A Reflection on Technical Communication, 12th edition, by Mike Markel

Technical, also referred to as functional writing, is a fundamental skill that has become an essential requirement for workers in different work environments. Workplace writing skills help a worker with the most significant ability to communicate with other sections of the workplace, including colleagues and bosses. Consequently, institutions of higher learning perform a crucial role in equipping the trainees with the basic skills of how to get the job done. Trainers and instructors also empower these workers with basic writing skills that suit their respective workplace situations. Mike Markel’s Technical Communication is an indispensable tool, in which learners acquire excellent abilities in workplace situation writing skills.

Reflecting on the various insights presented by the renowned author and professor in his 12th edition of Technical Communication, it is evident that Mike Markel has revised the flow of his ideas to reconcile with the basic and modern realities of the times. For instance, in the 5th chapter of his book, he presents the use of social media as a new communication tool that most organizations use to reach out to their audiences. In his arguments, it is possible to derive the basic reality that organizational communication, both internal and external communication, employs various social media tools to achieve intended message deliveries.

By the basic construction of its functioning, it has emerged as a better communication tool. The communication technique has an immense ability to determine the nature of a target audience with respect to age, gender, geographical location, average level of education, as well as socioeconomic status. According to Lovejoy and Saxton, the above factors are critical since they help to tailor intended messages to the right audience (341). Integrating social media in the workplace communication can also help workers to improve their writing skills in their respective workplaces, usually by acquiring the relevant data concerning the target audience. Unlike the traditional circumstances where one would write without a clear idea of the audience, social media makes pieces of workplace writing be precise, accurate, and direct to the intended audience.

Work Cited

Lovejoy, Kristen, and Gregory D. Saxton. “Information, community, and action: How nonprofit organizations use social media.” Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 17.3 (2012): 337-353.