ABSTRACT
The jargon of electronic text processing, like the jargon of mystery cults and secret societies, can be a deterrent to the uninitiated. The writers and editors identified several activities in which they use word processors to produce the text of technical documents. The technique may seem more appropriate to a freshman writing classroom than to a technical writing department, but professional writers and editors report many uses of brainstorming. Organizing the outline of a technical document requires the writer to make rhetorical judgments related to the document’s purpose, audience, and content and, simultaneously, to consider non-rhetorical constraints, such as company policy or the requirement to follow prescribed formats. Since a document’s unity and coherence are first established during this organizational step, some writers consider this the most important step in the communication process. Technical communicators need an efficient data collection system.
