Communication patterns of technical writers and electrical engineers during meetings

Author

RAVEN, MARY ELIZABETH

Author_Institution

Digital Equipment Corp., Maynard, MA, USA

fYear

1990

fDate

12-14 Sept. 1990

Firstpage

9

Lastpage

12

Abstract

Communication patterns between technical writers and electrical engineers during information-gathering meetings are discussed. The communication patterns of both writers and engineers were analyzed using interaction profiles, a type of analysis created by R.F. Bales (1976). The results concerning writers suggest that they give as much information as they receive during an interaction, and that writers avoid showing tension and/or antagonism. The results concerning engineers suggest that they give more information, opinions, and suggestions than they are asked for, and that they, too, avoid showing tension or antagonism.<>

Keywords

human factors; professional aspects; antagonism; communication patterns; electrical engineers; information-gathering meetings; meetings; technical writers; tension; Communication effectiveness; Computer science; Operating systems; Pattern analysis; Printed circuits; Problem-solving; Professional communication; Software tools; Terminology; Writing;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Professional Communication Conference, 1990. IPCC 90. Communication Across the Sea: North American and European Practices, International

Conference_Location

Guildford, UK

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/IPCC.1990.111139

Filename

111139