Professional Communication and Information Design - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0950645958 ISBN 13: 9780950645957

Publisher: Institute of Scientific and Technical Co, 2001

Synopsis

Professional Communication and Information Design is a handbook of introductions and basic instructions for technical communicators which has been written by some of the top professionals in their fields.

About this title

About the Author

The ISTC (Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators) is the UK society for Technical Authors, Illustrators, Translators and many other trades. The ISTC has been producing technical books and manuals for many years as well as being involved in BSI standards.

From the Inside Flap

Foreword The past decade has seen a dramatic rise in the demand for good quality information about products and processes in industry, commerce and the public sector. At the same time, the rapid growth in the use of electronic documents has increased the range of careers open to professional communicators. There is a growing need for online training material, online help, and electronic documentation. Moreover, the rapid development of the Internet has led to an enormous demand for writers and designers of Internet pages and web sites. The publisher of this book, the Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators (ISTC), has been a support organisation for professional communicators for more than fifty years. In 2001 the ISTC are launching this book with the title Professional Communication and Information Design . This title reflects the development of the communication profession and indicates the wide range of readers who will find the book useful. The ISTC published its first book in 1985, the Handbook , which was revised in 1990. Some of the skills that were prevalent when the first edition of the Handbook was written have been superseded by the electronic age, but others, such as the need to communicate clearly, still survive. Technical communicators now write in fields as diverse as legal, financial, business and public information, as well as the more traditional technical fields. They write documents as varied as product information, training material, web sites, online documentation, and reference guides. Yet now, as in 1985, communicators must meet their readers needs for information that is accessible and appropriate for its purpose. Changes in the profession offer exciting opportunities for the communicator but also demand commitment and continuing professional development. The profession now requires a much wider range of knowledge and skills, and the communicator must continually acquire new knowledge and skills to meet the challenges of technological change and of the increasing public awareness of the importance of effective communication. This book offers a range of new papers by communicators, managers and academics in the United Kingdom, reflecting the range of knowledge and skills used by communicators today. Professional communication is a challenging profession, and as professional communicators we have a particular social responsibility towards our readers who are dependent on the information we produce. Professional communicators must be sensitive to the needs of their audience, understand how to structure information and be able to use language and design to communicate information in an effective way. By making a difference within their profession, they can take their part in maintaining the standards of professional communication that are just as important today as they were in 1985.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Introduction In recent years the role of the professional writer has changed dramatically and in addition the profession has undergone a period of rapid growth. As a result, there is a need for professional communicators to share their knowledge and skills, and yet very few publications on this subject have been produced in the United Kingdom. This book aims to address this omission by offering papers which present a wide range of viewpoints on current issues in professional writing and information design. The papers in this book have been written by practitioners, managers and academics in the United Kingdom, and the book reflects their individual experience and opinions. For many years there has been a debate about whether online documents will replace paper documents, and whether the paperless office is a viable reality. The book presents two different perspectives on this question. The issue is discussed by Dave Griffiths in the first chapter, which concludes that there will be an ongoing need for paper in some circumstances. Pete Greenfield, on the other hand, gives us an account of a paperless document distribution system currently in operation, describing the process by which the internal communications of the Abbey National Building Society became fully paperless, with the Society s communications being transmitted and updated by satellite. These two papers show the importance of the audience and purpose of the documents in question. Kate Cooper likewise focuses on the needs of her audience when she addresses the problem of how to design an open learning course. This chapter also introduces some considerations more usually associated with hypertext, since the open learning course, although delivered on paper, had to be capable of being used in a non-linear fashion. Nowadays the professional communicator may be writing in English for audiences of different cultures. Sandra Harrison asks how and to what extent we can adapt our writing to take account of readers from other cultures. This chapter looks at the strategies we can use when writing for different cultures, and includes references to a range of other resources. Various stages within the writing process are discussed throughout the book. There is practical advice from Colin Battson on determining the audience and on creating a house style, from John Kirkman on writing style, from Ron Brown and Kathy Lawrence on editing, from Peter Lightfoot on illustration, from Richard Raper on indexing, and from Roy Handley on writing a synopsis. Increasingly, professional writers need to take control of the whole writing process from planning to delivery, and this challenge is addressed by Paul Warren in his chapter on managing documentation projects. Newer forms of writing are also examined: Clyde Hatter explains how to develop a web site, Matthew Ellison discusses help systems design, and Bryan Little de-mystifies the subject of PDF files. The appendices contain useful information about British Standards and proof-reading marks. The second appendix directs readers to the ISTC web site, which in turn opens up another exciting range of resources for professional and technical communicators. For information about educational opportunities in technical authoring, contact the ISTC office, or see the ISTC web site Education page. The ISTC would like to thank all our authors for their interesting and diverse papers, and also Sue Wood whose hard work and commitment have made this book a reality.

Edition details

• Publisher: Institute of Scientific and Technical Co
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0950645958
• ISBN 13: 9780950645957
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 296