Language is important; how we use language directly shapes how we interact with the world. Language not only reflects, but actively constructs, our values, worldview, lenses, and frameworks. In other words, each time we communicate, we shape and construct the world around us.

This text frames communication, and technical communication in particular, as actively engaged in shaping our values and our world views. Throughout this text, you will be introduced to the various ways in which technical communication intersects with issues of social justice and with diversity, equity, and inclusion. When technical communicators make decisions about communicating with a specific audience, they must make choices related to social justice and equity. This text specifically approaches technical communication as audience-focused, and frames technical communication as always concerned with access and inclusion.

Over the last several years especially, we have seen how language impacts the world around us. Consider how you interact with language, especially writing, on a daily basis. How does that language shape your worldview? How has it moved you to do some of your own research, or to change the way that you do something? Can you think of an instance when language–how something is expressed using text and images–impacted the way you interact with the world? Can you think of a time when language has impacted the way that you understand the world and your relationship to it?

As folks interested in technical communication, we know the importance of language. What is not always so apparent is the idea that language is never neutral. In this text, we examine the ways that technical communication, which is often understood as “objective,” “straightforward,” or “neutral,” is still wrapped up in and impacted by things like bias, politics, and individual experiences and beliefs. The language we use is always steeped in ideologies (how we make sense of information or how we order our worldviews) and shaped by our own narratives, experiences, and beliefs. Even when you are creating, or using, a set of instructions that show you how to retile your bathroom floor, the language used to communicate these steps is impacted by the cultural context of the communicator and the audience.

Technical communicators explain things, but how do they do this work? How do they make choices about the language they use so that they are always conscious of the ways in which they not only report but shape the material world? How, as technical communicators, can we work towards social justice, knowing the importance of language and words and communication as things that move people to action?

This text approaches technical communication with two key concepts and frameworks in mind:

1. Language is a powerful tool that is always inherently involved in shaping and framing the way that people interact with the world and
2. Technical communication is rhetorical.

While technical communication is sometimes framed as a straightforward, objective way to use language, this text positions technical communicators as engaged in social justice every time they engage language. This text focuses on this intersection between technical communication and social justice as it moves through key theoretical frameworks and genres in the field. It curates recent articles and texts that examine what it means to engage social justice in technical communication and emphasizes the importance of always understanding how language shapes worldviews. Technical communicators are often curators, as well; as they make choices about what things to explain, how to explain them, and which voices are elevated and valued, they engage in action related to social justice.

Understanding the connection between social justice and technical communication is tied to understanding technical communication as rhetorical. In what follows, we explore what it means to take a rhetorical approach to technical communication. Then, we define the field and describe its important link to social justice. Finally, we explore key genres in the field of technical communication and dissect each genre with the rhetorical situation and concerns about social justice in mind.

Important texts, sources, and background

This text is rooted in the experience of technical communication instructors who have taught this course and who recognize the importance of centering social justice in an approach to learning technical communication. It is also based in the work of researchers and educators who have been calling for increased attention to how technical communication intersects with social justice, and whose work emphasizes the need for technical communicators to reflect on a history of exclusionary practice and to work towards diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field.

In particular, this text is based in the work of Rebecca Walton, Kristen R. Moore, and Natasha N. Jones, whose text Technical Communication After the Social Justice Turn is an important read for any technical communicators, students, teachers, and researchers.^[1] The opening quote comes from the introduction of that text, in which they position technical communicators, and the field of technical communication, in relation to justice and injustice. They emphasize the need for increased reflection on current and historical practices that ask whose voices have been included, and whose voices have been excluded or silenced. They also explain the importance of developing coalitions: in order to be more inclusive, it’s important to work collaboratively and to actively seek out other viewpoints. This text also discusses the importance of collaboration among technical communicators and provides some strategies for collaborating on projects and student work. Collaboration means listening to other voices and other experiences, and the model of coalitions means recognizing when we can step in as experts and when we can turn to other experts. In short, it is important to continually learn from each other and work together.

The second quote at the beginning of this text comes from The Social Justice Turn by Haas and Eble (2018), which likewise positions technical communication as always engaged with matters of justice.^[2] Technical communicators, they argue, must be aware of the ways that their work either perpetuates systems of injustice or dismantles such systems and works towards equity and inclusion. In this text, we describe how rhetorical approaches to technical communication can frame each new instance of communication as an opportunity to work towards social justice by focusing on inclusion and equity and through centering a specific audience.

