Technical Writing As Literature

As Technical Communicators, we find ourselves judging our work on a day to day basis. Its clarity, accuracy, and "friendliness" are typical concerns for the conscientious technical communicator. Beyond that, we judge the usability of our writing - just how easy is it to use, and how valuable?

We talk about "Technical Literature, and the question arises as to whether it should actually be regarded as a real form of "literature" - and whether it should be subject to literary criticism, in much the same way as a play or a novel. This may seem bizarre, but stop and consider, for a moment, the utility of such an approach.

We may, for example, find that some writers have a direct, simple, "Hemingway" style of writing - while others write in longer, more involved, sentences and paragraphs that reminds us of Proust. The typical response is that the "Hemingway" style is the "correct" one for technical literature. But is it always? Doesn't it depend on the subject matter, the intended use of the book, as well as the skill of the writer? A well constructed Proustian User's manual intended for advanced users, may satisfy much more than a short, laconic Hemingway approach. This is not to say that unnecessary words, or long, clumsy sentences, are good - but not every long sentence is clumsy, and not every 40 word sentence is filled with unnecessary words. A passage can be dense with words and long sentences, and yet convey meaning in a way that engages the reader, and provides a more satisfying experience than a stripped down, laconic guide.

Writing, above all, must "engage" the reader. To engage readers is not the same thing as simply conveying information. To engage readers is to give them something meaningful, which is to say, to give them something that has value within the context of their lives. When we speak of meaningfulness with regard to technical literature, we refer to the value that something has for the professional concerns of the reader. Just plunking down information is often not enough - it is the minimum measure of meaningfulness, but certainly not the full measure.

Educator and sociologist Dr. Mati Schwrarcz has been training English speakers as technical writers and marcom specialists for over 17 years. Since then his graduates have become leading writers in hi-tech companies throughout the world.

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Three Challenges to Education

We hear a lot about, "the knowledge economy." But unless we live in a part of the world where countries face hundreds of thousands of people unemployed, we may not have considered what this change in the fabric of our world means for education and the economy in the developing world. I put education and economy together, because they are so closely linked that policymakers consider them jointly. It is still true that education must be the answer to the extremely poor people everywhere learning, growing, and eventually fully participating in the world. These are modern countries where some people enjoy all the same luxuries and access that people in the West enjoy, but who are challenged by large percentages of their populations living in extreme poverty at the same time. We have to remember that the school, as we know it, developed under very similar circumstances during the early days of the Industrial Revolution. It is not uncommon in the world's history for education to be looked to, and eventually become successful at, helping the poorest of the poor understand the challenges and learn the tools that make them unemployable, therefore feeding the growth of the new economy. That is what is being looked for here.

This article is the first in a series on the challenges for education on an international scope for the next decade or more. Having just returned from a conference initiated by Crown Prince H.H. Shaikh Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, of the Kingdom of Bahrain, I have had the privilege of participating in discussions that make up the substance of these articles. My writing here is meant to be an overview, and to propel the interested reader to think deeper. Let's look first at three challenges that the dignitaries and policymakers agreed need to be addressed.

Challenge number one: students coming out of school are not prepared to take jobs

Employers in international settings, increasingly require what has been termed, "soft skills." These include: an ability to work in teams, communicate, speak up with challenges and new ideas, and participate fully in group design process. The school design that came out of the Industrial Revolution wanted something entirely different, the person getting a job in those days needed to sit down, passively take instruction, and do what they were told. We can see, therefore, that the student who sits, listens, and is able to repeat back the content given to them, is not well prepared to step into these new roles.

The modern well-paying job requires a higher degree of literacy and problem-solving as well. The skills that used to be relegated to academics and scientists are now required of teams of designers everywhere. Here we are talking about: an ability to search out information, write out a short synopsis of the details, use technology to disseminate it, and build an argument that is based upon facts and data, one which will stand up to debate. These are not management skills. They are what is required for entry-level positions.

