CHAPTER 8 – TECHNICAL INSTRUCTIONS
CHAPTER SYNOPSIS: The focus of this chapter is one of the most important of
all uses of technical writing – instructions. Instructions are step-by-step
explanations of how to do something: how to build, operate, repair, or maintain
things. For a quick overview of writing instructions, check out this link:
“Instructions: How to Write Guides for Busy, Grouchy People”
(https://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/technical writing/instructions-how-to-write-for-
busy-grouchy people/). This chapter begins with a brief overview of the
importance of knowing how to write instructions, followed by some basic
guidelines. The chapter goes into some depth in regards to analyzing the
rhetorical situation for writing instructions. The rhetorical situation includes the
purpose, audience, and context for any particular set of instructions. Next, we
cover how to plan and organize the writing process followed by information about
the content that is typically included in instructions. The chapter ends with some
nitty-gritty tips on writing the instructions.
8.1 – INTRODUCTION: One of the most common and important uses of
technical writing is instructions – step-by-step explanations of how to do things:
assemble, operate, repair, or do routine maintenance on something. Many
people associate instructions with appliances, computer accessories, products
that require assembly (e.g., furniture) and DIY projects. Because we do not find
ourselves using them regularly or we come to expect them only in certain
contexts, it is easy to forget how important they are. The quality of a well-
designed instruction manual may go unnoticed. Yet, when we encounter
frustration with putting together a bookshelf or toy, or with trying to figure out how
to change or activate a particular appliance setting, the significance of well-
written and designed instructions becomes clear. Although it may seem intuitive
and simple to write instructions, it is not always that easy. What follows in this
chapter may not be a foolproof guide to writing instructions, but it will show you
what professionals consider the best techniques. Ultimately, good instruction
writing requires:
o Clear, simple writing that utilizes strong, descriptive verbs to reveal the
process’s discrete actions
o A thorough understanding of the procedure in all its technical detail
o The ability to put yourself in the place of your audience and help them
avoid common errors
o The ability to go through the procedure with concentrated attention and to
capture that awareness on paper
o The willingness to go that extra distance and test your instructions on the
audience for whom they are written
This chapter explores some of the features of instructions that can make them
more complex to write, but easier for the reader to use. It also explains the
common elements of instructions and how to write them.
, 8.2 – THE RHETORICAL SITUATION: Instructions, like other types of texts, are
shaped by a rhetorical situation. The choices technical writers make in regards
to content and form depend on the purpose of the instructions, the intended
audience, and the context in which the instructions are used. Altogether, the
audience, purpose, and context of the instructions make up the rhetorical
situation. As you begin to plan your project, it is crucial to define the audience,
purpose, and context for your instructions. Remember that defining your
audience means defining its level of familiarity with the topic as well as other
such details. (See chapter 2 for the discussion of audiences). Most importantly,
if you are in a writing course, you will need to create a planning document that
identifies the rhetorical situation and how it will inform the composition of your
instructions. This will enable your instructor to assess how well your instructions
are customized for the intended audience. When writing your own instructions,
consider the following ideas and questions regarding the rhetorical situation.
o PURPOSE: In general, the purpose of a set of instructions is to guide the
user through a series of steps that lead to the completion of a task.
However, each set of instructions will also have a more specific outcome.
Identifying what that specific outcome is will help you make more effective
rhetorical decisions about content and design. Ask yourself:
What is/are the specific intended outcome(s) of the instructions,
e.g., building a doghouse, installing an air conditioner, etc.?
Are there other purposes that the instructions serve, e.g., offering
troubleshooting advice, teaching users how to accomplish
additional, simple tasks necessary for reaching the main objective,
defining unfamiliar terms, etc.?
o AUDIENCE: Creating a profile of your audience (i.e. the primary intended
user of the document) is integral for making thoughtful choices about
scope, content, and design. For some projects, it is tempting to say your
audience is “everyone or anyone,” but you are better off tailoring your
instructions for a specific audience. Check out this airline safety video
from Air New Zealand: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOw44VFNk8Y.
Ostensibly, the audience for the video is everyone and anyone (because
just about anyone could be on a flight), but Air New Zealand tailor their
instructions to appeal to a very specific audience (i.e. fans of The Hobbit),
while also making it accessible to anyone on the flight. Customizing their
instructions so specifically allows them to really grab their audience’s
attention, even if the customization is not grounded on a universal appeal.
In order to draft your instructions to serve your audience, consider these
questions before writing:
Who is the primary audience? Who is the secondary audience?
