Technical Communications is a class revolving around learning to write different communication methods in the workplace, such as memos and various reports. I wrote four different types of memos throughout the class, one of which revolved around a research proposal. The purpose behind the research memo was to discuss the feasibility of implementing an action to better a workplace based on research gathered by an executive member at the company. I chose to do my research on whether installing more televisions in exam rooms vs. offering reduced nitrous oxide prices could potentially increase patient comfortability. I learned how to take multiple different surveys and mathematical projections of cost to produce my own conclusions to decide on which method to pick in my “hypothetical” dental office. This was important to me as a future dentist because having patients feeling relaxed and comfortable in my office is a big value of mine.
Throughout the class I learned how to search different databases online for statistics and learned strategies on how to interpret figures, especially pie graphs. It is important to dissect figures apart and determine the significance behind the information. Sometimes, not all information about different statistics is reported and can make information misleading. Such as I chose a graph in my report about a survey that asked dentists if they used nitrous oxide. What the survey and figure don’t tell you is who was surveyed, how and why. This was something I had to dig up on my own and report in my memo. Nitrous oxide can also be hazardous to patients so extensive research on the product and training on how to administer it were important to understand and consider when writing the report as well. Being able to critically analyze not only the cost of the procedure, but its health effects on patients was important. If a source cited something incorrectly, it could mean the difference of life and death for a patient which is why it is so important to ethically communicate results. Hence why drug trials are so important for FDA approval and the like.
Not only was learning how to interpret figures for the research critical for this class, I also learned how to organize my own ideas and others by creating figures of my own. I created flowcharts to help readers understand the process of the report, technical instruction procedures, and tables with crucial information. I created a hypothesis for the research report stating, “This feasibility report evaluates two different options that may be implemented into the dental clinic to ease patient anxiety from visiting the dentist, especially those under the age of 12. The first option being installation of television monitors into specific rooms, and the second being to offer better patient access to Anxiolysis or conscious sedation for their appointment. Each option was assessed by comparing price rates, safety concerns, and the promotion of oral health”. Creating some of these figures and finding some already created on Google was how I evaluated my feasibility hypothesis in the report. Organizing the various ideas around the three main topics, price, safety and promotion of oral health, was a strategy I used not only for this paper, but for the other papers I wrote in class as well. This strategy is extremely different than organizing a lab report for an experiment, but is effective for creating a memo in a workplace which is more straightforward and to the point. If I wanted to create a more lab report style for this paper, I could have conducted my own research on the topic and create my own survey figures to use for results.
Although we never discussed it in class, I thought about how when directing memos about a person in the workplace or to certain groups of people, one had to be sure to maintain neutrality and not show bias towards a group (equal opportunity employment) and make the memo accessible to all parties. This can be applied to any research article or report one was to share to the public and I feel important as it can help readers avoid misunderstanding the purpose of a paper and spreading false information.
I enjoyed this class immensely as it was a different viewpoint to writing papers and I felt something that I can apply to my future career in my own office.