Effective Technical Communications: Expression - Copy Preparation - Motivation.
Abstract
The effect of variables in the expression and presentation of a written technical communication upon the effectiveness of the communication were tested on four definably different student audiences. The message was a description of a simple mechanical device. The variable in expression included misspellings, errors in agreement, and sentence structure. The variable in presentation included margins (straight or ragged), corrections (clean or sloppy), and reproduction (clean or dirty). Effectiveness of the message was measured by comprehension, reading time, and judgments of the author's knowledge of his subject matter, and competence as a writer. Subjects in two audiences were told nothing about the purpose of the test administration. Those in the other two were told that performance would have no effect on course grades. Six main effects attributable to the variables were found. All indicated that the communication's effectiveness was lessened by the altered form of the variable concerned. (Modified author abstract)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1974
- Accession Number
- AD0784226
Entities
People
- Richard M. Davis
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology