FUNCTIONS, COMPONENTS AND

BASIC PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE

TECHNICAL WRITING
Special Science High School Grade 8
Quarter 1 / Week 3
 FOREWORD
Writing technical reports is an essential skill needed where the demand of
advancements and technology is at hand. This type of writing will be a vital personal
possession in the face of business, industries, science, technology, etc. as the country has
upgraded to be an industrialized zone.

For instance: Engineers submit reports on the progress of their projects to their
superiors. Architects attach explanations with their design plans for the information of their
clients, and presidents of corporations report periodically or annually to their stockholders.
So, to be an effective professional, one should have enough knowledge on making
technical reports, for him to communicate with his superior. (Manalo,P. E. & Fermin, V. E.
Technical and Report Writing 2007, p. 1)

Using the process-genre approach to writing, this learning material will enable
learners experience the step-by-step process in writing through planning, collaboration,
peer feedback, revision and editing leading them to master the target technical document.
This approach makes the learners recognize how, why and for whom the documents are
written.

This learning kit is composed of three parts:

1. What Happened
This section pre-evaluates learners through activities to test previous
knowledge and will prepare learners for in-depth study of the topics
targeted in this material.

2. What I Need To Know

This is the section where learning process takes place. Definition of
terms and explanation of the topic/s is/are given. Exercises are also
provided for enrichment and mastery of the subject taken in this
material.

3. What I Have Learned

This portion will assess and determine how much the learner
has learned. In this section, the teacher will decide whether to provide
reinforcement to some students based on their test results.

Week 3 lesson will introduce and discuss the functions, identify the components and
explain the basic principles of technical writing.

OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:

 analyze and explain the components of technical writing;

 identify and discuss the functions of a technical writer; and
 value the importance of formal writing.

ii
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONTENT PAGES

TITLE PAGE ------------------------------------------------------- i

FOREWORD ------------------------------------------------------- ii

WHAT HAPPENED ------------------------------------------------------- 1

Pre-Evaluation ------------------------------------------------------- 1

WHAT I NEED TO KNOW ------------------------------------------------ 1

WHAT I HAVE LEARNED ------------------------------------------------ 5

Post-Evaluation ------------------------------------------------ 5

GLOSSARY ------------------------------------------------------- 6

REFERENCES -------------------------------------------------------------- 7
 WHAT HAPPENED

Pre-Evaluation

Directions: Which of the following does a technical writer do? Tick all
that are correct. Let's try this!

_____ Writes instructions, descriptions and definitions _____ Writes a friendly letter
_____ Creates online documentation _____ Writes an excuse letter
_____ Writes poems, fictions, etc. _____ Develops manuals

WHAT I NEED TO KNOW

Basic Principles of Effective Technical Writing

1. Understanding the reader
2. Knowing the purpose of each article or report
3. Knowing the subject matter
4. Writing objectively
5. Using correct format
6. Adopting ethical standards

1. Understanding the reader

A basic consideration in technical writing is to know the target audience. The

technical writer should know how to adapt his writings and terminologies of the type of the
intended audience or readers. Difficult technical terms used must be carefully defined so
that the reader will easily understand the information being presented. If the reader fails to
understand what he reads, the writer fails his mission.The technical writers should know
how important his readers are. The target readers help the writer to know what to write
about and how to write it.

1
2. Knowing the purpose of each technical report

The technical paper must be organized a central theme. The reader should
understand the main purpose after reading the paper. The purpose may be is to describe a
thing, to report on a specific problem or project, or to analyze and solve a problem.

3. Knowing the subject matter

A technical writer must have a thorough knowledge of the subject matter he is to

write about. If the report is on the result of a technical experiment, the writer who writes the
report should explain what the problem is all about, what causes the problem and how the
problem is solved.

4. Writing objectively

A good technical writer must emphasize the facts and the data. The impersonal
style is basic to an effective technical writer. He represents facts, figures and statistics
skillfully woven around the subject matter or central theme and written in an impersonal
manner.

5. Using Correct format

The format and syle of a technical report attract the attention of the readers first.
Companies require neatly-typed communications, reports and project proposals and
feasibility studies. The current trends require that such communication be computerized or
typed.

6. Adopting ethical standards

A technical writer should undertake comprehensive research work; accumulate the

required data through interviews, surveys, referrals and related publications. He must have
to present facts and figures as gathered and gathered, using only those that are pertinent
to the report. A good technical writer also acknowledges the help he receives from others
and cites sources of reference materials.

(Manalo & Fermin, 2007)

2
Functions of a Technical Writer

Below are the functions of a technical writer:

Edits and proofreads documents Creates online documentation

Prepares graphics Provides report to stockholders of companies
Designs document layout To give instructions
Writes policy statements To explain techniques
Prepares proposals and reports Create and update manuals, procedures,
Creates marketing materials specifications and other documents
Designs and maintains webpages
(Barrot, 2015)

Components of Technical Writing

For technical writing endeavors to succeed, one must consider the following
components: context, message, language, purpose, audience, and product

C O N T E X T

Message

Product Language

Purpose Audience

3
Context
Context refers to the situation in which technical writing exists. It may include
personal relationships with the intended audience, time and place and
interferences that may influence the writing.

Message
Message refers to the content. It includes facts, issues and relevant details
for clear and effective communication.

Language
Language is the channel used to convey the message. It may be formal or
informal. However, in the context of technical writing, langugae is usually
formal and standard.

