Solving Problems in Technical Communication

by Johndan Johnson-Eilola (Editor), Stuart A. Selber (Editor)

The field of technical communication is rapidly expanding in both the academic world and the private sector, yet a problematic divide remains between theory and practice. Here Stuart A. Selber and Johndan Johnson-Eilola, both respected scholars and teachers of technical communication, effectively bridge that gap.

Solving Problems in Technical Communication collects the latest research and theory in the field and applies it to real-world problems faced by practitioners—problems involving ethics, intercultural communication, new media, and other areas that determine the boundaries of the discipline. The book is structured in four parts, offering an overview of the field, situating it historically and culturally, reviewing various theoretical approaches to technical communication, and examining how the field can be advanced by drawing on diverse perspectives. Timely, informed, and practical, Solving Problems in Technical Communication will be an essential tool for undergraduates and graduate students as they begin the transition from classroom to career.

Genres: Textbooks, Academic

531 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 15, 2012

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had problems with this book from the get-go. Each chapter posits some theoretical problem, shows some element of tech comm canon that could fix the problem (along with some explanation of the theory), and then shows how canon fixes problem. Too many of the scenarios either permit alternate, non tech-comm explanations, or imply fixes that would rarely if ever be allowed in any corporate environment I've ever seen (broad access to corporate policies without need-to-know, technical writers being a part of decision-making processes in the first place). It felt too often as if the book wanted tech writers to be a sort of corporate sociologist, with an attending capacity to affect change that academia seems to think sociologists have. Overall, not a great text and one that could have really deleterious effects on students who think that the case studies represent the way the world (and tech comm's role in the world) works.

[Ash Mayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of helpful info for technical communicators who are looking for new ways to approach elements of the field.