The 5 C’s of technical documents. You didn’t think there were any, did you? Well there are! Clear, concise, complete, correct, and courteous. These attributes are extremely important in any technical documents that you will find.
· Clear – make sure that the message you are trying to convey is clear. Whether it be to inform, persuade, or request, always be sure that your purpose for writing the document is apparent at all times.
· Concise – Keeping it concise is one of the most important of the 5 C’s. Using excessive phrasing which can confuse the reader should be avoided. Keep to the point and avoid adding information that is not required.
· Complete – Making sure that your document is complete can be the difference between your reader understanding your point and agreeing with you, and your reader being lost in what you are trying to inform, request, or persuade about. Never leave a question, topic, or point unanswered or unexplained.
· Correct – Proofread. When you are sure your document is grammatically correct and has correct punctuation, proofread again! You can never over-proofread a piece. It will save you the embarrassment of letting foolish mistakes in your writing reach upper-level management or customers, which tend to be the majority of technical document readers.
· Courteous – There is no reason to add exclamation points in technical documents. Remember, you are informing, persuading, or requesting something in a technical document. You are not shouting at anyone. Technical writing should have a calm, neutral tone.
References
the Public Strategies Group. 2008. 12 April 2009 . <http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.psg.us/images/5csfind.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.psg.us/reinvention/the5cs.html&usg=__hl87xg4pvzw1B_sGs9aoM4i-Z3M=&h=355&w=358&sz=10&hl=en&start=2&tbnid=WUNLrYvKyNhQ_M:&tbnh=120&tbnw=121&prev=/images%3Fq%3D5>.
Whoa Whoa Whoa! Watch out kids, George's post is here. For some inexplicable reason I really like your graphic, a lot. Also, your post about the 5 C's follows them nicely and you cited your source perfect! Just make sure you cite where you got your graphic from and you're golden. :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome post George! The graphic draws in the readers attention, and I can really follow along nicely througout the post. You might want to make each C category bold in order to make all 5 C's stand out a bit more. Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteLove how the C's make a starry flower, so catchy! Very informative, nicely laid out, great use of white space. Excellent work, George!
ReplyDeleteGreat post George. Good job of explaining the 5 c's. I think it is a good re-visit of what we learned earlier in the course. It is a must to remember the 5 c's in your writing in order to formulate a good piece of work.
ReplyDeleteGreat post George, excellent layout. Break down of each of 5 C's are very informative. It does bring back memories of the start of the course reading through the C's. :P
ReplyDeleteThe image fits perfectly!
very creative C's image. the post sumarize the 5 C's in a nutshell.
ReplyDeleteI like the starry flower of the 5 Cs, too. Very catchy way to begin. More voice needed in your posts. Put the you into them.
ReplyDeleteI like the amount of voice that you put in, I think you came through more than you ever have this week. Of course, our chief learning officer (SBS) feels you have some more, so come at us HARD in the final week. The graphic is great and actually gets the reader involved so they are practically provoked to read on. Well done, sir. Looking forward to next weeks posting!
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