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Technical communication is becoming increasingly focused on the efficient production of documentation , largely commoditizing a profession based , at least in part , on the art of rhetoric . As technical communicators embrace single sourcing , the practice of writing content for one context and reusing it in others , the impetus is on technological solutions that enable more output with less effort . This dissertation will describe a new rhetoric to help technical communicators in dealing with the complexities of composing within a hypertextual and single -source based environment while employing the traditional skills of the profession .
A useful model for technical communicators working with reusable content is that offered by object -orientation , a programming method that likewise focuses on reusable content , specifically program code . Rather than defining a series of algorithms in program code , which results in inefficiencies similar to those of writing and maintaining individual documents , object -orientation segregates code by creating models of interaction among code objects which then govern themselves . Such a process could help create more efficient and sustainable methods of creating documentation if applied to technical communication . Since these objects offer a new approach to authoring , a rhetoric of such objects becomes necessary before they can be implemented for technical communication . Since these objects are connected through complex referential relationships , they are also an advanced form of hypertext .
Object -orientation and the hypertext theory of Ted Nelson provide language suitable for defining such a rhetoric . A theory of invention is equivalent to understanding how knowledge is formed , manipulated , and stored within the mind ; cognitive theory and the work of Marvin Minsky and Roger Shank help define a suitable metaphor for this rhetoric . Lastly , elements of the process will be shown through the example of real -world activities such as those involved in complex documentation efforts . |
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