Walter Jackson Ong, a renowned scholar in communication, defined rhetoric as “the study of effective symbolic expression” in his influential book Rhetoric, Romance, and Technology: Studies in the Interaction of Expression and Culture (Ong, 1971). He emphasized the importance of understanding how communication shapes and is shaped by cultural contexts and how language and other forms of symbolic expression can be used to persuade and influence others. In my presentation on Walter J. Ong and his emphasis on how communication shapes culture, I recognized how an audience’s cultural background influences their understanding and interpretation of my writing. This awareness has allowed me to create more effective and inclusive technical documentation. Ong broadens the definition of rhetoric to include storytelling, myth-making, and ritualized expression (Ong, 1971). As a technical writer, applying Ong’s non-traditional rhetorical techniques can make my work more memorable for my audience.
My presentation also explored how Ong was open to new communication technologies because they transformed literate cultures. Working in the digital age, I know how different technologies affect information presentation and accessibility. My awareness allows me to adapt the documentation modality to suit my audience’s needs best. This presentation I did on Ong helped me understand that an audience has diverse cultural backgrounds and that, as a technical writer, I need to create a more inclusive context for all users. This includes using respectful language to different cultural groups and structuring information to accommodate different cultural ways of thinking. Applying key insights from Walter Ong’s work on rhetoric and communication helps me develop as a technical writer in essential ways. This adaptability and openness to new ideas are crucial for me in the evolving technology field.