Business and Technical writing are two mediums that the majority of WC tutors are unfamiliar with. However, they share some of the fundamental ideas with the "normal" style of writing we encounter-- writing for a specific audience, keeping an appropriate voice, etc. We can indeed provide guidance in our own "technical side of English" way. Even though we cannot be expected to know the subject the student is writing about, can we take the writing in context of what the student tells us, and from there help them write a more concise and clear paper? How?
Which (pick one or a few) of the six "Basic Skills," as mentioned in Fearing's article, do you think a tutor should focus on in a session, if the paper badly needs help in every department? Should we treat a technical/business session similarly to, say, an ENGL 101 analytical paper session-- is it different at all, besides the writing (Does the author's creativity factor into it? Should we be addressing grammar "last" in our process, or do the symbols have more significance in technical writing?)?
Aside from the process of our tutoring, what do you think makes technical writing so difficult? How do we keep those science students who hate their lab reports motivated?
P.S. Did anyone catch the clever title sections of the Stone article? Funny how creativity *can* factor into (somewhat, in this case) technical writing...
Sunday, March 21, 2010
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Having a science major, I can relate to students who are required to write in a business/technical fashion; such writing can be confining and bland. In a session involving a student writer with a technical/business writing assignment, I think it is appropriate to compare it to a regular ENGL 101 session. The writing styles, though vastly different, do not change the overall focus of the tutoring session. A student comes into the WC for guidance; it is our responsibility as tutors to have prior knowledge of the style or resources that will be of assistance.In regards to the “Basic Skills” Fearing’s article discussed, I feel that the focus should be on economy. Technical writing is very concise and to the point. If economy is focused on and addressed, then most of the other “skills” will fall into place, like simple diction. If the point of economical writing is concise, then simple diction will be noted during the review of economy usage. Grammar will be addressed within economy as well, but not to the same degree as it would be in an ENGL 101 paper. Grammar is most often ignored in technical/business writing because of the format and different aspects of that style of writing. Thus, the focus would be moved from other issues within the paper that again go back to the “basic skills” or symbols.
ReplyDeleteOverall, from a student standpoint, I know why technical writing can be so difficult and frustrating to a writer. We are writing in accordance to a strict outline or expectation, but that does not completely rob us of expression. I know that when I write a lab report if I had really enjoyed the experiment, my tone speaks to the exciting opportunities waiting for the next person to perform the lab. Creativity is not limited within technical writing; it just feels that way because there is no room for the writer to be both concise and entertaining. One tip that I think will benefit tutors tutoring unmotivated technical/business writers is this: always find a niche that the student can relate to within the paper. I hate science, but if I am guided to understand the point or what I actually read, then I like it. As a technical writer I seek more conversation with any individual on science topics just to form a better understanding. With this understanding, I still don’t want to dive into my lab report, but I feel more confident and willing to get it done.
I have no personal experience in Business and Technical Writing, so I think in order to approach a session that concerned this topic, I would make it very clear from the outset that the writer would have to play a hugely active participant in the tutoring and collaboration process. I think this would also disarm the student, by immediately conceding that they are the true expert in the situation and my role is to offer a fresh, new perspective that does not operate within the confines of business and technical writing.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I think as tutors as the Writing Center it is our job to help in any way possible, no matter the subject. I agree with Ravae that I would treat the session as any 'regular' session, eg. a student with an English paper. I would first ask the student to detail for me what the assignment is in their own words, then look at the assignment sheet, then ask what their main concerns are, etc. The difference here would be that i would be focussing SPECIFICALLY on the concerns as they pertain to the aspects of Business and Technical writing, such as those that Fearing outlines, like diction and word economy. I think his two most important foci are word economy and emphasis, because, even though I am inexperienced, I believe these two device would probably benefit a business/technical essay the most. Economy and emphasis allow the author to make their point as concisely and effectively as possible, and I think this is crucial.
