Taking A Rhetorical Approach
In this text, communication is framed as always rhetorical. Even the most seemingly straightforward examples of technical communication require a communicator to make intentional choices based on the context, purpose, audience, etc. To frame technical communication as rhetorical, or to take a rhetorical approach to communication, means that technical communicators must be flexible and responsive to their situations and environments. It also means that technical communicators recognize the ways in which language not only reflects but shapes the world, creates or maintains or challenges our value systems, and either perpetuates or challenges structures of oppression. Technical communication allows audiences access to information, and communicators must make rhetorical choices to best decide how content can be most accessible.
This first section focuses on taking a rhetorical approach to technical communication. First, it defines and explains the rhetorical situation and why it is important to take a rhetorical approach as a technical communicator. Then, it describes the rhetorical appeals–ethos, pathos, and logos–and discusses how and where they “show up” in technical writing. Next, it describes language as action, specifically framing technical communication as language having direct impact on the material world or leading the audience to specific action. Finally, this chapter discusses research and citational practices, frames these practices as inherently concerned with social justice and ethics, and explains why research and citation are essential in technical communication.
Voices From the Field
“The audience for my product is very broad. While sometimes there are priority audiences from a business perspective, what I write needs to be generally understandable. I try to write as simply and clearly as possible, as that tends to scale better to translation and localization.”
Bill Siemers
Content Strategist, Facebook
