Rebekah Hudzik
(email me)

Connecting the World

Technical Writing is more than writing technical documentation. It's taking text and adapting it to a variety of audiences, itís communication across a wide array of genres and it's being able to understand and effectively use rhetoric. Technical writing connects the company to the client and the scientist to the everyday man. Technical writing is a huge part of the world we live in. If we try to define what technical writing is, we run the risk of limiting what technical writing can be. I see technical writing as one of the great things that helps the world connect to itself. If the world is a puzzle, technical writers are the ones who take the pieces of the puzzle and make them connect.

This semester we were introduced to terms, ideas, concepts and theories that are a huge part of technical writing. We learned that rhetoric is everywhere and a part of everything. We learned that the ones knowledge of the situation changes the situation (much like in science the idea that the things being studied are changed by the study).

What is the biggest thing I learned this semester? I donít know the perfect memo format, I donít know the complete history of technical writing, I donít even know what I want to do when I graduate. What I do know is this: ENG 424 has introduced me to ideas and theories about writing and the world that I never in my life stopped to consider. I now know how to look at any situation and analyze the genre, the context, the rhetoric, the purpose, and the audience. And thatís not all; I learned that as writers we possess a power and it is up to us to use what we have for good and not to trick the client or sugarcoat immoral practices. This class has forced me to work harder than I have in years because there was never a simple answer. Everything we studied we had to figure out for ourselves. The result is my newfound confidence that I can be a technical writer. I do understand how the writing works in the world and I now that when I graduate I will be ready to be a part of that.

The Team Introduction Memo (TIM) and Process Documentation Memo (PDM): Bekah the Technical Communicator

Contextualizing the Team Introduction Memo

On the first day of ENG 424, much like the first day of all my previous English classes, I was assigned the very familiar "about me" paper. I knew there had to be something different about this because not only was it to be in memo form, this was a 400 level class so I knew this wasn’t going to be a simple “let’s get to know each other” assignment. I didn't know where to begin, so I simply began writing. I wrote down a list of things I might cover in my memo. I wrote down all the questions I had about the assignment that were still unanswered. I wrote and wrote and wrote. Over the next few classes Professor Benninghoff began to give us a little more information about the assignment. Each day we would be given something new to focus on. As a class we discussed memo layout, headings and audience. I continued working on my intro memo and with every draft I found myself understanding the assignment a little more. In addition to the actual intro memo we had to write a Process Documentation Memo. In this memo we had to describe the completion of the intro memo from start to finish focusing on what we learned and the changes we made along the way. It wasn't until completing the intro memo and the PDM that I finally understood the purpose of the first assignment. Originally we were given very little instructions on how to write the intro memo. As time went on and we learned more about the assignment or the "situation" we were better equipped to write the memo. It became clear that the more I knew about the situation, the better my memo became. And the more I learned about the situation the more my memo changed. When I understood who my audience was, I was also learning more about the situation.

Reflecting on the Team Introduction Memo

Had Professor Benninghoff simply told us "this is everything you need to know about your audience, this is everything your memo must include, this is the format you must use, now go write your memo." I would not have learned anything. I was so frustrated in the beginning because I didnít know the purpose of the assignment, but with a lot of class discussion, a lot of questions, and a lot of drafts, in the end it all made sense. When I look back on the intro memo and PDM after all this time I am really starting to become aware of just how much I have learned this semester. No matter what document I am working on in the future, I will keep in mind the complexity of the entire situation, remembering everything I learned about audience, purpose and context. I know now that my understanding of any given situation changes how I write about it. Another thing I learned from the Team Introduction Memo is that writing is a social thing, it is not the relationship between me and my computer, it is a connection between myself, my professors, my classmates, and anyone else who happens to read or influence what I write. Writing is not an individual act it is a social function. In Lester Faigly's article "Non-academic Writing: The Social Perspective," he wrote about the need for the world to look at writing from a social perspective. The TIM was a good first assignment because it showed us that writing is not an individual process or act.

The Creative Rhetoric Scenario: The Adventures of B2K and Courtneyboo

Contextualizing the Creative Rhetoric Scenario

In the Creative Rhetoric Scenario we had to create a hypothetical dialog in which we were explaining rhetoric to a friend, while at the same time using rhetoric in the explanation. In the dialog we had to use language (body and spoken) to give persoanlity to the speakers. The purpose of this assignment was to show us that we already use rhetoric on a daily basis without even being aware of it. The CRS had three different parts: the overview and introduction-where we set up the scene and introduce the characters, the dialog- where the characters are conversing and using rhetoric, and the analysis-where we further explain what happened in the dialog


Reflecting on the Creative Rhetoric Scenario

Through this assignment I learned what rhetoric is. I learned that it is used by everyone, all the time. I never realized just how rhetorical my daily conversations are. The way I talk to my friends varies from the way I talk to my family, my teachers, or my co-workers. and the way we talk and what we say says so much about who we are and our relationships with those around us. Everything is rhetorical! This concept is so profound I often left class with a headache just trying to wrap my mind around it. Rhetoric is an art or as I like to say understanding rhetoric is an art. If you can understand why people say what they say and when then there isn't much you can't understand.

In Linda Driscoll's article "Understanding the Writing Context in Organizations," she says that while students are being taught format and writing style, they arenít generally being taught rhetorical situations and the analysis of those situations. The CRS had us doing just that.

The Airbag Letter Case: Safety First

Contextualizing the Airbag Case

For the Airbag Case we looked at a complaint letter to the Vanguard Motor Company. We had to find out what the client concerns were, look at a previously poorly written response letter, and rewrite a new letter to the client. The letter had to do a number of different things including: show concern for the client, educate the client on airbag safety, and inform the client how to obtain an on/off switch for their vehicle.

Reflecting on the Airbag Case

I really enjoyed writing as a company representative trying to show concern for and educate the customer. This assignment prepared me for possible future assignments. Working on this assignment made me realize that it is not only important to know who your audience is, it is also crucial to have a relationship with your audience. The airbag case forced us to examine a rhetorical situation where the client relationship was the most important thing. Another thing this assignment taught me was that contrary to some of my (and my classmates) previous assumptions, it is possibly for businesses to genuinely have the clients' interest at heart. I am reminded of Carolym Miller's article "What's Practical about Technical Communication?" She wrote about the importance of technical writing as a means of porblem solving. This concept definitely came into play in this assignment.

The Context & Genre Analysis Project: Looking at Childcare in a New Way

Contextualizing the Context & Genre Analysis Project

For this assignment we had to research and examine a specific context and then write an analysis of our findings. Because there are endless possibilities as to what you can find when researching a context, we were advised to focus on the documents used within that context. By focusing on one specific genre of the context, we werenít going to overwhelm ourselves or our readers.



Reflecting on the Context & Genre Analysis Project:

This was a very intense assignment. I started out thinking that there was nothing to say about the context. Suddenly I found that I had way too much to say. It was difficult trying to figure out what parts of the analysis to include because I had so much material. This assignment taught me that documents say a lot about a context. Just by looking at the documents used at Morning Star Child Care you could learn a lot about the center, the culture, and the relationships found there. This assignment really helped me to appreciate my personal individuation at Morning Star Child Care. Over the years, I have managed to become recognized and appreciated for my writing skills in addition to my child care skills (obviously more common at a child care center). In her article "Writing Review as an Opportunity for Individuation," Susan Katz discussed the problem with newcomers not being appreciated for their individual skills. I didnít even realize until working on this assignment that I have managed to find my unique niche within the context of my workplace. Now that I am aware of the importance of individuation, I plan to keep that in mind in the future when I move on to my next job or internship.