What is the primary audience’s familiarity or expertise regarding the
topic of the instructions?
What is the audience’s general comfort level with learning new
skills related to the software, apps, craft, etc.?
, What is your audience’s “typical” approach to learning? How will
your instructions address the audience’s learning style, goals, and
task-related needs?
o CONTEXT: Think of context as the temporal, social, technological, and
cultural situation surrounding the creation and use of the instructions. The
following questions will help you identify the context:
How much time will you have to complete this set of instructions?
Are there time constraints the user might encounter when reading
the instructions or performing the process?
Is there a degree of urgency to the rhetorical situation that might
dictate the instruction’s pace or flow? How will the design of the
document contribute to the pace or flow? For example, a guide on
how to properly administer CPR might need to anticipate a reader
who is under duress and needs information quickly so that they can
save someone’s life, whereas instructions on how to play “Mary
Had a Little Lamb” on the violin will be read by a recreational
audience that may not feel the same pressure or exigence.
What technological constraints must you consider in writing the
instructions? Consider your skills with technology and level of
access.
How will your audience gain access to the instructions? For
example, your audience may access it online via a company
website on a desktop computer or their smart phones. Will they
need to print it?
What additional tools or materials are you assuming the audience
already has? Will they have access to the technology or materials
needed to follow the instructions? For example, to successfully
build a bookshelf, the user will need a hammer, screwdriver, and
open work area.
From what cultural perspective are you writing the instructions?
Will the audience share this same cultural context? For example, a
German recipe that calls for vanilla sugar, an ingredient not readily
available in the United States, may need to be modified for
American users.
8.3 – PLANNING AND SHAPING: Once you have described the rhetorical
situation, you can begin drafting your set of instructions. A comprehensive set of
instructions contains many components. These are listed in the next section.
This section provides a foundation for your draft.
o NUMBER OF TASKS: How many tasks are there in the procedure you are
writing about? The term “procedure” refers to the whole set of activities
your instructions are intended to discuss. A task is a semi-independent
group of actions within the procedure: for example, making spaghetti and
meatballs is a procedure that – while containing dozens of individual steps
– can be broken down into three distinct tasks: 1) preparing the meatballs;
2) stewing the sauce; and 3) boiling the pasta. A simple procedure like
CHAPTER SYNOPSIS: The focus of this chapter is one of the most important of
all uses of technical writing – instructions. Instructions are step-by-step
explanations of how to do something: how to build, operate, repair, or maintain
things. For a quick overview of writing instructions, check out this link:
“Instructions: How to Write Guides for Busy, Grouchy People”
(https://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/technical writing/instructions-how-to-write-for-
busy-grouchy people/). This chapter begins with a brief overview of the
importance of knowing how to write instructions, followed by some basic
guidelines. The chapter goes into some depth in regards to analyzing the
rhetorical situation for writing instructions. The rhetorical situation includes the
purpose, audience, and context for any particular set of instructions. Next, we
cover how to plan and organize the writing process followed by information about
the content that is typically included in instructions. The chapter ends with some
nitty-gritty tips on writing the instructions.
8.1 – INTRODUCTION: One of the most common and important uses of
technical writing is instructions – step-by-step explanations of how to do things:
assemble, operate, repair, or do routine maintenance on something. Many
people associate instructions with appliances, computer accessories, products
that require assembly (e.g., furniture) and DIY projects. Because we do not find
ourselves using them regularly or we come to expect them only in certain
contexts, it is easy to forget how important they are. The quality of a well-
designed instruction manual may go unnoticed. Yet, when we encounter
frustration with putting together a bookshelf or toy, or with trying to figure out how
to change or activate a particular appliance setting, the significance of well-
written and designed instructions becomes clear. Although it may seem intuitive
and simple to write instructions, it is not always that easy. What follows in this
chapter may not be a foolproof guide to writing instructions, but it will show you
what professionals consider the best techniques. Ultimately, good instruction
writing requires:
o Clear, simple writing that utilizes strong, descriptive verbs to reveal the
process’s discrete actions
o A thorough understanding of the procedure in all its technical detail
o The ability to put yourself in the place of your audience and help them
avoid common errors
o The ability to go through the procedure with concentrated attention and to
capture that awareness on paper
o The willingness to go that extra distance and test your instructions on the
audience for whom they are written
This chapter explores some of the features of instructions that can make them
more complex to write, but easier for the reader to use. It also explains the
common elements of instructions and how to write them.
