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Subject:RE: Is this too Offensive for a manual? From:"Kathleen Jette" <jette -at- pcigeomatics -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Wed, 19 Nov 2003 11:35:32 -0500
>For example:
>Arising from incompetent, lazy or crooked meter readers...
>...reward performance and punish incompetence.
Claire,
I believe you are right about balking at using this tone in a manual.
However, there might be a reason why this tone was used. Speak with the
author (diplomatically, of course). Although the intention may have been to
empathize with the audience, this method projects an offensive and
unprofessional image of the product and company. Perhaps you can suggest
that the author modify the tone by:
1. Dealing with the situations rather than the people. The assumption in the
example is placing the blame on the user. Perhaps the design of the product
invites error. Problems and solutions should be presented objectively.
Therefore, instead of writing "Arising from incompetent, lazy or crooked
meter readers . . .", you can suggest something like "to improve the reading
accuracy of the meters", "to reduce the errors" or "to prevent inaccurate
readings".
2. Focusing on the purpose of the document and its audience. Do you really
need a section for reward and punishment? Are you writing about the software
or people management skills? If you do need to include these management
tips, focus on the positive. For example, "increase productivity", "improve
performance", or "tracking efficiency" are common euphemisms for these
situations.
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