Overview

Being able to define a subject or object properly is an important part of technical communication. Defining terms used in your documents enhances the clarity of your documents. Definitions ensure that you and your audience are, literally, on the same page, provided you both have a background of the same cultural referents. Beyond questions of communication and audience, definitions have legal and ethical considerations as well. This is aptly illustrated in the Document Model memo from the Monsanto PCB case in Anniston, Alabama, a memo that may give true meaning to the term 'technical euphemism.'

How to properly use a definition covers questions such as how complex a definition do I need and where should I place the definition? To answer these questions, it helps have done a detailed audience analysis and/or profile (see Hot Topics on Audience Awareness and Analysis). It is also important to remember that an audience analysis does not exist outside its larger cultural context, and that may send you to the Hot Topics section on Cross-Cultural and Global Communication.

In this chapter you will learn a number of types of definitions and how to create expanded definitions. Under Web Destinations there are several online examples of expanded definitions for your reference. Knowing how to write a well-suited definition for the situation enhances your chances of communicating clearly with your audience.