I strongly advocate for creativity, always! Just because the author is limited to much tighter guidelines doesn't mean they can't use their own personal voice. This, however, would probably be a lesser focus in this kind of session for both myself and the writer because the clarity and effectiveness of the assignment would take precedence.
I think technical writing is difficult because of the amount of restraint and endless parameters that bind it. As a creative writing major, I have become accustomed to such a wide range of freedom in my writing that I couldn't imagine having a list a mile long of things that MUST be in my writing. As tutors, though, I think we can encourage these students to always remember they can be creative even though they are limited in their form or subject matter, for instance.
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ReplyDeleteWith regards to taking the writing in context of what the student tells us and from there helping him or her write a more clear paper, I think we can definitely still make an impact even without knowing everything about the subject. We can still focus on main issues like recognizing overly complicated wording and lack of flow among sentences as we read the paper aloud with the student. This goes back to the idea of helping make better writers, not better papers. We don’t have to feel limited by not knowing everything about the subject; being an expert on the subject might be more important if we were striving to make a better paper, but it’s not necessary in order to help mold a better writer. We can help make a better writer by using similar methods to those that we employ in other sessions.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Revae and Maitri that economy is one of the most important focuses for a session which requires help in all of the six basic skills. By focusing on making “every word count” as stated in the article, the other critical issues can be addressed at the same time. If it seems that wordiness is an issue, the type of voice could be discussed as well, since the wordiness might result from heavy use of the passive voice. I think simple diction pairs well with economy as a significant focus for the session because it helps writers focus on being clear to their audience and get down to the essentials of what they are trying to communicate. These two focuses of economy and simple diction capture larger concerns and sentence structure simultaneously, allowing the session to address a wide range of issues (in a paper that needs help in every department).
I think it is effective to treat a technical/business session similar to an English paper session. For instance, the concepts of to-the-point language and proper emphasis discussed in the articles are equally important in both types of sessions. We can ask similar questions as we would in an English paper session to help a business/technical writer focus the paragraphs of his or her paper and properly group ideas together. The main differences between these types of sessions are likely to be structural, such as a Materials and Methods section that would not be found in an English paper. Still, within these more rigid structures, English paper concepts can apply. We can still focus on making sure that the Materials and Methods section is focused and does not stray into analysis of scientific results.
I started off as a Biology major before switching it to a minor, so I’ve had a good number of more scientific papers to write. I completely agree with Maitri as far as the importance of creativity. The issue of creativity was the most frustrating part of scientific papers in my opinion; I felt like I could not allow any creative juices to flow. Creativity is not lost in technical writing; it just becomes a different kind of creativity. There is still an argument to be made and the writer’s analysis is still his or her own. Harnessing that creativity helps boost the student’s interest in the paper. I worked with one writer on a business paper and even though the student started off seemingly annoyed with the paper and just wanting to get it out of the way, as we talked more about the subject, the student started to get more passionate about her position on the topic, which in turn gave momentum to the session. Even though technical/business writing doesn’t involve incorporating poetic imaginative art in the way that an English paper would, it does involve coming up with one’s own interpretation, and that is a powerful tool that we can use in any type of session.
Like Revae and Karena, science has played a fairly major role in shaping my college education. As a former pre-med student, I have experienced my fair share of painful labs and the even more painful energy drink fueled all-nighters spent on their corresponding lab reports. Technical writing ended up being one of my most difficult challenges at our University; I distinctly remember being publicly berated by my Russian Ochem lab TA for making my report on the multistep synthesis of Tetraphenylcyclopentadienone "too eloquent".
