Readings in Houp/Pearsall/Tebeaux's Reporting Technical Information, 9th edition, (New York: Allyn & Bacon, 1997), helpful in responding to this case:
- Brainstorming and Discovery, pp. 19-21.
- Writing for Readers, pp. 61-72.
- Discourse Communities, pp. 77-80.
- Document Design, pp. 187-229.
- Graphical Elements, pp. 270-302.
- International Readers, pp. 84-87.
- Oral Reports, pp. 579-605.
- Technical Reference Books and Guides, pp. 669-684.
"Why me?" moans Olga. "I hate speaking worse than anything. I'd rather be dead than talk to people."
"Me, too," agrees Mubehar. "I can't stand to have to face people. It makes me so uncomfortable. Why do they have to pick on me? Just because I'm an engineering student!"
Both Olga and Mubehar have been asked to make a presentation on their choices of Engineering careers and their experiences and career plans to entering freshmen who have elected to go into pre-engineering. They have asked your ideas, support, and comfort because you are in a technical communication class. While they know it's an honor to have been invited by their dean, they are both unsure of what to say, where to get ideas and information, and how to overcome their stage fright. They have no idea of what freshman students might want or need to know. They're stuck!
"Well, why did the Dean invite you, anyway?" you ask.
"I'm an international student in Environmental Engineering, and Olga is a woman in Petroleum Engineering," replies Mubehar. "We're both honors students, and we're in the Engineering Honors Society. That's what he said, anyway. He thought that our decisions about our majors and the kinds of resource we had found might help the freshmen as they think about Engineering."
"That means you need to talk about yourselves as well as your majors and your resources, doesn't it? And what about the people and organizations that have helped?"
You compile a list of ideas for a brainstorm session for them as well as a list of questions and interests that university freshmen might have. You also make a list of research ideas about Engineering majors, employment, demographics, salaries, and research guides . . . and some on-campus individuals who could help with interviews. Then you outline some ideas for graphics that they might use to make their talks more interesting, for handouts they could provide for their audience, and for techniques for planning and rehearsing their talks.
After you prepare these materials, you turn them over to Olga and Mubehar. After all, they are the ones who will have to give the talks! It's really their problem! You simply gave them some good ideas about how to define it and solve it.