07.17.06 - The Impact of Cicero
If you had to provide a brief account of the impact of Cicero on technical communication today, how would you do it? What would that impact be? Also, what messages have you learned from the Rhetorica ad Herennium?
Cicero:
While this point relates to technical communication, I am not sure how this impacts the field, but Cicero discusses the often-raised question of whether a technical writer must be intimately familiar with the subject on which he or she is writing. Basically, a technical communicator (orator) is expert in knowledge of style, arrangement, rhetoric, delivery, and perhaps language, in general. This individual’s expertise, then, is in the communication of the information, not of the actual topic.
In Book II, Cicero discusses the effective ways to copy style (and whom to copy). I think the strength of certain types of technical communication is in the familiar structure of the communication (arrangement). For example, instructions are best comprehended and easiest to follow when they are chunked into small sections with clear headings and tasks are ordered logically and placed in an ordered list. In this example, language is most often imperative, in 2nd person, and applies simplistic terms and diction. The effectiveness of this structure is two fold. First, it is a logical design, which is easily followed by the reader. Second, it is the style with which we are familiar; thus, it was copied from a familiar model. Other more flowing examples of technical communication, such as reports, also have a particular style and structure that is effective both due to its logic and to its familiar design.
Rhetorica ad Herennium
In the middle of writing the section of my final paper on the canon of delivery, I took a break and read the Rhetorica ad Herennium. Therefore, being that was my frame of mind, I think what I took from this text relates largely to delivery. For example, the author weighs in on the power and importance of delivery (a canon oft overshadowed by the others:
“For skillful invention, elegant style, the artistic arrangements of the parts comprising the case, and the careful memory of all these will be of no more value without delivery.” (III ix 19). Note: this section is not in our readings, it is in Book III, which I read for the purpose of supporting my paper’s argument.For the sake of making a reference to a point that was in our reading (Book IV), I’ll note that, having written this posting, I am reminded of the author’s discussion about the three levels of style (grand, middle, and plain). It is the p[lain language that is used in the type of writing I discussed above (writing instructions).
posted by Time @ 12:12 AM
5 comments
5 Comments:
Time,
How do you teach style to your students? Most of mine consider it unnecessary ornamentation instead of a factor that impacts the audience in often subtle and significant ways.
Do you ask your students to read passages out loud? I know that delivery is more associated with speech-making, but I'm afraid that oral reading is becoming a lost art. I don't want to humiliate or alienate any of my students; however, I do want to encourage them to improve their "delivery"--the beauty of language is often overlooked when it is read silently.
Looking forward to learning more about delivery from you.
Alison
Hi Time,
I wonder how much of the topic is embedded in the communication of it?
I think about this especially for designing online instruction. There are people who argue that the instructor should be able to give the content to another person who can put it online. But the more I research the more it seems that delivery of the content, the teaching of it online, is or can be part of the content itself. Does that make sense? So not only do I need to know my content, but I want to design my online lessons to reflect that content. Would a technical communicator who doesn't know the content be able to do that?
The canon, definitely is something new to our reading. As are very specific elements of style.
To Alison:
How do I teach style to my students? Well, I do not do so, formally; that is, I do not discuss the canon of style… I might after this course. But, to introduce them to the concepts of style I tie the discussion into audience and purpose. Basically, when writing to a given audience and/or with a specific purpose, one of the aspects of your communication that might differ is the style that one uses. One exercise I have them perform sometimes is to discuss the differences in how they would design/create a certain document, say a web site on knitting sweaters or a brochure on hot air ballooning, for different audiences – perhaps an expert group, an amateur/interested group, a student/research group, etc. While I do not specifically discuss the five canons, this exercise forces them to consider and discuss invention and style mainly, and perhaps a bit on arrangement and delivery.
To Janie:
I see what you are saying and definitely concur. I think the idea is that the technical communicator is in possession of a base level of knowledge about how to impart information, including the language, style, layout, design, etc. However, one cannot ignore the topic, which is essential.
The situation seems to be that those who are intimately aware of the topic have spent their energy in honing their expertise on that topic, aeronautical engineers for example. In this way, they are commonly not expert communicators, hence the need for the technical communicator who has the expertise in communication and uses the content that is provided by the engineer. This also demands the role of the SME in the QA process to ensure that what has been stated by the communicator is accurate. As another analogy, I could say that I am an expert in chopping, sautéing, mixing, rolling, baking, grilling, measuring, etc. The ingredients that you give to me to make a recipe are somewhat irrelevant – as long as I have the materials and an idea of how to make the final product, I can cook.
Finally, I’ll note that the more a communicator becomes familiar with the topic, including terminology, processes, and parts, the better he or she will be at that role. One exampled proof of this can be seen in job postings for technical writers/communicators. If it is a posting for a technical writer in the aeronautical industry, to continue with the above example, they generally want the individual to have X number of year experience in that field – this is true of the health, legal, or other industries, as well. In other words, an excellent technical communicator cannot just be thrown into a totally new content/topic area and be expert there, but the foundation of communication expertise remains.
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