Technical Communication, Canadian Edition, 9th edition

Published by Pearson Canada (March 15, 2024) © 2025
  • John M. Lannon
  • Laura J. Gurak
  • Don Klepp
  • Shannon Kelly
  • Jana Sejits
  • Paul Schmidt
  • Bahareh Shahabi

Title overview

For courses in Technical Communication.

Complete coverage for any course in technical communication, business communication, or professional writing

Today's workplace requires writing emails, memos, letters, and informal reports, as well as more complex communications such as formal reports, proposals, web pages, and presentations. Technical Communication guides students to write persuasively, effectively, and with perspective on technological innovations and global communications. Lannon and Gurak incorporate the interpersonal, logical, ethical, and cultural demands of different forms of workplace communications, and encourage the development of skills students will need to navigate these considerations. Building on research and writing skills, the authors prepare students for technical writing in any field.

Hallmark features of this title

  • "On the Job" Boxes. Fully updated and enhanced for this edition, these boxes provide brief quotations from real professionals in the workplace and are interspersed throughout the text where the subject matter of the boxes matches the text discussion.
  • "Profile" Boxes. The book features profiles of 10 business professionals, tied to the subject matter of the chapters in which they appear, and each featuring an Exploratory Writing exercise that asks students to reflect upon and write about the topics discussed in the boxes.
  • “Guidelines” Boxes. Provide summarized “hands- on” advice on how to effectively prepare key documents, participate in meetings, make oral presentations, and much more. 

New to this Edition

  • Updated “On the Job” Boxes. These boxes provide brief quotations from real professionals in the workplace and are interspersed throughout the text where the subject matter of the boxes matches the text discussion.
  • Revised “Profile” Boxes. The revised Profile boxes also provide real-world context, but in a more extended format. The book features profiles of 10 business professionals, tied to the subject matter of the chapters in which they appear, and each featuring an Exploratory Writing exercise that asks students to reflect upon and write about the topics discussed in the boxes. You will find these Profiles in Chapters 2, 4, 8, 9, 13, 16, 22, 23, 24, and 25.
  • Enhanced Emphasis on “Guidelines” Boxes. The popular “Guidelines” boxes, which provide summarized “hands-on” advice on how to effectively prepare key documents, participate in meetings, make oral presentations, and much more, have been given special emphasis in this edition of Technical Communication.Revised Grammar and Style at Work, 3rd edition, by Don Klepp.This handbook supplement, now fully revised to reflect modern pronoun usage and inclusive language, is available as an interactive appendix within the Revel and in a loose-leaf version of the printed text. “Grammar and Style at Work” will help you communicate clearly and effectively in business and technical settings, whether you’re working part-time, volunteering, or applying for jobs. It keeps its focus on the essential English skills that you need to succeed in today’s workplace. The Revel version features over 35 interactive exercises tailored to each section of the guide, while the print version features a comparable number of hands-on exercises.

Key features

Digital Assets in Revel

  • Videos and interactives that are integrated directly into the narrative get students learning actively, making it more likely that they'll retain what they've read.
  • Embedded assessments afford students regular opportunities to check their understanding. The results enable instructors to gauge student comprehension and provide timely feedback to address learning gaps along the way.
  • Writing assignments - such as journaling prompts and shared writing activities - enable educators to foster and assess critical thinking without significantly impacting their grading burden.
  • The educator dashboard offers an at-a-glance look at overall class performance. It helps instructors identify and contact struggling and low-activity students, ensuring that the class stays on pace.