ReplyDeleteTechnical writing was challenging for me because it forced me to completely adapt my writing style. It went against almost everything I had been taught in middle and high school and—like some of the students Stone interviewed—it made me feel “bottled up”. It was frustrating to have what I considered to be an A+ lab report (and what probably would have been an A in an English class) graded as a B-. I found the best way to improve my technical writing however, was (as Stone makes sure to point out) mere experience. Technical writing isn't something that can be mastered over night. It requires time, practice, and patience, and that's something all technical writers should know and be prepared to accept. Another big problem I had with technical writing were the “limitations” that I thought had been placed over my creativity. However, like all of you above have already stated, technical writing really doesn't eliminate creativity at all. As with all writing, the creativity of the writer comes out in the language he or she uses: the words, diction, and style of our writings are all subtle indicators of who we are. That same creativity comes out in technical writing, though in a different and perhaps more veiled way. It's taken me two and a half years to accept it, but lab reports are, in their own way, creative forms of writing.
Having said all of that, I don't think we should completely adjust and transform our tutoring styles when dealing with a paper that calls for a more technical style of writing. The higher order concerns we've been trained to address really remain the same. A clear authorial position, effective paper structure, and an organized argument are still pivotal. As always, however, what we address in the paper is almost entirely up to what the writer wants. If a writer comes to us adamant about properly structuring his lab report, we'd be doing him/her a disservice by ignoring their desires and favoring our own. Like Maitri, Revae, and Karena, I think diction and economy are probably the two most important aspects of technical writing. While the other 4 skills Fearing mentions are all undoubtedly important, they do, in a lot of ways, stem from these first two.
As for motivation...well that's always tricky. I have a hard enough time motivating myself, much less other people. As we have discussed in previous classes though (and as Revae points out above) one way to address this issue is to attempt to find a common ground. A “niche”. Something that the writer can relate to and hopefully get excited by. While I absolutely abhorred writing lab reports, I often found myself rationalizing the importance of my writing them. For instance, while the multistep synthesis of insert fancy chemical compound here was itself a boring and tedious lab, the basic principles underlying it (for one example, the concept of creating something completely unique from seemingly unrelated starting materials) were fascinating to me. Finding that motivation and rationalizing my lab-report inspired suffering is probably the only reason I'm still sane.
I had a session with a student from Business Writing a few weeks ago, how handy! Prior to that session, I would have said that appropriate voice is the most important for technical writing because there is a delicate balance between the formal and informal while using persuasion of thought. However after my session I definitely think that diction is the most important basic skill for writing (technical or not). The writer I worked with came in for help with syntax. We worked on syntax but as we cleaned up her paper we also worked on eliminating wordiness and making her paper clearer and more concise. Fearing writer that writing should be "clear, concise, and easy to understand." That's the point of writing for every assignment! We write to get our point across in a clear manner because we want people to understand our thoughts. However, I also agree with the other tutors that economy is also very important. Making a paper direct and not using fluff words (or wasting space with unnecessary words) ties directly to diction. Both are based on making a paper more simple for overall efficiency and understanding.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Revae and Maitri that we should treat a technical writing session as we would any other session. When I worked with the technical writing student, the session was no different from any of my other sessions. I focused on the writer's concerns and helped clean up organization and the general message. Technical writing has the same ultimate goal as any other style of writing, to get a message across to a reader.
The creativity question is kind of tricky. I think a writer should always use their own voice in their writing however I think the first order of business is to stick to the format and requirements of the assignment. If the writer finds room for their own creativity within these boundaries, go for it!!
As far motivation, when I was doing science writing for classes I was most motivated by getting the work done and finishing a lab. As a tutor, I will most likely work from this standpoint. Like "you are so close to closing the door on this lab (whether it was boring or exciting), let's finish it out right." These students have already put so much effort into the labs or assignments, that it's only right to give the work a strong closing. I think that technical writing is so difficult because it is stuck between strict boundaries. Students perceive that there isn't much room to breathe. I also think the difficulty stems from formulating complex thoughts into a clear format. It's hard to take all of your ideas about a huge lab and turn them into a three page paper reporting your findings....these assignments take patience. Big time.
