming                            Forming: Strategic Planning                                     Step 1: Define the Project Mission and Objectives                                     Step 2: Identify Project Outcomes                                     Step 3: Define Team Member Responsibilities                                     Step 4: Create a Project Calendar                                     Step 5: Write Out a Work Plan                                     Step 6: Agree on How Conflicts will be Resolved                            Storming: Managing Conflict                                     Running Effective Meetings                                     Mediating Conflicts                                     Firing a Team Member                            Norming: Determining Team Roles                                     Revising Objectives and Outcomes                                     Help: Virtual Teaming                                     Identifying Team Roles                                     Using Groupware to Facilitate Work                            Performing: Improving Quality                            The Keys to Teaming                            Exercises and Projects Chapter 4          Ethics in the Technical Workplace                            What are Ethics?                            Where do Ethics Come From?                                     Personal Ethics                                     Social Ethics                                     Conservation Ethics                                     Help: Stopping Cyberbullying and Computer Harassment                            Resolving Ethical Dilemmas                                     Confronting an Ethical Dilemma                                     Resolving an Ethical Dilemma                                     When You Disagree with the Company                            Copyright Law in Technical Communication                                     Asking Permission                                     Copyrighting Your Work                                     Plagiarism                            Exercises and Projects Chapter 5          Starting Your Career                            Setting Goals, Making a Plan                                     Setting Goals                                     Using a Variety of Job-Seeking Paths                            Preparing a Résumé                                     Types of Résumés                                     Chronological Résumé                                     Functional Résumé                                     Designing the Résumé                                     Help: Designing a Scannable/Searchable Résumé                            Writing Effective Application Letters                                     Content and Organization                                     Style                                     Revising and Proofreading the Résumé and Letter                            Creating a Professional Portfolio                                     Collecting Materials                                     Organizing Your Portfolio                                     Assembling the Portfolio in a Binder                                     Creating and Electronic Portfolio                            Interviewing Strategies                                     Preparing for the Interview                                     At the Interview                                     Writing Thank You Letters and/or E-mails                            Exercises and Projects   PART 2: COMMUNICATING IN THE TECHNICAL WORKPLACE   Chapter 6          Researching and Managing Information                            Beginning Your Research                            Defining Your Research Subject                                     Narrowing Your Research Question                            Formulating a Research Question or Hypothesis                            Developing a Research Methodology                                     Mapping Out a Methodology                                     Describing Your Methodology                                     Using and Revising Your Methodology                            Triangulating Materials                                     Using Electronic Sources                                     Using Print Sources                                     Using Empirical Sources                            Managing Information and Taking Notes                                     Managing Information                                     Careful Note Taking                                     Documenting Sources                                     Help: Avoiding Junk Science on the Internet                            Appraising Your Information                                     Is the Source Reliable?                                     How Biased is the Source?                                     Am I Biased?                                     Is the Source Up to Date?                                     Can the Information Be Verified?                            Avoiding Plagiarism                            Exercises and Projects   Chapter 7          Designing Documents and Interfaces                            Five Principles of Design                            Design Principle 1: Balance                                     Weighting a Page or Screen                                     Using Grids to Balance a Page Layout                                     Using Other Balance Techniques                            Design Principle 2: Alignment                            Design Principle 3: Grouping                                     Using Headings                                     Using Borders and Rules                            Design Principle 4: Consistency                                     Choosing Typefaces                                     Labeling Graphics                                             Creating Sequential and Nonsequential Lists                                     Inserting Headers and Footers                                     Help: Using Styles and Templates                            Design Principle 5: Contrast                                     Adding Shading and Background Color                                     Highlighting Text                                     Using Font Size and Line Length                            Cross-Cultural Design                            Exercises and Projects Chapter 8          Creating and Using Graphics                            Guidelines for Using Graphics                                     Guideline One: A Graphic Should Tell a Simple Story                                     Guideline Two: A Graphic Should Reinforce the Written Text, Not Replace It                                     Guideline Three: A Graphic Should be Ethical                                     Guideline Four: A Graphic Should be Labeled and Placed Properly                            Displaying Data with Graphs, Tables, and