The Postmodern Space of Operator's Manuals

Abstract

Most operator's manuals are examples of failed rhetoric: discourse that fails to inform, to persuade, or even to be read. By moving from a tacit reliance on a modernist model of communication that emphasizes the transfer of information to a postmodem model that emphasizes the communication of understanding, and by applying two principles of negotiating understanding—encouraging users to denaturalize their common sense and encouraging users to take their share of responsibility for the safe and effective use of technologies—technical writers can construct manuals that are more likely to succeed rhetorically and legally.

Journal
Technical Communication Quarterly
Published
1996-10-01
DOI
10.1207/s15427625tcq0504_2
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (10)

  1. Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  3. Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  5. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Show all 10 →
  1. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  2. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  3. Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. Technical Communication Quarterly
  5. Technical Communication Quarterly

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