Genres in Technical/Professional Writing

In my internship with Dr. Jamie McDaniel at Pittsburg State University I have done a fair amount of writing for the program website and social media sites. However, writing for a professional writing program is seemingly different than writing about PW. It's like the difference between coaching and playing in sports--coaching is a form of interaction from an outside and external perspective, whereas playing a sport is internal and centered around each individual player involved. Although I enjoy the work I have done for my internship so far, the writing is more geared towards a perspective that is centered on providing advice and helpful tips for other PW majors. I stand from an outside perspective looking in to solve problems. 

In my professional experience (I worked with a nonprofit organization), the daily writing tasks I completed showed how I was a more interactive player in that kind of writing--even if it was daily emails, manual revisions, or statement letters. The fact that they were daily shows the internal processes that are tied to each set of writing. Professionals in the field like Carolyn Miller  and Anis Bawarshi consider this genre writing--a style of writing, rather than copy about a specific topic. In Miller's piece, "Genre as Social Action," genre is defined as something that is "rhetorically sound" and "must not be centered on the substance or the form of the discourse, but on the action it uses to accomplish." In other words, writing technical copy involves explaining the actions and the processes involved in constructing such copy. It may seem confusing (trust me I know), but technical copy is not necessarily about the style of PW (although this knowledge is important), it's about the processes that go into such. Let me give an example:

The Department of Homeland Security has recently posted a job listing for a technical writer who has the ability to communicate effectively for incoming immigrants of various nationalities. Now, one would expect this  kind of writing to encircle various languages; instead, this kind of job applicant would need to demonstrate how to speak "globally"-- that is, in a type of style and word choice that any nationality coming into the English language can feasibly comprehend. This kind of writing deflects any kind of phrases, coined terms, or idioms. Further, and more importantly, this type of writing will show what it means to be mindful of others and how other people interpret certain kinds of copy. 

In such instance, Bawarshi and Reiff's explanation in "Rhetorical Genre Studies" that genre is limited to it's most common and everyday uses is exemplified by the demands of that job listing--the job listing shows that everyday communication, is not only essential in technical copy, but an effective part of any human-to-human interaction. These kinds of writing ensure that the writer is a central player--an internal force, rather than just an outside hand with a specialized perspective. 

Genres in Technical and Professional Writing

My internship with Krimson Kultuur has introduced me to many genres within the Technical field. Carolyn Miller mentions that the, "definition of a genre must be centered not on the substance or the form of discourse but on the action it is used to accomplish" (Miller 151).  I noticed that the main thing I find myself doing in this internship involves many document design projects. Being the only technical writer in my work environment, I find most need in marketing efforts. Technical and Professional Writing allows me to focus on my audience, which would be the businesses' targeted demographic: young adult to middle aged women. A lot of my efforts involves out-of-house activity more so than internal matters such as communication channels. Everything that I work on will eventually end up being seen by the public. This makes me more cautious in every piece that I produce. I double check every project before it goes off to printing or social media.

In the article, "Genre As Social Action", it mentions that a genre "must involve situation and motive" (151).  This could not be more true. Krimson Kultuur is currently planning a fashion show later this month. The root of this large event is to increase awareness within the City of Pittsburg about our fashionable products and the social benefits it brings to people in developing countries. The first task I had to do was create a flyer that would increase awareness about the event. Now, I am assigned the responsibility of making flyers for every vendor that we will end up showcasing. This flyer will be used in multiple ways: each vendor will have a table with the flyer displayed along with the products we currently own, it will be a visual and informative piece for customers, and it will give the intern a synopsis of our product so they can better explain the story behind the product when selling the items. When piecing these flyers together, I must constantly be thinking of my targeted audience. Our story is what sells the products.

The genre that I find present in the field is adaptability. In order to perform certain tasks flexibility is a necessary component. In a business, customer's opinions about products change all the time. In order to understand the audience, one must also understand their motive. Genre can be applied here because everything that is written must be revised and made sure that it appeals to the audience. It is a process of researching and applying knowledge into the message the business is trying to convey to their market. It almost acts as a constant way of communicating with the seller and buyer and using Technical Writing to clear up any barriers that may block that message. It seems very small in the larger picture but is actually a critical tool to use for a successful marketing campaign.

