Product Description

Designed for university and college technical writing courses-English, Engineering or Engineering technology departments, Technical Schools, Career Colleges in a variety of majors: health sciences, etc.This second Canadian edition of Technical Communication continues to provide a comprehensive, flexible introduction to technical and professional communication. Although this book focuses on writing, it also discusses interpersonal and group collaborative processes, oral communications, intercultural communication, and information gathering methods.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #73478 in Books
• Published on: 2005-02-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 832 pages

From the Back Cover
<>Technical Communication, Eleventh Edition
John M. Lannon

1.2 million reasons to buy this book…
John Lannon's Technical Communication has helped more than 1.2 million students become better technical writers, equipping them with the skills and knowledge they need to be successful in a wide range of professions. Lannon is unwavering in his effort to keep abreast of current issues and trends in the workplace–and to weave their implications into the instruction this book provides. What you’ll find here is a realistic portrayal of today’s workplace that prepares you for any career you choose.

There are over a million reasons to buy this book–but here are more good reasons to buy this edition of Technical Communication.

• The introductory chapter redefines the role of technical communicators as information managers, using contemporary technology to deliver their messages,
• A new dedicated chapter on employment correspondence (Ch. 18) focuses on what you really need to know to look for–and get–you first job.
• New content on corporate blogs and wikis (Ch. 16) reflects the realities of today’s workplace communication and information delivery.
• New Case Studies put you in the middle of real workplace decision-making.

And as always:

• A heavy focus on the rhetorical principles will teach you to shape your writing and pointedly reach your intended audience.
• Lucid, straightforward instruction will clarify even the most troublesome of topics.
• Checklists summarize the instruction to help you extract key topics.
• Guidelines offer step-by-step strategies and walk you through an array of procedures and undertakings.

Where can you find resources to complement your book and bolster your practice?

Get everything you need for the course at www.mypearsonstore.com

Customer Reviews

Written by an expert in the marketing of textbooks!
John Lannon was a successful author of a college writing and composition textbook. He then created various spinoffs so that his publisher could cover more markets: business writing, technical writing, and so on (for both college and high school).

So he's really not a current specialist in technical writing, and he's not employed as a technical writer. He's just an English instructor who has been using essentially the same basic materials in all his books for decades.

This text is a perfect example. It has very little to do with today's field of technical communications. There are many other textbooks that have more specific and up-to-date examples and guidelines for contemporary technical writers. Any book by Hackos, for example, runs circles around this one.

In any case, he and his publisher don't need your single-copy sale. They sell thousands of these books for coursewide use at many schools across the country for use in very elementary courses. They don't care about individual users.

So save your money and buy something else!

Make this book your last choice
I had the displeasure of using this textbook in my Technical Writing course at the local university. This author lacked depth in his discussions on all the topics. That probably explains the addition of supplemental course material. The examples used in this textbook were acceptable, but I was still left hanging with "what if" questions unanswered. The organization of this book also needs some improvement. On a positive note (yes there is a positive side to this), I found the Appendix very useful as a reference guide, though.

What's new in this 9th Edtion?
The answer is nothing. This 9th edition is practically the same as 8th. This author must be the greediest man in the academic circle. Over half of the colleges in US use this book for technical writing, and he's still charging people almost $84 for it. Hasn't he made enough money with the 1st edition already?