I absolutely believe that we as tutors can help students with their business or technical writing without us having any prior knowledge of their particular subject. I don’t know how many papers I’ve already seen at the WC whose subjects or formats were completely foreign to me. The same strategy remains: the focus of a tutoring session should be on what the important points are and how to communicate them effectively. This leads me to what I feel is the most important “basic skill” of the six mentioned by Fearing and Sparrow: EMPHASIS.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading “Tutoring Business and Technical Writing Students in the Writing Center” I thought to myself multiple times ‘Wow, this article is so clear and practical.’ What was the difference? Fearing and Sparrow really practice what they preach. There was never a time during my reading when I had to fish around for the important points. They were laid out and developed with great concision. I would agree with Ravae that Economy is important, but I must say that even economical writing is a result of proper emphasis. During the writing process, business and technical writers must constantly ask the questions “What is important?” and “How can I best explain it?”
The rhetorical side of emphasis, as helpfully outlined by the authors, includes the subtopics of prominent position and sentence structure––which correspond to paragraph length and parallelism. When information is in a logical order and a visually appealing format, it is more easily understood by the audience (just as I understood the article). This section also contains the subtopics of economy and vigorous words (which corresponds to the expressive-vs.-impressive aspect of using simple diction). In tutoring the skill of emphasis, we need to show students that being thorough and eloquent does not equate with being pompous and polysyllabic. Making this distinction, I think, is crucial to avoiding frustration within these forms of writing.
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ReplyDeleteI would have to agree with Ben in that I don't think that the subject matter of a student's paper should change the way we, as tutors, approach the session. We are not here to judge the content of our students' essays; that is what their professor is for. Our job as tutors,is simply to make sure that our students are constructing and perpetuating their arguments in their writing properly. Thus, I don't see why approaching a tutoring situation in which the subject matter is unfamiliar (which it usually is for me in my sessions)should require any different "techniques" than usual. After reading Fearing's article, I would even suggest that most (if not all) of the Basic Skills he presented apply to essay writing in general--not just business and technical writing.
ReplyDeleteSimple diction is what I would focus on in a session. Sometimes students will come into the WC knowing exactly how they feel and what they would like to say, but after reading their essay, I find that I don't know what they are trying to say because all of their main points are buried under overly complicated diction. I feel that this is because of all of the textbooks and academic writing we have to read in college. I think something that we must stress to our students who struggle with writing formal, technical pieces of writing is that many people who write textbooks or scholarly articles are not actually "good" writers. I can't tell you how many times I have read a textbook and found ridiculously and unnecessarily complicated diction and sentence structure. Honestly, I think the reason that many students struggle with using simple diction is not because they don't understand how a sentence works or because they need a grammar lesson. I think it is because they are trying to sound "smart" and more explicitly, they are trying to sound like the scholarly articles and textbooks they read. Ultimately, many students who come in to the WC with business or technical writing will probably do more technical writing in the future and go into fields in which they will do research and publish scholarly articles themselves. Because of this, I think it is essential to make sure that our students understand how to simplify their writing and make it as concise as possible.
Though we as tutors may not have any sort of training in business writing or technical writing, I'm sure we all know what it feels like to try to puff up a piece for the sake of sounding more...technical. With that said, I have to agree with almost everyone listed on this blog already and go with economy as the skill to focus on.
ReplyDeleteI recently had to help a student in an INDV about economics, a very boring subject to me, BUT, I knew I could help in the sense that it's meant to reach a broad audience; with me included. So after discussing what the paper is about with him, verbally, I can tell that he wasn't that well informed, seeing that it is only a Gen Ed, but from there, I knew where we can go to focus. With papers like that one, simple is the way to go, which would give us time to also look at simple diction, alongside economy. Basically understanding something technical and anything about economics is very crucial to this sort of writing, which is what the student even brought to my attention. You just need the underlying meaning, and then you're golden. With the wordy phrasing and parallelism, we can definitely gear our minds to pay attention to those aspects and then go from there.