Along with such foundational texts, this book is a collaborative effort among instructors and a result of many formal and informal communications, many teaching and professional development meetings, and the shared efforts of WRIT 3562W instructors past and present at the University of Minnesota Department of Writing Studies who work to make social justice an important part of their introduction to technical communication courses through their selection of readings and creative activities and assignments.

Finally, this open text is not meant to replace any other articles or readings on social justice and the field of technical communication, but rather to act as a companion text that is intentionally practical, straightforward, and tailored specifically to undergraduate students enrolled in WRIT 3562W at the University of Minnesota. If you come across this text outside of this course, please feel free to use and remix what you find useful.

How to read this text

As mentioned above, you may be reading this text as part of your introduction to technical and professional communication course. Or, you may have come across this text because you are interested in better understanding the work of technical communicators and the relationship between technical communication and social justice. In either case, this text need not be read strictly from beginning to end. The various sections of this text reference each other, and you may find yourself moving back and forth among them. However, if you start at the beginning and work your way to the end, you will notice that concepts build off earlier concepts from this text.

If you do not read the text from beginning to end, you may choose the specific sections that interest you. You can just read about genres, for example, or about defining the field. You could start by reading about technical descriptions and then read about diversity, equity, and inclusion. Your instructor may assign certain sections to go along with other course readings and texts. While some of the organization is a bit “messy” and many of the concepts are repeated, the basic structure of the text is sketched out below.

This text is divided into four main sections:

Section 1: Taking a Rhetorical Approach 

Section 2: Technical Communication, Social Justice, and Collective Access

Section 3: Defining the Field of Technical Communication 

Section 4: Common Genres in Technical Communication 

Each section begins with the title, followed by a brief interlude called “voices from the field.” In “voices from the field,” you’ll read quotes from practitioners and professionals regarding the core concept or topic of each section. These brief paragraphs are meant to tie what you’re learning from this text (which is often somewhat theoretical) to the practices of working technical communicators. They offer a glimpse into how professionals make sense of the rhetorical situation or how they encounter social justice in their work. This text attempts to bridge current academic research and theory with working technical communicators, and to make connections between academia and current practices. As a student of technical communication, it is useful to understand how theory and practice intersect.

Each major section is further divided into clusters of information. These clusters are labeled 1.1, 1.2, etc., followed by a heading title that describes what information you’ll find. Just like with each major section, you’ll find some overlap and repetition among the information clusters. This grouping of information is meant to help organize the concepts and approaches in each section.

While the sections are labeled 1 through 4, you may read them in a different order. Section 4, especially, tends to stand on its own, since it addresses common genres in the field of technical communication. Of course this section does approach genres as both rhetorical and as engaged in social justice, and if these concepts are unclear it would be helpful to go back and read sections 1 and 2. Because some people may read this text out of order, you’ll find certain concepts repeated throughout. The concept of the rhetorical situation, for example, is an important one, and it comes up in each section (not just section 1).

Finally, because this is an electronic text, you will find links to other useful texts and resources. Such links and references provide more information and do the work of expressing the same information in different ways (since we each tend to learn differently). Each included link is useful and helps to give a fuller “picture” or understanding of a concept, so do take the time to explore them as you read! If you are enrolled in WRIT 3562W, some of these readings may also be available through the University of Minnesota libraries or through your course Canvas site.

Throughout these sections, you will also find other suggested readings, discussion questions, and activities. This text includes citations for additional readings and direct links, when possible.

The following describes, briefly, what you’ll find in each major section and cluster.

Section 1

Section 1 describes what it means to take a rhetorical approach to technical communication. This section covers the following clusters:

• 1.1 Understanding rhetoric. In this first cluster, you learn what a rhetorical approach “looks like,” about the rhetorical situation, and about the rhetorical appeals. This cluster also focuses on the importance of audience, which you will see mentioned throughout this entire text.
• 1.2 Communication as process; writing as action. This cluster frames communication as action, and focuses on writing as a process (rather than as a final product). What this means for technical communicators is that their work is ongoing, always in process, and that it is frequently tied to their audience taking some specific action.
• 1.3 Collaboration. Technical communication is most often collaborative: in this cluster you find steps for developing a collaborative process and various strategies that make it easier to work with a team. This cluster also describes the various benefits of collaboration and provides some collaborative frameworks.
• 1.4 Editing and revising. This cluster again describes the process of communication, focusing specifically on revising and editing. It provides some strategies and examples for revising a text, and emphasizes revision as an iterative, rather than a linear, process.
• 1.5 The rhetorical work of research and citation. Finally, this cluster discusses the importance of research and frames citation as rhetorical and as related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. This cluster provides links to other readings and resources for APA citation style.