Table of contents

  1. Introduction to Technical Communications
  2. Preparing to Write: Audience/Purpose Analysis
  3. Writing Efficiently  
  4. Collaborating at Work
  5. Writing Persuasively
  6. Writing Ethically
  7. Gathering Information
  8. Recording and Reviewing Research Findings
  9. Documenting Research Findings  
  10. Summarizing  Information
  11. Organizing for Readers  
  12. Designing Visuals
  13. Designing Pages and Documents
  14. Definitions
  15. Descriptions and Specifications  
  16. Process Analyses, Instructions, and Procedures
  17. Manuals and Usability Testing
  18. Proposals  
  19. Formal Analytical Reports
  20. Adding Document Supplements
  21. Short Reports
  22. Workplace Correspondence
  23. Job-search Communications
  24. Oral Presentations
  25. Using Online Media

Author bios

John Lannon is Professor Emeritus and former Director of Writing at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, where he developed the undergraduate major in professional writing and later codeveloped the M.A. program in professional writing. He has also taught at Cape Cod Community College, University of Idaho, Southern Vermont College and University of Strasbourg. He has authored and coauthored 5 major textbooks in business communication, rhetoric and technical communication, book reviews, filmstrips and environmental documents and instructional software. He is the recipient of an NDEA Fellowship and Fulbright Lectureship. He holds a B.S., M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His initial training and work were in biomedical science and technology with the USAF. He has served as a communications consultant for various companies and government institutions. He worked 7 years in medical laboratories.

Laura J. Gurak is professor and founding chair of the Department of Writing Studies at the University of Minnesota, where she teaches courses in technical writing and digital communication. She holds an M.S. in technical communication and a Ph.D. in communication and rhetoric from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She is author of 2 books from Yale University Press, one of which was the first book-length study of online social actions. Gurak is also coeditor of several edited collections and author on numerous conference presentations and papers. She is a recipient of the Society for Technical Communication's Outstanding Article award. Gurak has authored and coauthored five textbooks in technical communication published by Pearson. She has worked as a software developer, technical writer and communications consultant for various companies and organizations.

Paul Schmidt taught Technical Communications for thirteen years in the Faculty of Engineering at Western University (London, Ontario) and has taught Management Communications the past ten at the Ivey Business School, Western University. He has helped train executives from around the world on communication strategy. He also serves as Manager of the Writing Support Centre at Western University.

Shannon Kelly is a faculty member in the Communication department at British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), arriving in 2002 as she was finishing her doctorate in English (University of Waterloo). With a background in technical communication and software documentation, Shannon was happy to join a polytechnic institution which values teaching excellence and provides opportunities to continue her research. Building on previous research projects in the areas of inclusive pedagogy, technology, and sustainability, Shannon, along with co-applicant Zaa Joseph, achieved Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) funding in 2016 to launch Diversity Circles, a campus-based diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative which is still active at BCIT. Shannon is the program head of BCIT's Technical Writing Certificate and Technical Communication Essentials microcredential.

Bahareh Shahabi is a faculty member in the Communication department at British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), also involved in cross-institutional projects with Simon Fraser University (SFU) and Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU). She is a passionate communication instructor and learning designer dedicated to incorporating learning technologies into skills-based training programs. Bahareh is interested in leveraging cognitive tools as she designs hands-on learning experiences to enhance communication and critical thinking. Bahareh brings her past experience of living in diverse cultures, along with her interest in coaching and empowering students, to design and develop learning experiences that can promote students' success at work and life.

Jana Seijts is an award-winning Lecturer of Management Communications at the Ivey Business School at Western University. She is also an EDI consultant and instructor working with the TRACOM Group to help organizations seamlessly merge EDI and Social Style training. Jana received her B.A., B.Ed., and M.A. from the University of Toronto and has over 25 years of experience teaching communication courses at Western University, the Schulich School of Business, York University, and the University of Manitoba. Jana has also taught Gender and Society at Fanshawe College and numerous pre-service teaching seminars in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba. She is a bestselling author of business cases, including “When the Twitterverse Turns on You” and “Who Should Take the Fall?” featured in Harvard Business Review. She is co-author of A Concise Guide to Technical Communication and IMPACT! A Guide to Business Communication.

In 2020, Jana won the prestigious Western University USC Teaching Award. In addition to working with numerous international organizations, Jana is a Senior Lecturer at the Sri Lankan Institute of Information Technology, where she works with MBA and Undergraduate students to learn to navigate communication in a post-Covid world.

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