How to write for the world of work — Thomas E. Pearsall and Donald H. Cunningham

Della A. Whittaker

doi:10.1109/tpc.1979.6500184

IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication Mar 1979 OA PDF

How to write for the world of work — Thomas E. Pearsall and Donald H. Cunningham

Della A. Whittaker DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory

Abstract

edge of the subject and your convenience totally govern how you prepare the report.Prepare a 'user-oriented' report, much as the engineer-designer gives prime" consideration to the users of a highway or an electric drill."Whether the letters ask for information (inquiry, request, and order) or give information (response and employment), the format is the same, and courtesy always prevails.Cus tomer relations letters (congratulatory, appreciation, com plaint, adjustment, and collection) are best begun and ended with goodwill, no matter whether the news is good or bad.In persuasive letters, the readers will stay interested when they are placed in the picture and shown how the product or the service relates to them.Pearsall and Cunningham elaborate on report writing by fo cusing on ( 1 ) how much information the readers need, (2) how best to create a picture of the mechanism in their minds, and (3) how to arrange the details.Instruction manuals, periodic reports, accident reports, trip reports, minutes of meetings, analytical reports, and proposals are explained with readeroriented reasons for the steps in their preparation.So are guidelines for how to compile a bibliography, how to review technical literature as part of the report, how to pre pare typical illustrations, how to tabulate data, how to fill out forms, and how to convert English and metric units.The ap pendix on usage summarizes points of grammar, style, punctu ation, capitalization, and spelling.Besides covering the important writing situations, the au thors explain how to act at an employment interview arid, in a long chapter, how to report technical information orally, es sentially what you would learn in two years as a member of a Toast masters Club.Every chapter has lots of examples, all on technical subjects from industry and government.The readability level varies from that of working adults to that of students fresh out of high school with little technical background.

Journal: IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
Published: 1979-03-01
DOI: 10.1109/tpc.1979.6500184
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Open Access: OA PDF Bronze
Topics: professional writing grammar and mechanics
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How to write for the world of work — Thomas E. Pearsall and Donald H. Cunningham

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