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Reading a book is certainly one way to learn about a process or product. Taking a course is another. But for those who are visual learners, is there a way for technical writing to address their needs? Webinars are one solution.
With webinars, you can engage an audience that’s already used to getting their information from a computer screen. This movement toward showing instead of telling is connecting audiences more fully to the information, and webinars can be used to complement printed documentation.
Everyone learns differently. When the goal is to ensure an audience learns certain pieces of information, the method should take that into consideration.
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Technical writing can certainly be a process of learning the skills through a course from a university or going to a conference. But using hypothetical situations isn’t as effective as putting technical writing skills into use. At Northwestern State University, students are learning about writing technical documentation while building robots.
Surprisingly, the course in which students are learning about technical writing isn’t a technical course or a technology class. They’re learning in an English class, building their technical writing skills with each step of the robot-making process.
Why does this process work to teach skills? According to the instructor, Ramey Prince, students learn because:
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According to Patrice Fanning, chief executive and founder of Technically Write IT, Ireland might be the next leader in technical writing.
For those looking at the market today, it seems that many countries are positioning themselves for this role, and perhaps Ireland brings up some good points for other countries to consider.
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The University of California, Santa Barbara understands the need for technical writing in today’s world. It’s offering a course starting on May 8th called “The Fundamentals of Technical Writing,” to create a starting point for many of today’s new writers. A solid educational background can help the next generation of technical writers prepare to face the current challenges in disseminating information.
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The job hunt is on everyone’s mind – whether you’re looking for work or not. So, what is the outlook for technical writing jobs?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the technical writing job market seems to be growing, and it comes as no surprise to those who already use technical writers in their business.
According to the BLS…
The latest figures posted for technical writers are:
- 2010 Median Pay: $63,280 per year or $30.42 per hour
- Entry-Level Education: Bachelor’s degree
- Work Experience in a Related Occupation: 1 to 5 years
- On-the-job Training: Short-term on-the-job training
- Number of Jobs, 2010: 49,500
- Job Outlook, 2010-20: 17% (About as fast as average)
- Employment Change, 2010-20: +8,500
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No matter what type of information you’re trying to relay to an audience, you should realize that every audience is comprised of multiple types of learners. Some learn with visual cues, others with auditory cues, and others with a combination of these cues and more. One presentation to a group of learners isn’t going to help you with your educational goals, and it’s also not going to help the audience. Just as medical patients are told to write down information they learn from their doctors and nurses, putting important information in writing can be a valuable lesson for your company too.
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Editor’s Note: This was the feature article in this month’s TechCom Manager newsletter, reprinted here with permission. Click the previous link to subscribe to the newsletter.
by Scott Abel
As a profession, technical communication has a lot to be proud of. Thought leaders in our discipline have developed innovative ways of creating, managing, and delivering information that are in use today at some of the world’s biggest companies, government agencies, and educational institutions. Because of our best practices and lessons learned, it’s not only possible for these organizations to deliver the right information to the right people in the right format and in the right languages (increasingly on myriad mobile computing devices), but it’s also possible for them to do so efficiently and effectively.
And yet, many organizations that employ technical communicators have yet to adopt these new methods (XML, Component Content Management, and Dynamic, Personalized Publishing) despite the many case studies and success stories touting the efficiency gains and sales increases possible when thinking strategically about the way we create, manage, and deliver information to those who need it. Even with the promise of return on investment in relatively short order, many of our ilk are still creating content in the most inefficient and ineffective ways possible.
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Medical writing isn’t just for the professionals in the healthcare field. Patients rely on documentation about their disease and how to care for loved ones in health situations. With well-written brochures and manuals, the patient can have something to turn to when they’re at home or in a hospital setting, helping them see if they’re on the road to recovery or if they need to check in with their healthcare provider.
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Once upon a time, James Erwin was writing software manuals in Des Moines, Iowa. An everyday technical writer, he spent his days trying to ensure that information could be easily used and digested by the reader. Until something happened. And that ‘something’ was social networking.
As James Erwin was commenting about a movie online, his comments received so many responses that he got noticed online. He was offered a job writing a screenplay and had to quit his technical writing job. So, the question becomes, can technical writing skills help to foster a career in another field of writing – like script writing?
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Registration is now open for the STC (Society for Technical Communication) Summit for 2012. Most technical writers believe it’s the place to be to share ideas, learn about the current industry trends, and network with other writers and companies.
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