Miller, Carolyn Genre As Social Action

Genres in Technical / Professional Writing

            My original internship experience could be considered unsuccessful.   It did not really go as planned. Originally, my internship was with the Southeast Kansas Humane Society of Crawford County.  My role was to find grants and then apply for them by filling out the applications and writing grant proposals, which is a specific genre within itself.  Unfortunately, I was unable to do my job because of ineffective communication.  I found multiple grants for which I thought we could apply, but it was extremely difficult for me to get the information that I needed.  Because of that, I did not complete and submit one grant application in the 6 or 7 weeks that I was working with them. 

            Since my internship with the Humane Society was unsuccessful, I was told to stop working with them and I started a new internship with Dr. McDaniel.  Now, I will be working on an instructional design project for a program called Scalar.  This is a program that will be used in the new Professional Writing program. It is a publishing platform that is also very interactive.  I just started working on this new internship this week, so I do not really know what genre I will be using to complete this project. 

            From what I know about this new project and what I have learned about Scalar, I can assume that I will be writing in an academic and professional genre.  This is something that will be used by a diverse group of students, so it needs to be applicable to a wide variety of individuals.  Since my project will be used as an introduction to this program, it also needs to be easy to use and understandable. 

            This genre that I will be writing in could change depending on the situation.  If I was writing for a very specific group of people instead of a diverse group of students, then I could use a genre more related to their field.  For example, if I was creating this project for a group of sociology students, then I could pick a topic and genre that is connected to their interests.  By writing in a general, academic, and professional genre, multiple people will be able to benefit from my project. 

            As I get started and actually get some writing done, I may realize that I need to do this project in a completely different genre.  I think this new internship will be a trial and error experience until figure out exactly how I want to tackle it. 

Genres in Technical/Professional Writing

My internship with The Writers’ Slate does not require me to do a lot of writing. The writing that I do regularly in my internship is the corresponding emails between the students being published and The Writers’ Slate. According to Miller the genre of emailing is the “typified rhetorical actions” looking for the approval of the supervisor or coworkers. For this internship emailing is a large factor of communication especially the use of typified rhetorical questions, so that we are able to gain approval for revisions and publishing.

Typified rhetorical actions of emailing are a normal occurrence in my internship because it is how I communicate with my supervisor on a regular bases regarding updates, meeting times, and revisions. One task that I am given to complete before each Issue is submitted for publications is to send out “congratulations letters” in the form of an email to each of the students that submitted  a piece that will be published. One of the previous interns to The Writers’ Slate was very helpful by creating a template for the rest of us to follow. By having this template to work from I am able to show consistency in the work that The Writers’ Slate is associated with. The template helps to have a format to follow along with but having key items that need to be filled in, such as: name of the submitter, title of their submission, Issue they will be published in, and the date to expect their issue to be published. By having this template there is less likely to be errors with student information, because it can be copy and pasted into the template before emailing it.

A genre that is present in the technical/professional writing field is change. Bawarshi and Reiff talk about how, “genres are dynamic because as their conditions change – for example because of changes in material conditions, changes in community membership, changes in technology, changes in disciplinary purposes, and values… -- genres must change along with them or risk becoming obsolete.” To be a technical writer we are constantly being asked to come up with new ideas to reinvent old ideas. In my internship with The Writers’ Slate the writer’s that I work with are constantly changing with each new Issue that is being published. Another change that an intern must be able to work with is working with students from other countries that submitted their work. This requires the intern to show flexibility in their work and to also be able to make the necessary changes to the students work to properly format it in the Americanized English that The Writers’ Slate is published in.

By having this internship with The Writers’ Slate I have been able to learn about all the different writing genres and how they are integrated into the writing professions, such as a technical writer. As Carolyn Miller said, “genres change, evolve, and decay.” With this knowledge and my experience with The Writers’ Slate I feel that I will be prepared for the ever evolving genre that takes place in the technical/professional writing work place.

Bawarshi, Anis, and Mary Jo Reiff. "Rhetorical Genre Studies" and "Genre Research in Workplace and Professional Contexts."

Miller, Carolyn. "Genre as Social Action."