Charts                                     Line Graphs                                     Bar Charts                                     Tables                                     Pie Charts                                     Gantt Charts                            Using Pictures, Drawings, and Screen Shots                                     Photographs                                     Help: Making Visuals with a Spreadsheet Program                                     Inserting Photographs and Other Images                                     Illustrations                                     Screen Shots                            Using Cross-Cultural Symbols                            Exercises and Projects Chapter 9          Websites and Social Networking (Web 2.0)                            Creating a Website                                     Planning and Researching a Website                                     Organizing and Drafting the Website                                     Using Style in a Website                                     Designing the Website                                     Help: Using Web-Authoring Software                                     A Warning about Copyright and Plagiarism                                     Websites for International and Cross-Cultural Readers                            Using Social Networking (Web 2.0)                                     Starting a Social Networking Site                                     Blogging and Microblogging                                     Updating Videos and Podcasts                                     Contributing to a Wiki                            Exercises and Projects Chapter 10        Preparing and Giving Presentations                            Choosing the Right Presentation Technology                            Organizing the Content of Your Presentation                                     Building the Presentation                                     The Introduction: Tell Them What You’re Going to Tell Them                                     Help: Giving Presentations with Your iPod, MP3, PDA, or Smartphone                                     The Body: Tell Them                                     The Conclusion: Tell Them What You Told Them                                     Preparing to Answer Questions                            Choosing Your Presentation Style                            Creating Visuals                                     Designing Visual Aids                                     Using Graphics                                     Slides to Avoid                            Delivering the Presentation                                     Body Language                                     Voice, Rhythm, and Tone                                     Using Your Notes                            Practicing and Rehearsing                                     Practice, Practice, Practice                                     Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse                            Working Cross-Culturally with Translators                            Exercises and Projects PART 3:  GENRES OF TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION Chapter 11        Letters, Memos, and E-Mail                            Basic Features of Letters and Memos                            Basic Features of E-Mail                            Planning and Researching a Correspondence                                     Determining the Rhetorical Situation                            Organizing and Drafting Letters, Memos, and E-Mails                                     Introduction with a Purpose and a Main Point                                     Body that Provides Need-to-Know Information                                     Conclusion that Restates the Main Point                            Types of Letters, Memos, and E-Mails                                     Inquiries                                     Responses                                     Transmittal Letters and Memos                                     Claims or Complaints                                     Adjustments                                     Refusals                            Using Style in Letters, Memos, and E-Mails                                     Strategies for Developing an Appropriate Style                            Designing and Formatting Letters and Memos                                     Formatting Letters                                     Formatting Envelopes                                     Formatting Memos                                     Help: Using E-Mail Internationally                            Revising, Editing, and Proofreading                            Exercises and Projects                            Chapter 12        Technical Descriptions                            Basic Features of Technical Descriptions                            Planning and Researching Technical Descriptions                                     Planning                                     Addressing ISO 9000/ISO 14000 Issues                                     Researching                            Partitioning the Subject                            Organizing and Drafting Technical Descriptions                                     Specific and Precise Title                                     Introduction with an Overall Description                                     Description by Features, Functions, or Stages in a Process                                     Description by Senses, Similes, Analogies, and Metaphors                                     Conclusion                            Using Style in Technical Descriptions                            Designing Technical Descriptions                                     Designing a Page Layout                                     Using Graphics                            Revising, Editing, and Proofreading                                     Revising for Conciseness                                     Help: Using Digital Photography in Descriptions                                     Editing and Proofreading for Accuracy                            Exercises and Projects Chapter 13        Instructions and Other Documentation                            Basic Features of Documentation                            Planning and Researching Documentation                                     Planning                                     Researching                            Planning for Cross-Cultural Readers and Contexts                                     Verbal Considerations                                     Design Considerations                            Organizing and Drafting Documentation                                     Specific and Precise Title                                     Introduction                                     List of Parts, Tools, and Conditions Required                                     Sequentially Ordered Steps                                     Safety Information