Challenge number two: changing the culture to entrepreneurship

The figures in the Gulf alone are staggering. In the next 10 years 100,000 new jobs need to be created in order for the increasing population of young people to be well employed. Similar to the challenge that was experienced by the United States during the 1950s by the baby boomers, these countries need to prepare their young people to be able to create their own jobs. Her Majesty, Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan has made this her main mission. Moving past the initial goal that every child in the world has an opportunity to go to school, educators now focus as well on changing curricular requirements to include problem solving, critical thinking, business economics, and other requirements that encourage entrepreneurial ideas.

This is a bigger challenge though than just teaching some new skills. In much of the world the goal of education from the student's point of view has been to prepare them to be able to get a job in government. That job would ensure that they and their family were taken care of, and that prosperity would be ensured. The economics of this no longer function. Modern governments cost a lot to run today and cannot be the main source of jobs. Modern governments require a diverse tax base on which to continue to increase services. Even the oil-producing countries are looking for a strong and varied range of companies to employ this growing population of young people.

Challenge number three: preparing teachers and reorganizing education to meet these needs

The last challenge, and the one that the rest of this series of articles will center on, is that education is not prepared to shift as quickly as needed to help the world meet these needs. Any person who has been taught to do a job a certain way has more difficulty retooling themselves to work under different conditions, than someone who is taught in the new way, right from the beginning. The world has seen this as a regular story for the last 15 or 20 years, as technology has changed the face of most work environments. It's a harder challenge still when you were taught to train people, because you first have to understand the new requirements and then completely redo almost everything about your job, and finally you are ready to roll out new work to new standards. Unfortunately education asks teachers to take this on while they are still teaching. It's a train wreck, or as a more apt analogy, a train trying to transform itself into a rocket wreck.

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The Benefits Of Preschool

Preschool is intended for youngsters between the ages of 2 and 4, but the inclination for parents to send their children 'to school' at such an early age has always been and I'm sure, always will be a hotly debated subject.

The pros and cons are varied, virtually unlimited and all have the possibility of merit. Unfortunately, more often than not, the parental decision of sending their child to preschool is determined by the parents' thoughts, beliefs, values and circumstances. Less often, the decision is made entirely for the benefit of the child and a full understanding of what a preschool environment can possibly offer.

Social Skills
This is perhaps the main factor that parents in the past and still today, send their child to preschool. Kids at this age have a tendency to accelerate their learning when they learn from other kids.

For many parents today, the circle of daily friends that their child seems to have contact with is diminishing and many parents want to rectify this balance and avail of the opportunities for their child's development from interacting with other children.

The obvious downside is that both good and bad habits may be picked up at this age, so you may want to spend a little bit more time deciding on which preschool to send your child to.

Preparing For 'Real' School
Although many years away, we all have to accept the fact that the 'structured' learning environment of school is best used to your child's advantage if they are able to focus and adhere to the school's learning requirements.

Often for 2 to 4 year olds at home, routines or activities have little structural need and although they may learn and do things, they usually do it in their time frame and as they want to do it.

Preschools are an excellent way to introduce and build a certain amount of later school required behavior into your child and nurture concentration and attention spans.

Fun
The vast majority of kids find preschools fun. Yes there are some less fun activities that your particular child may not be personally so interested in, but preschool's do build their activities primarily from a fun focus.

Very few children at this age don't like to have friends and if you are one of those parents that don't have a constant stream of play partners for your child, then a preschool is a great environment for your child to make new friends of the same age.

Variety
Many parents that have 2 year olds and particularly 3 to 4 year olds, increasingly find that their child's boredom levels are rising within the home environment where there are few new and fresh things that they haven't already done before.

Preschool are full of new things to see and do and often encourages a child to once again increase their natural level of learning desire and absorption.

Conditional and Environmental Behavioral Problems
It seems that there are an increasing percentage of children that simply won't do what they need to do either at home or with a particular parent. These issues can range from poor eating habits, to tantrums when they don't get their own way, to simply not listening or even violent behavior.

For many parents, a preschool environment that not only discourages bad behavior but also uses the good behavior of the other children as peer pressure to change their bad ways, has been a huge relief. Preschool teachers are experienced and trained at dealing with these common issues, whereas many parents just don't know or don't really want to know how to stop such ongoing disruptive behavior.

