Technical Communication Challenges in Workplace and Society

Additionally, individuals in different contexts and with distinct professional qualifications take part in technical communication (Brumberger & Lauer, 2015). This means that some people are designated as technical writers or technical communicators. In spite of the various benefits associated with technical communication, the aspect encounters a variety of challenges. These challenges affect the way in which technical communication is undertaken, and as a result, they influence the efficiency of technical communication. The problems to technical communication might be triggered by either the sender, receiver, or both. It also triggers adverse outcomes during the choice of medium. This means that improper encoding is disadvantageous because it leads to the determination of a wrong linguistic form which results in a breakdown in communication triggered by multiple instances of confusion and misunderstanding.

In organizations, improper encoding may result in significant drawbacks in technical communicating by damaging the way in which communication would have been presented to various people. Bypassing is a significant challenge to technical communication and relates in a way to the problem of improper encoding. Bypassing refers to misunderstandings propagated by missed meanings and interpretations as a result of the application of abstract phrases and words which are not agreed upon appropriately by both the sender and receiver. Servaes and Lie (2015) postulate that physical distractions may at times lead to the challenge of the frame of reference. In general, the challenge of the frame of reference refers to the aspect of viewing other people within the technical communicators’ frame of reference.

This might be propagated by physical distractions which result in misunderstanding and confusion in the course of technical communication. Interpreting other people’s points of view and opinions from a personal angle results in the formulation of preconceived notions and prejudices to take charge of a technical communication approach. A person’s frame of reference in personal to an individual because it is depended on certain levels of education, personality traits, exposure, and experiences (Bennett, 2015). On a large scale, information design entails selecting relevant content and dividing it into distinct manuals by purpose and audience. This mode of separation and distinction helps to match an individual with the level and complexity of language used. On the other hand, on a medium scale, information design refers to the means of organizing the elements in every manual and ensuring that concepts, illustrations, descriptions, briefs, and ideas are incorporated (Albers & Mazur, 2014).

The medium scale would also ensure that the topics adhere to certain organizing principles. The fine-scale would consist of the logical formulation of issues. The rationale for this recommendation is that the development of an appropriate information design which does not use the most proper simplicity perspective would not be viable (Zachry & Spyridakis, 2016). One of the approaches of enhancing simplicity is embracing conciseness. A platform of appropriate technical communications should be consistent and concise regarding depicting unambiguity and completeness. Since individuals have various tasks, technical communication drawbacks of the element of time can be solved by avoiding wordiness and redundancy when presenting the formulated information design. In technical reports, there is need to assume that the target audience is familiar and has knowledge about engineering and scientific terminologies.

These core competencies include organizational, linguistic, and subject competence. Regarding subject competence, it should be noted that ideation in the elements of technical communication process relies on a sender’s subject competence (Habermas, 2015). This refers to the communicators’ professional knowledge, abilities, and experiences. This way, subject skill would play a key role in ensuring that individuals possess the necessary knowledge about a particular technical matter. It would also encourage the demonstration of other professional and technical skills in the course of engaging in technical communication. This way, it entails a process of thematic organization and logical sequence. In this context, organizational competence illustrates the capability of individuals to organize technical information and communicate logically and in a fundamental way. It also involves various skills including the ability to sequence thoughts appropriately into sentences.

It also includes organizing paragraphs by the requirements of the readers and the topics being presented. Further, it entails the application of necessary logical ordering, and provision of thematic coherence to express the formulated messages. Therefore, in the workplace and on other occasions in the society, people should be encouraged to apply impersonal language and communicate passively (McCarthy & Carter, 2014). This would be a great way of promoting technical communication while eliminating other negative responses which might be formulated after the occurrence of using personal language in technical communication. In using impersonal language, individuals in the society and workplace should be encouraged to exclude personal pronouns and own elements when interacting with others. The impersonal passive is the most important linguistic device to depict technical communication as formal, objective, and indifferent.

Impersonal passive may also be applied in describing rules, processes, and procedures in an organization. Rather than using these words, gender-neutral words and phrases such as police officer, firefighter, chairperson, and human beings can be used. The rationale for avoiding sexist language in the process of technical communication is to prevent potential adverse reactions from the receivers. It also avoids distortion of the message. It is also recommended that individuals engaging in technical communication in the society and workplace should avoid racist language and desist from referring to irrelevant differences. Technical writers and communicators should avoid referring to irrelevant distinctions based on religion or race. Besides listening to the actual message, this approach enables a person to pay attention to the emotional undertone (Worthington & Bodie, 2018).

The rationale for this recommendation is that it often results in a more intense interaction between people engaged in technical communication. This way, people in the society and workplace are encouraged to participate in activities which promote the AEL skills. Individuals can achieve this by asking questions before, in the course, or after the technical communication. It is vital to start a conversation with neutral questions which illustrate concern for the parties taking part in the technical communication. It is clear that some of the difficulties in technical communication are such as the frame of reference, improper encoding, and bypassing arise as a result of failure to take engage in technical communication objectively. It is also clear that the significant and most effective strategies that can be undertaken to resolve the issues in technical communication revolve around the attainment of objective goals and attitudes towards activities involved in technical communication.

This includes active empathic listening, using non-biased language, and maintaining conciseness and clarity when engaging in instances of technical communication. Hence, utilizing the suggested solutions in both the workplace and society would play a crucial role in dealing with the issues of technical communication. References Albers, M. Palgrave Macmillan, London. Brumberger, E. , & Lauer, C. The evolution of technical communication: An analysis of industry job postings. Technical Communication, 62(4), 224-243. Communication: Embracing Difference. Routledge. Habermas, J. Communication and the Evolution of Society. John Wiley & Sons. Routledge. Pearson, R. Business ethics as communication ethics: Public relations practice and the idea of dialogue. In Public relations theory (pp. Routledge. Servaes, J. , & Lie, R. New challenges for communication for sustainable development and social change: a review essay.