Purpose
Purpose refers to the reason why the technical writer is communicating and
the motives and reactions he/she wants to elicit from the target audience.
Generally, the purpose is two-pronged: to inform and to persuade. To inform
means helping the audience understand a concept or idea while to persuade
means influencing the attitudes or actions of audience.

Audience
Audience is the receiver of the information. The recipient can be classified as
primary (e.g. the addressee in your letter) or secondary e.g. the cc in your
letter). To understand the audience, you need to know their purpose, desires,
motivations, attitude and level of understanding about the subject.

Product
Product refers to the physical form of the message influenced by context,
purpose, message, language and audience. These products may include
letters, memos, reports, proposals, abstracts and summaries and rèsumès.

(Barrot, 2015)

4
 WHAT I HAVE LEARNED

Let's do this!

Post - Evaluation

A. Write T if the statement is true and F if it is false.

______________ 1. Technical writing highly utilizes technical vocabulary.

______________ 2. Generalizations in technical writing are derived from the observation
of facts.
______________ 3. Technical writing does involve special knowledge.
______________ 4. A technical report is not written from a scientific point of view.
______________ 5. Judicious weighing of evidence is not necessary in technical reports.
______________ 6. A good technical writer possesses insights, perceptiveness and the
ability to adapt to requirements.
______________ 7. Technical writing gives instructions.
______________ 8. Technical reports are good intruments for spreading out innovations.
______________ 9. In technical writing, abstract language is preferred than concrete
language.
______________10. The technical writer must emphasize the most important ideas.

B. Give three real-life situations where technical writing skills can serve you well.

Sample answer: When I apply for a job, I write an application letter addressed to the Human
Resource Manager.

Explanation: An application letter is an example of a formal letter, thus, it uses technical writing skills.

1) _____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
2) _____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
3) _____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

5
 GLOSSARY

accumulate (v.) : gather together or acquire an increasing number or quantity

adapt (v.) : make suitable for a new use or purpose

adopt (v.) : legally take and bring up as one's own

component (n.) : a part or element of a larger whole

convey (v.) : communicate (a message or information)

elicit (v.) : draw out or evoke into existence

endeavor (n.) : an attempt to achieve a goal

feasible (adj.) : possible to do easily or conveniently

impersonal (adj.) : not influenced by, showing or involving personal feelings

intend (v.) : have a course of action as one's purpose or objective; plan

interference (n.) : the action of intervening without invitation

persuade (v.) : convince; cause someone to believe something

pertinent (adj.) : relevant or applicable to a particular matter

proofread (v.) : read and mark any errors

relevant (adj.) : appropriate to what is being done or considered

skillful (adj.) : having or showing expertise or skill

statistics (n.) : science of collecting and analyzing numerical data

theme (n.) : the subject of a talk; a topic

6
 REFERENCES

Barrot, Jessie Saraza. Technical Writer's Survival Kit: A Guide to Effective

Technical Writing for College Students and Professionals. Quezon City:
C & E Publishing, Inc., 2015

Manalo, Paterna Estoque and Virginia Elona Fermin, DEM. Technical and
Report Writing. Mandaluyong City. National Book Store, 2007

Alcantara, Rebecca D. & Felicidad P. Espina. Technical Writing for Filipino

Students. Quezon City. KATHA Publising Co., Inc, 1995

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. (2020).

www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com

Clipart.Email, 2018
https://www.clipart.email/clipart/school-cartoon-table-clipart-461379.html

Amazon in the UK, 1998

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Polyester-Rectangular-Tablecloth-Telescope-
Binoculars/dp/B07DYYDKPN

7
SYNOPSIS

After going through this self- learning kit, you should be able to
distinguish the functions, identify the components and explain the
basic principles of technical writing.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Answer Key

What Happened
Pre-Evaluation
GERLIE T. CADUNGOG is a Grade
10 English and __√___Writes instructions, descriptions and definitions
__√___ Creates online documentation
Grade 8 __√___ Develops manuals
Technical
What I Have Learned
Writing teacher Post-Evaluation
of A.
1. T 6. T
Zamboanguita 2. T 7. T
Science High 3. T 8. T
4. F 9. F
School (ZSHS). 5. F 10. T
She obtained
B.
her bachelor's degree at Negros 1.
Oriental State University (NORSU) 2. Answers may vary
3.
with the degree of Bachelor of
Secondary Education major in
English and Literature in 2002.

--------------------------
 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF NEGROS ORIENTAL

SENEN PRISCILLO P. PAULIN, CESO V

Schools Division Superintendent

MARCELO K. PALISPIS, Ed.D.

OIC – Assistant Schools Division Superintendent

JOEYLYZA M. ARCILLA, Ed.D.

OIC – Assistant Schools Division Superintendent

NILITA L. RAGAY, Ed.D.

OIC – Assistant Schools Division Superintendent

ROSELA R. ABIERA
Education Program Supervisor – (LRMS)

ANNA LEE A. AMORES

Education Program Supervisor – (ENGLISH)

MARICEL S. RASID
Librarian II (LRMDS)

ELMAR L. CABRERA
PDO II (LRMDS)

GERLIE T. CADUNGOG
Writer

___________________________________

GRACIA RODEL B. DELORIA

ALPHA QA TEAM

DISCLAIMER

The information, activities and assessment used in this material are designed to
provide accessible learning modality to the teachers and learners of the Division of
Negros Oriental. The content of this module are carefully researched, chosen and
evaluated to comply with the set of learning competencies. The writers and evaluator
were clearly instructed to give credits to information and illustrations used to substantiate
this material. All content is subject to copyright and may not be reproduced in any form
without expressed written consent from the division.