Examines the relationship between the characteristics of second-year MBA student writing groups and the quality of their group-written reports. Finds that the most significant correlation between the groups and their writing was whether or not individuals chose to form teams on the basis of having worked together previously in writing projects.…

Examines the relationship between technical writers and their texts. Suggests the amount of ownership any writer has varies depending on context; therefore, in technical writing, the more a document represents an organization, the less likely the words and ideas are to be solely under the control of the writer. (NH)

Discusses issues of document organization, document length, and writing style for avoiding bureaucratese in writing government documents. (SR)

Examines the roles of convention, conflict, and conversation in the formation of audience constructs. Finds that writers' textual choices to address or invoke audiences are based more on institutional conventions than on either disciplinary conventions or on situational conditions and constraints. (SR)

Describes a special on-site writing course for advanced learners of English working in a research and development division that addresses students' needs (acculturation and lessening of writing anxiety) through in-class contrastive analysis of semitechnical documents produced by novice nonnative speaker writers and by experienced native and…

Outlines and comments on the views of Clifford Geertz with regard to ethnography and social construction. Provides a transcript of an interview with Geertz, in which Geertz comments on his technical anthropological writings. Discusses his recent book "Works and Lives," his writing process, persuasive writing, and literary criticism,…

Suggests that technical writing teachers pay closer attention to how students constitute an active and demanding audience. Profiles three different, yet representative, types of technical writing students: institute of technology students, industry students, and liberal arts students. (MG)

Advanced components should be included in legal writing programs. Such a course reminds students of the potential for quality and of the centrality of writing to the practice and study of law. Benefits include better student grades and job opportunities, faculty skill improvement and inspiration, and improved program image. (MSE)

Presents a brief overview of Gestalt theory. Discusses and illustrates six key principles of Gestalt psychology as they apply to document design and graphics. Presents exercise that students may use to improve their understanding of the principles and develop their document design skills. Distinguishes between Gestalt theory and rhetoric. (RS)

Discusses networking as a collaboration tool in the teaching of technical writing. Argues that some degree of collaboration is innate to all writing, that word processing already facilitates that collaboration, and that networking is the next enhancement to the collaborative process. (RS)

Outlines six principles for the rhetoric of communication, identifying as distinctive the organizational and collaborative nature of the field. Argues that communicators can more effectively collaborate with experts and with users if they understand two contrasting metaphors for typical thought patterns: logic and narration (or list and story).…

Notes that the new media will incorporate the old. Discusses what changes writers can expect from multimedia and how writers might thrive in a multimedia world. (SR)

Attempts to map out the trends and possible prospects for the field of technical communications and writing. Considers technical communication's changing relationships with various other disciplines, such as schools of business, engineering, and communications. (HB)

Claims that rhetorical voice is strategically vital for persuasion but that it is rarely discussed in business communication textbooks. Identifies aspects of the rhetorical situation that shape voice. Presents a heuristic that writers can use to construct their personae. (HB)

Analyzes the ethical perspectives of four technical communication textbooks. Argues that the textbooks engage in moralism and in ethics-related activities that deduce moral judgments. Suggests that at least two of the textbooks introduce ideas that are either inconsistent with traditional ethical theories or are subject to previous objections. (RS)