, 8.2 – THE RHETORICAL SITUATION: Instructions, like other types of texts, are
shaped by a rhetorical situation. The choices technical writers make in regards
to content and form depend on the purpose of the instructions, the intended
audience, and the context in which the instructions are used. Altogether, the
audience, purpose, and context of the instructions make up the rhetorical
situation. As you begin to plan your project, it is crucial to define the audience,
purpose, and context for your instructions. Remember that defining your
audience means defining its level of familiarity with the topic as well as other
such details. (See chapter 2 for the discussion of audiences). Most importantly,
if you are in a writing course, you will need to create a planning document that
identifies the rhetorical situation and how it will inform the composition of your
instructions. This will enable your instructor to assess how well your instructions
are customized for the intended audience. When writing your own instructions,
consider the following ideas and questions regarding the rhetorical situation.
o PURPOSE: In general, the purpose of a set of instructions is to guide the
user through a series of steps that lead to the completion of a task.
However, each set of instructions will also have a more specific outcome.
Identifying what that specific outcome is will help you make more effective
rhetorical decisions about content and design. Ask yourself:
What is/are the specific intended outcome(s) of the instructions,
e.g., building a doghouse, installing an air conditioner, etc.?
Are there other purposes that the instructions serve, e.g., offering
troubleshooting advice, teaching users how to accomplish
additional, simple tasks necessary for reaching the main objective,
defining unfamiliar terms, etc.?
o AUDIENCE: Creating a profile of your audience (i.e. the primary intended
user of the document) is integral for making thoughtful choices about
scope, content, and design. For some projects, it is tempting to say your
audience is “everyone or anyone,” but you are better off tailoring your
instructions for a specific audience. Check out this airline safety video
from Air New Zealand: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOw44VFNk8Y.
Ostensibly, the audience for the video is everyone and anyone (because
just about anyone could be on a flight), but Air New Zealand tailor their
instructions to appeal to a very specific audience (i.e. fans of The Hobbit),
while also making it accessible to anyone on the flight. Customizing their
instructions so specifically allows them to really grab their audience’s
attention, even if the customization is not grounded on a universal appeal.
In order to draft your instructions to serve your audience, consider these
questions before writing:
Who is the primary audience? Who is the secondary audience?
What is the primary audience’s familiarity or expertise regarding the
topic of the instructions?
What is the audience’s general comfort level with learning new
skills related to the software, apps, craft, etc.?
, What is your audience’s “typical” approach to learning? How will
your instructions address the audience’s learning style, goals, and
task-related needs?
o CONTEXT: Think of context as the temporal, social, technological, and
cultural situation surrounding the creation and use of the instructions. The
following questions will help you identify the context:
How much time will you have to complete this set of instructions?
Are there time constraints the user might encounter when reading
the instructions or performing the process?
Is there a degree of urgency to the rhetorical situation that might
dictate the instruction’s pace or flow? How will the design of the
document contribute to the pace or flow? For example, a guide on
how to properly administer CPR might need to anticipate a reader
who is under duress and needs information quickly so that they can
save someone’s life, whereas instructions on how to play “Mary
Had a Little Lamb” on the violin will be read by a recreational
audience that may not feel the same pressure or exigence.
What technological constraints must you consider in writing the
instructions? Consider your skills with technology and level of
access.
How will your audience gain access to the instructions? For
example, your audience may access it online via a company
website on a desktop computer or their smart phones. Will they
need to print it?
What additional tools or materials are you assuming the audience
already has? Will they have access to the technology or materials
needed to follow the instructions? For example, to successfully
build a bookshelf, the user will need a hammer, screwdriver, and
open work area.
From what cultural perspective are you writing the instructions?
Will the audience share this same cultural context? For example, a
German recipe that calls for vanilla sugar, an ingredient not readily
available in the United States, may need to be modified for
American users.
8.3 – PLANNING AND SHAPING: Once you have described the rhetorical
situation, you can begin drafting your set of instructions. A comprehensive set of
instructions contains many components. These are listed in the next section.
This section provides a foundation for your draft.
o NUMBER OF TASKS: How many tasks are there in the procedure you are
writing about? The term “procedure” refers to the whole set of activities
your instructions are intended to discuss. A task is a semi-independent
group of actions within the procedure: for example, making spaghetti and
meatballs is a procedure that – while containing dozens of individual steps
– can be broken down into three distinct tasks: 1) preparing the meatballs;
2) stewing the sauce; and 3) boiling the pasta. A simple procedure like
