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1. WHAT IS TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION?
1.1 KEY CONCEPT: Problem-Solving Approach to Communications Tasks
In the workplace, many of the communications tasks you perform are designed to solve a problem or improve a situation. Whether you are doing work for a client, for your employer, with your team, or for someone else, you will typically use some sort of design process to tackle and solve the problem. A clearly-articulated design process provides you with a clear, step-by-step plan for finding the best solution for your situation.
Take a moment to search the Internet for the term “design process” and look at “images.” You will find many variations. Have a look at several of them and see if you can find a common pattern.
One commonality you will likely find in examining other people’s design process diagrams is this: the first step in designing any solution is to clearly define the problem . Figure 1.1.1 shows a typical design process, from problem definition to communicating the solution. Think about the kind of communication that each step of this process might entail.
You cannot begin to work on solutions until you have a clear definition of the problem and goals you want to achieve. This critical first stage of the design process requires that you effectively communicate with the “client” or whoever has the “problem” that needs solving. Poor communication at this stage can derail a project from the start. The rest of the process might seem linear and straightforward, but it is normal to “iterate” or return to previous steps several times throughout the process. Keep in mind that not all projects will go through all steps in this process; and some projects might require additional steps not included in this process.
For our purposes, we will use Barry Hyman’s Problem Formulation model [1] to clearly define a problem. Hyman’s Problem Formulation model consists of 4 elements:
- Need Statement: recognizes and describes the need for a solution or improvement to an “unsatisfactory situation.” It answers the questions, “what is wrong with the way things are currently? What is unsatisfactory about it? What negative effects does this situation cause?” You may need to do research and supply data to quantify the negative effects.
- Goal Statement: describes what the improved situation would look like once a solution has been implemented. The goal statement defines the scope of your search for a solution. At this point, do not describe your solution, only the goal that any proposed solution should achieve. The broader you make your goal, the more numerous and varied your solutions can be; a narrowly focused goal limits the number and variety of possible solutions.
- Objectives : define measurable, specific outcomes that any feasible solution should optimize (aspects you can use to “grade” the effectiveness of the solution). Objectives provide you with ways to quantifiably measure how well any solution will solve the problem; ideally, they will allow you to compare multiple solutions and determine which one is most effective (which one gets the highest score on meeting the objectives?).
- Constraints : define the limits that any feasible solution must adhere to in order to be acceptable (pass/fail conditions, range limits, etc .). The key word here is must — constraints are the “go/no go” conditions that determine whether a solution is acceptable or not. These often include budget and time limits, as well as legal, safety and other regulatory requirements.
Communication as Solution
This model can apply to a communications task as well as more physical design tasks. Imagine your communications task as something that will solve a problem or improve a situation. Before you begin drafting this document or presentation, define the problem you want to solve with this document:
- A potential client lacks sufficient information on whether the solution I have proposed to solve the client’s problem will be feasible, affordable, and effective.
- My instructor lacks sufficient examples of my written work to assign a grade for how well I met the course learning objectives.
- Provide the client with enough information, in an effective and readable format, to make a decision (ideally, to hire you to build the solution for the problem).
- Provide my instructor with samples of my writing that demonstrate my achievement of the course learning objectives (provide relevant and complete information in a professionally appropriate forma t, using evidence-based argument; earn an A+ grade on the assignment. )
- Review the client’s RFP to see what specific objectives it lists and how your proposal will be assessed.
- Review the Assignment Description and G rading Rubric for your assignment to determin e specific requirements and learning objectives that your instructor will use to evaluate your work.
- how much time is your audience willing to spend on this? How long can you make your document or presentation? (word length/time limit)
- What format and style do they require? Is there a Style Guide you must follow? A template you can use?
- How much time do you have to create it? Do you have a deadline? (due date)
- Are there requirements for using sources? (academic integrity rules)
Keep in mind that the document you produce is evaluated in terms of how well it responds to the “problem” — that is, how well it meets the overall goal and demonstrates achievement of specific objectives while abiding by constraints.
EXERCISE 1.2 Define a problem
Think of a problem or an “unsatisfactory situation” that you have recently experienced. It could be as simple as it’s 8pm, I haven’t had dinner yet, and I’m hungry . Use Hymen’s Problem Formulation schema to formally define the problem — without proposing any particular solutions. Your problem definition should ideally allow multiple possible solutions that adhere to the following:
- Need/Unsatisfactory situation:
- What is your goal?
- What are some measurable objectives you want to achieve?
- What are your constraints?
Download and use the attached Problem Definition Template (.docx)
- B. Hyman, “Ch. 2: Problem formulation,” in Fundamentals of Engineering Design , Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2002, pp. 40-54. ↵
Technical Writing Essentials Copyright © 2019 by Suzan Last is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.
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Chapter 1: Communication as Problem-Solving
We all solve problems every day.
- Have you ever thought about trying out a new restaurant with an unfamiliar menu? What if the dishes were listed in a language that you don’t speak? What if they were made with ingredients that you’ve never tasted? Would you figure out a way to order something? Or would you go hungry?
- Have you ever taught a friend how to post on a social media app like Instagram or Twitter? If you or your friend isn’t skilled at coding, how could you teach such complex software?
- Have you ever said or texted something you didn’t really mean? Then tried to take it back? If you said the wrong thing the first time, what made you think you could “fix it” by saying more?
The fact is, we all face communication problems all the time. We face them at school, at work, and in our personal lives. Pause for a second and think about your day. You probably have at least one communication challenge that you need to overcome before the day is done. Maybe you’re facing a situation that you’ve never had to deal with before. Maybe the situation is familiar, but the person you’re communicating with is a stranger, or maybe the pressure of the moment intimidates you. Maybe neither the message or audience is complicated, but the maybe timing needs to be just right for your message to carry the intended significance.
Whatever the scenario, you almost certainly have a built-in, real-world-tested way of coming at it. This is true whether you’re aware of it or not. Every day, we are all constantly running small experiments in effective communication. If a strategy seems to work, we’ll most likely use it again. If a strategy seems ineffective, we won’t be inclined to repeat it. We all develop habits over time that we turn to when breaking down a challenge and figuring out the best way forward. For instance:
- If you went to a restaurant with an unfamiliar menu, you might use your phone to translate the name of a dish or ask the server for a recommendation. To put it another way, you use strategies of considering resources, researching, formulating questions, consulting an expert, and communicating with a purpose.
- If you were teaching someone how to use an app, maybe you would open it and demonstrate step-by-step. To put it another way, you assess audience needs and abilities, explain standard operating procedures, and demonstrate tasks with visual evidence.
- If you offended a friend and wanted to make it right, maybe you would ask to speak face-to-face or over the telephone to clear it up. To put it another way, you interpret feedback, revise word choice and tone, and strategically choose a communication channel.
Whatever your habits are, hopefully you see how all communication is essentially a form of problem-solving. The best part is, you’re already an expert.
So how does this resource help with that?
Once you graduate, you might not hit “pause” on life to pull up this textbook and look for specific solutions to specific scenarios. However, by learning what this course has to teach, you can become more aware of your communication options. Instead of relying instinctively on habits formed by problem-solving experiments you didn’t know your brain was running, you can make informed, empowered choices about the best strategies to apply in school and in your future career.
With this in mind, hopefully you don’t see communication as a problem, but as an opportunity to be faced!
Essential Communication Skills: Mohawk College Copyright © 2022 by John Corr is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.
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