ENG201 Lesson 1 Introduction to Business & Technical Communication

LESSON 1: Introduction to Business & Technical Communication

1. Define Business and Technical Communication.
   Answer: Business and Technical Communication is the practice of conveying information clearly and effectively in professional settings to achieve specific objectives, such as informing, instructing, or persuading an audience.
2. What are the two main sections of the Business and Technical English course?
   Answer: The two main sections are Written Communication and Oral Communication.
3. List three types of documents commonly written in a business environment.
   Answer: Three types are memos, business letters, and progress reports.
4. What does the term “ownership” refer to in the context of workplace writing?
   Answer: In workplace writing, “ownership” refers to the concept that communications created by an employee officially belong to the employer and represent the organization.
5. Name one of the primary purposes of writing in a professional setting, as opposed to an academic one.
   Answer: A primary purpose is to achieve practical business objectives, known as instrumental purposes, rather than to demonstrate personal knowledge.
6. According to the lesson, what percentage of their work time do college graduates typically spend writing?
   Answer: College graduates typically spend about 20 percent of their work time writing.
7. What is a key difference between a reader’s interaction with a written document versus an oral presentation?
   Answer: A key difference is that a reader controls the pace of a written document, whereas the speaker controls the pace of an oral presentation.
8. Identify one personal benefit of writing well at work mentioned in the lesson.
   Answer: One personal benefit is recognition, which can lead to praise, raises, or promotions.
9. Explain why writing at work differs from writing at school.
   Answer: Writing at work differs because it is designed for instrumental purposes to achieve business goals for a diverse audience, whereas writing at school is for educational purposes to demonstrate knowledge to an instructor.
10. Explain the concept that “readers create meaning.”
    Answer: This concept means that readers do not passively receive a message but actively interact with it, building their own structures of knowledge and interpretation from the text provided.
11. Explain the significance of the two roles (specialist and communicator) a person has at work.
    Answer: The significance is that generating ideas as a specialist is not enough; one must also effectively share those results with others as a communicator for the ideas to have value and be implemented.
12. How can a memo or report serve as important evidence of an employee’s capabilities?
    Answer: In large organizations with limited direct access to upper management, written documents like memos and reports may be the only tangible evidence of an employee’s competence and contributions.
13. Compare the audience for a classroom assignment versus the audience for a workplace report.
    Answer: A classroom assignment typically has one audience (the instructor), while a workplace report often addresses a diverse group of readers with different backgrounds, roles, and information needs.
14. Explain how a reader’s response is shaped by the situation.
    Answer: A reader’s response is influenced by their purpose for reading, their perception of the writer’s aims, their personal interests in the subject, and their past relationship with the writer.
15. Why is it important for a writer to consider “phantom readers”?
    Answer: It is important because phantom readers are real but unnamed individuals who may use a communication addressed to someone else, and the writer must ensure the message is appropriate for this wider, unseen audience.
16. Describe one strategy Naila could use in her proposal to make it more likely to succeed.
    Answer: One strategy would be to address the kinds of objections her readers might have and reduce their sense of being threatened by suggesting improvements to a system they may have set up.
17. How does the purpose of communication change from an educational setting to a professional one?
    Answer: In an educational setting, the purpose is to show how much you know, often by writing extensively. In a professional setting, the purpose is to help the reader, so the communication should include only the information they need.
18. A new employee writes a long, detailed email to a busy department head about a minor procedural suggestion. Based on Lesson 1, what is the likely problem with this communication?
    Answer: The email likely contains excessive information that clogs the reader’s path, decreasing efficiency and increasing frustration, as workplace writing should be concise and include only necessary information.
19. You are preparing a report that will be read by your immediate manager, the finance director, and the head of purchasing. How should you approach writing for this audience?
    Answer: I should identify the specific information needs and questions of each reader and ensure the report addresses all of them, using a structure that allows each person to easily find the details relevant to their role.
20. Find a set of instructions for a common household product. Identify one “reading moment” where the text fails to guide the user effectively.
    Answer: A “reading moment” occurs if the instructions say “Assemble the base unit” without specifying which parts constitute the base unit, leaving the user confused about what to interact with next.
21. Your team is drafting a proposal to be signed by the department head. How should you view the “ownership” of this document?
    Answer: We should view the document as belonging to the department and the company, ensuring it accurately represents the organization’s position and is written to build the department head’s credibility, not just our own.
22. You are writing a project update that will be filed for future reference. What type of reader should you consider, and what does this imply for your writing?
    Answer: I should consider “future readers” who may access the document weeks or years later, which implies I must provide sufficient context and clarity so the report remains understandable without my personal explanation.
23. Analyze the following sentence from a business memo: “We are exploring synergistic paradigms to leverage core competencies.” Rewrite it using a principle from Lesson 1.
    Answer: Rewritten: “We are looking for ways to use our department’s main strengths to work better together.” This applies the principle of using clear, familiar language instead of jargon.
24. A colleague says, “The facts speak for themselves, so I don’t need to worry about how I write the report.” Using a concept from Lesson 1, formulate a response.
    Answer: I would respond that “readers create meaning,” meaning the facts alone are not enough; how they are presented and explained directly shapes how the audience will interpret and understand them.
25. You need to request approval for a new software purchase. Using the principle of defining your objectives, what is the final result you desire from this communication?
    Answer: The final result I desire is for the decision-maker to approve the purchase of the new software and authorize the expenditure from the department’s budget.