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Effective Business Communication

Business communication involves constant exchange of information. It is a continuous process. The more the business expands, the greater is the pressure on the business to find more effective means of communication - both with the employees and with the world outside. Thus, business and communication goes hand in hand. Without effective business communication, a manager cannot perform the basic functions of management efficiently. It is the life-blood of an organization.

For a good communication in business, we should ensure the following:

1. Every communication in business, whether written or oral, should be logically structured , i.e.,it should have a good beginning, a good body(content), and an effective ending. Be it a business letter or business speech, the communication should begin in such a manner that the audience have keen interest and pays attention to the message. The content of the communication should gives the core message of communication. The communication should end in such a manner that the audience knows what is expected of them and they get the jist of the message.
2. Correct means of communication should be used- a means which take into reference time and cost constraints. Choice of appropriate channel also depends upon the amount of formality required and the speed of feedback required.
3. Communication should be articulate and concise. Use of ambiguous words should be avoided. Choice of words should be such that it overcomes cultural differences.
4. Business communication should be influencing and persuasive.
5. Communication should be courteous. Polite and considerate behavior is essence of business communication.
6. A positive body language should be used . For example, during meetings and interviews, maintain a frequent eye contact, give a pleasing smile , make all feel comfortable, etc.
7. Feedback is an integral component of communication. Without feedback, it will be impossible to know whether the receiver has understood the message in same terms as intended.
8. Try using more of ''You" rather than "I". The audience or the receivers of the message should be given importance.
9. Be an active listener . The quality of communication improves if one is a good listener. One should listen positively, should be open-minded and attentive.
10. The facts should not be partial, i.e., they should be complete. The receiver of the message might get confused or might take a wrong action if facts are incomplete.
11. The facts should be recent and not outdated.

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Start Your Own Business Without Much Investment Capital

Several people have the misconception that starting up a small business would involve a substantial quantity of money. It does not have to generally be that way when beginning your own small business. There are existing realities like the difficulty of acquiring the funds for a startup business. Discovering sources of capital is even a dilemma for established entrepreneurs who are looking to expand their business. It genuinely a lot simpler should you already have a great deal of money to start off with but that does not mean that the business will be an instant success. But beginning a business by using a little investment funds is really achievable.

The most effective and wise method to begin is to keep your full-time or current day-job while trying to start a business on a part-time bases. As a result of this way, you develop a steady income as your fall-back in case you encounter financial problems in your small business. You won't feel the requirement to quit your job due to the fact you could be still in the initial stages of the business. Product sales may possibly be sluggish in the course of this period. While developing your customer base, it can be also an opportunity to construct and define your customer profiles and business contacts. You might also have the chance to study the industry that your particular business is in to have much better grasp of the current market trends and foresee business problems that might arise.

If the notion of a part-time business doesn't suit you, you can find other ways to pursue your business ventures and monitor your expenditures for a startup company. Swapping goods and expertise with fellow businessmen may be a very good strategy. If you need to employ the services of other people, try hiring temporary workers so you'll be able to cut down on salary expenses. Accept interns into your small business as they can operate for free and could be paid a minimum wage in some states.

Consider starting a business at a low cost is advisable if funds aren't yet adequate. This low-cost business might not be the company of your dreams but it is enough for a startup company. This might be a possibility to earn extra money for your dream business in the future. You can find also other company ventures that don't need a great amount of money of start up funds but they just have to have a lot of time and effort. Considering a company to be set-up on the web will decrease overhead expenses and can bring in a great deal of money. A great company which fits the criteria is Specialty Merchandise Corporation, where a little money and a lot of hard work would yield big returns.

The need to have a bigger investment capital is sometimes an excuse to not start your personal small business today. If one wants to be successful, you should grab the possibility and stop making excuses. The perfect time will never come mainly because there is no such thing as there are no appropriate conditions. You just really need to bear in mind that you should thoroughly strategize your own business and look at preparing a business plan to use as a guide. Research online using sites like SMC review for tips to help the bumpy first stages of starting your own business. Challenging work and determination is needed for the success of your personal business. Starting a business isn't about how much funds you put into it for as long as the notion, marketing and implementation of a business plan is both effective and efficient.

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