Throughout section 1, you’ll find the reasons behind approaching technical communication using a rhetorical framework. The concepts in this section will carry over into the others. While section 1 focuses on technical communication and rhetoric, it also emphasizes how taking a rhetorical approach also allows us to understand the relationship between technical communication and social justice. This section emphasizes the importance of audience and context and of approaching each communication situation in a way that considers diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

Section 2

Section 2 focuses on how technical communication intersects with social justice and collective access. This section includes the following clusters:

• 2.1 Diversity, equity, and inclusion. This first cluster briefly defines the terms diversity, equity, and inclusion. It provides a foundation for understanding how technical communication is concerned with these concepts, and why it is so important for technical communicators to always consider them.
• 2.2 Social justice, technical communication, action and community. This cluster describes how diversity, equity, and inclusion are related to the concept of social justice. It articulates the role that technical communication plays in the work towards social justice.
• 2.3 Audience and access. This cluster examines the importance of focusing on your audience when you approach each new instance of technical communication. It also introduces accessibility and document design as a part of accessibility.
• 2.4 Intercultural communication. This cluster discusses intercultural communication and introduces the practice of localization, which helps technical communicators adapt or create content for specific audiences.

Each of these areas of focus within section two are meant to serve as a starting point for your inquiry into social justice and technical communication. These concepts are introduced in this section, but there is much more to research and read when it comes to how technical communication works towards diversity, equity, and inclusion! Focusing on your audience, for example, is an ongoing process for technical communicators, who must continually work to seek out and incorporate new ways of understanding and communicating. 

Section 3

Section 3 articulates how the field of technical communication creates its borders and how we define technical communication. This section is the shortest of the four major sections and helps to explain the boundaries and parameters of the field. This section covers the following clusters:

• 3.1 Defining technical communication. This cluster works to define technical communication and also explains why that definition is fluid. It also explains some distinctions between using the terms technical communication and technical writing and discusses professional communication.
• 3.2 Technical communication and technology. This cluster focuses on the relationship between technical communication and technology. It ends with an activity to help you develop your own definition and understanding of technical communication.
• 3.3 Technical communication and relaying information. In this cluster, you’ll read about technical communication as “explaining things” to a target audience. This cluster emphasizes that, while technical communicators are working to relay information, they are still making rhetorical choices about how to best explain things.

Section 4

Section 4 focuses on common genres of technical communication, and introduces the concept of genre as fluid, socially defined categories. This section includes the following clusters:

• 4.1 Genre, social action, and access. In this first cluster, you’ll be introduced to the idea of genre as social action. You will read about why it’s useful to learn specific genre conventions while still taking a rhetorical, audience focused approach to technical communication.
• 4.2 Technical descriptions. In this cluster, you’ll learn about the genres of technical definitions and descriptions. This cluster describes where you may find this common genre, and why it’s so important to consider your specific audience when creating a product or process description.
• 4.3 Instructions. This cluster describes the genre of instructions, which you have likely already interacted with. You’ll find resources on creating effective instructions, and learn about the importance of usability testing.
• 4.4 Proposals. This cluster covers the genre of research proposals, which is similar to but distinct from something like a business proposal or plan. The proposals described in this cluster articulate a researchable problem and discuss a plan for researching that problem.
• 4.5 Reports.This cluster discusses the genre of a formal report, which follows a fairly standardized format. You’ll learn about the IMRD structure and find resources for developing a persuasive, informative report that ethically and accurately provides data or research results.
• 4.6 Presentations. In this final cluster, you will read about technical presentations, which is yet another way to deliver information to a specific audience. This cluster focuses on using text, images, and audio to deliver information. It also provides links to other resources for creating an effective presentation.

Keep in mind, as you read, that the concepts introduced in each section may well fit in other areas: there is so much overlap among each concept and approach, and the organization of the four main sections and each subsequent cluster is just one of many possible ways to group such information. This text makes connections among concepts and approaches, and you should work to make such connections as you read.

The intersection between technical communication and social justice is complex and dynamic. Consider this text, and its organization, a useful place to begin your inquiry, and let it lead you to other important readings and research. In other words, you can think of this text as a useful starting point to understand technical communication and social justice, but keep in mind that the work towards diversity, equity, and inclusion is ongoing, and that the field of technical communication is continually adapting and evolving to the needs of its audiences.