HISTORY OF TECHNICAL

COMMUNICATION

WHAT IS TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION?

is a specialized form of communication.

• It shares many characteristics of the other forms of communication, but it differs from these forms in its audience, (listeners, viewers, or readers), purpose (why a communication is needed), style (tone, voice, point of view), format, situation, content, and use.

HOW IT ALL STARTED?

PAPYRUS(ca. 2560-2550 BCE )

a material prepared in ancient Egypt from the pithy stem of a water plant, used in sheets throughout the ancient Mediterranean world for writing or painting on and also for making rope, sandals, and boats.

MECHANICAL PRINTING PRESS

(REINASSANCE PERIOD)(14th–17th centuries.)

is a device for evenly printing ink onto a print medium (substrate) such as paper or cloth. The device applies pressure to a print medium that rests on an inked surface made of movable type, thereby transferring the ink.

REINASSANCE PERIOD(14th–17th centuries.)Age of Enlightenment

(late 17th-century)

With the invention of the mechanical printing press, the onset of the Renaissance and the rise of the Age of Reason, the need to document findings became a necessity, and inventors and scientists like Isaac Newton and Leonardo Di Vinci prepared documents that chronicled their inventions and findings. While never called technical documents during their period of publication, these documents played a crucial role in developing modern forms of technical communication and writing.

ISAAC NEWTON’S BOOKFrom Da Vinci’s

Journals

Industrial Revolution(1760 to sometime

between 1820 and 1840)

Steam Engine

The field of technical communication grew during the Industrial Revolution. As more and more complex machines were invented and used, the need for instructing people how to use these devices became vital. However, unlike the past, where skills were handed down through oral traditions, no one besides the inventors knew how to use these new devices. Writing thus became the fastest and most effective way to disseminate information, and writers who could document these devices were desired.

World War I(28 July 1914 – 11 November

1918)World War II

(1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945)

(6 years, 1 day)

During the 20th century, the need for technical writing skyrocketed, and the profession finally became officially recognized.

Technical writing was in high demand during this time, and became an official job title during World War II.

BINAC COMPUTER

During the post-war boom that preceded World War II, public services like libraries and universities, as well transport systems like buses and highways saw massive amounts of growth, and the need for writers to chronicle these processes increased.It was also during this period that computers started being used in large businesses and universities. Notably, in 1949, Joseph D. Chapline authored the first computational technical document, an instruction manual for the BINAC computer.

TRANSISTORIZED COMPUTER

The discovery of the transistor in 1947 allowed computers to be produced more cheaply than ever before. These cheaper prices meant that computers could now be purchased by individuals and small businesses. And as a result of the computer’s growing prominence, the need for writers who could explain and document these devices grew. The profession of technical writing saw further expansion during the 70s and 80s as consumer electronics found their way into the homes of more and more people.

WORD PROCESSORS

In recent years, the prominence of computer's in society has led to many advances in the field of digital communications, leading to many changes in the tools technical writers use. Hypertext, word processors, graphics editing programs, and page layout software have made the creation of technical documents faster and easier than ever before, and technical writers of today must be proficient in these programs.