Technical Communication 2 COMM 2235

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Present yourself effectively as an applicant in a job interview.
• Explain the parts of a standard job interview.
• Analyze interview questions to identify the question behind the question.
• Evaluate your performance to identify strengths and areas for improvement.
• Describe the influence of culture on the behaviour of the applicant and the employer in a job interview, particularly in regard to non-verbal behaviour and to concepts of modesty and self-assertion.
• Be aware of your human rights in regard to employment, and know what questions not to ask and how to respond to questions that should not be asked.
• Write clear technical descriptions and technical instructions.
• Write a formal definition, so your reader knows what type or class of item you are describing and how the item is distinguished from other items of the same type or class.
• Use concrete language to appeal to the human senses, choosing words to fit your purpose exactly, so, in the case of instructions, you tell your reader's hands what to do, and, in the case of descriptions, you tell your reader's eyes what they will see.
• Present information in standard formats for technical descriptions and instructions.
• Prepare effective graphics.
• Choose appropriate graphics to illustrate or summarize information.
• Refer to graphics in your reports and interpret them for your reader or listener.
• Follow conventions for each type of graphic.
• Write short, informal reports, including evaluation reports, incident reports, progress reports, recommendation reports, and trip reports.
• Select what to report, so your reader doesn't complain that you've included too many details or left out valuable information.
• Organize information, so your reader can find it easily and knows immediately why you have included it and how it fits in with the other information in your report.
• Present information in standard report formats.
• Avoid bias in the way you organize information and in the language you use.
• Analyze your report according to your reader and your purpose to ensure that your report convinces and reveals you as a tactful writer.
• Prepare a formal report.
• Follow conventions for pagination, title page, table of contents, headings, and references.
• Explain the function of each section of a formal report.
• Write an effective letter of transmittal, summary, introduction, and discussion section.
• Organize information according to main ideas and supporting details, so, for example, each sub-section of the discussion section has an overview, explanatory information, and a transition to the next sub-section.
• Use a word processing package to prepare rough drafts and revise your reports.
• Cut, copy, paste, go to, and search and replace text.
• Import graphics into your word processed text.
• Prepare overheads for an oral report.
• Use primary sources (people in government and industry) and secondary sources (reference materials in the BCIT Library and from the Internet) to gather up-to-date information on technical subjects.
• Formulate research questions and a research plan that includes consulting both primary and secondary sources.
• Prepare and conduct an information interview.
• Design and distribute a questionnaire and report the results.
• Plan, conduct, and participate effectively in a meeting.
• Be familiar enough with Robert's Rules of Order that you feel comfortable participating in formal meetings.
• Describe the roles of chair, secretary, and general participant in formal and informal meetings.
• Prepare an agenda.
• Speak at a meeting, so that the other participants know what your position is and why you hold that position.
• Present a persuasive oral report in a group.
• Compare and contrast the requirements of a group oral report to that of an oral report presented by an individual.
• Compare and contrast the requirements of a persuasive oral report to that of an informative oral report.
• Collaborate as part of a team to complete a group writing project.
• Identify, justify, and apply criteria for selecting an effective team for a group writing project.
• Use strategies to ensure that work is completed by all members on time.
• Use strategies to deal effectively with conflict within a team.
• Be aware of office protocol and how to get along with supervisors, managers, and co-workers.
• Define office protocol and explain why it is important.
• Explain the major reasons why communication between workers and supervisors, and between co-workers can go wrong, and describe five techniques for avoiding miscommunication in the workplace.
• Be aware of the importance of interpersonal communication skills in your workplace and be able to function effectively as part of a work team.
• Use strategies for giving and receiving effective feedback, including handling criticism.
• Use strategies for ensuring that all members of your work groups are participating.
• Elucidate several examples of attention paid to the human element in your workplace, e.g., to promote health and safety, motivate others and build effective work teams, and appreciate cultural diversity.
• Apply the principles of technical reporting to related communication tasks required in your technology studies and in the workplace.
• Identify the principles of technical reporting.
• Analyze a workplace communication task, such as an employment review, and identify how the principles of technical reporting can be applied.
• Critically evaluate information to determine if it is accurate, relevant, and complete, and to use critical thinking to develop strong arguments.

Effective as of Spring/Summer 2016