Clemson University students made a video for their technical writing class to show how electricity is delivered to the school. While this seems unorthodox, maybe there’s something to it. Maybe technical writing needs to be visual in more than just a 2D booklet or user guide.
A New Look at Technical Writing
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.
Buckley Jeppson
On October 13, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Plain Writing Act of 2010, a law that aims to make federal government writing clearer. This article summarizes the new law, briefly explains the nature of Plain Language writing, and outlines the implications for technical communicators.
Efforts to implement Plain Language into government writing started back in the Clinton Administration and were heavily evangelized by then-Vice President Al Gore, but this is the first time legislation has mandated a change in the way government communicates with the public.
In the NY Times blogs, a reader wrote about the idea of the oil spill as a case study in technical writing.
Fascinating to read, this blog brings up a number of ideas related to technical writing that deserve a closer look.
Ease of Understanding for the Target Audience
When writing a technical document, it’s essential the document be constructed in a manner that relates the information in an effective way. If the document is too complicated, readers will not be able to use it, unless they have the proper background. If a document is too simple, then the reader may miss details that can inform later decisions. Identifying the audience that will use the document will help to create a strong starting point from which to construct a technical writing document.
Impact on Users
Though the technical writing may not be as life changing as the oil spill, writing for an audience means that the audience will be impacted by the content. Keeping the impact of the content in mind allows the technical writer the opportunity to look at the information and relay those parts of the process that might have impact later, if they do not already. Better said, when a technical writer keeps in mind the outcome of the process they are describing, they will ensure all of the details are included that might affect the way the outcome looks.
Overall Presentation
The chart the class used in order to look into the oil spill as a case study is simple and clean. This allows a person to easily review the overall picture before looking at the more minute details. With this sort of presentation, a person doesn’t feel overwhelmed by too many details up front, and are far less likely to skip over important details presented later on.
Creating a clean document is especially essential when it’s also clear that the impact will be great if the instructions aren’t followed precisely or the information isn’t easy to understand.
It would be hard to argue with Kerri Harris’ point that:
Effective communication is a manager’s greatest tool in rallying groups toward a common cause.
But:
Even the most engaging statements lose meaning when barriers to effective communication foster misconception and confusion.
In her article, Communicating for Diversity, Harris takes a look at global and gender communication barriers and some ways managers can go beyond those barriers to be true leaders.
When the article was written, it certainly held a great deal of relevance. What’s interesting is that over time, this piece and the advice it carries have become even more relevant in a world where communications are becoming increasingly abbreviated by character count limitations and the need for everyone to absorb more and more information in less time each day. Add to that an expanding global workforce and you can see where communications challenges are getting even more difficult to overcome.
While the article was written for managers, medical communicators, copywriters, training developers and technical writers can all benefit from a better understanding of some of the communication barriers and Kerri’s suggestions for overcoming them.
Read: Communicating for Diversity
What are some of the communications challenges and barriers you face in your day-to-day work? We’d love to hear your comments.
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 David Tinsley
One of the many challenges that a technical writer faces early on is learning to work with subject matter experts (SMEs). What or who is an SME? He/she may be a software developer who is creating code for an API, a mechanical engineer who is designing a front panel interface, or a regulatory professional who is testing the system against specific standards. In essence, anyone providing you with expert knowledge about the subject you are documenting can be an SME.
As technical writers, we obtain a lot of our source material from SMEs and we need to develop the skills required to work with a wide range of people. For those of us who may be introverted by nature, overcoming our natural reticence can be difficult, but it is something we should be continually trying to improve.
So what are some of the challenges that you may encounter in your day-to-day dealings with SMEs and how can you overcome them? The following list is not meant to be exhaustive, but it describes some of the common challenges you may face with suggestions on how you might overcome them.
Technical writing isn’t considered by most to be an art form, but more of a way to communicate certain pieces of information as efficiently as possible (which, in a way, is an art form in itself). Documentation that remains static over the years can get a little flat, if not outright stale.
When you’re writing a manual or just a memo to others, you might want to think about whether the writing has gotten into a rut. If it has, not only is the audience reading it going to be bored, but they might skip over vital information as a result of assuming you’re presenting information in a particular way.
There are a number of ways in which technical writing can be amped up to be more effective, but also more exciting for today’s readers. Even if the content is far from exciting.
Whether you hire a new technical writer or use the original writer to revamp the information, you’ll want to look for ideas that will allow:
Embracing change is a good thing, especially when it comes to documentation that is getting stale or worse yet, getting ignored. By taking a fresh approach with today’s reader in mind, you can make information more readable, easier to digest and more relevant without leaving out important details.
What are your thoughts on making documentation more readable for today’s audience? Please leave a comment.
Related Article
What Technical Communication Managers Must Do to Prove the Value of Their Deliverables
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.
As documentation managers, technical communicators, and training specialists, we understand the importance of clear, concise communication. Or at least we are supposed to. As it turns out, many of us don’t. This article explores the new realities of a global information marketplace, the impact of the world wide web on communication professionals, and the importance of saying exactly what we mean.
Often, documentation managers are tasked with all sorts of chores — an increasing list of meetings, reports, updates, and other business minutiae heaped upon plates already full with responsibility. Ironically, many of these tasks are about managing the people, processes, and projects in their department, and not so much about managing the content itself.
Often, documentation managers are tasked with all sorts of chores — an increasing list of meetings, reports, updates, and other business minutiae heaped upon plates already full with responsibility. Ironically, many of these tasks are about managing the people, processes, and projects in their department, and not so much about managing the content itself.
This, however, is changing as more and more organizations begin to understand one business-critical fact: Content is a business asset worthy of being managed efficiently and effectively, just like the inventory of parts in a manufacturing plant or the dollars and cents in a group retirement fund. What’s needed is a coherent, repeatable set of processes designed to control the production, delivery, retirement, and archiving of content, supported by standards, and implemented using software tools designed to enforce rules and automate manual tasks.
This refrain is nothing new. Technical communication literature is packed with case studies, lessons learned and best practices detailing the need for adopting XML component content management, structured authoring, content reuse, automation…you get the picture.
But as many organizations start to see the importance of controlling their content, they usually take the path they have traveled most often before — the wrong path — one that leads to a less successful project. Instead of taking a step back and focusing on content and the needs of those who create it, consume it, and reuse it, organizations usually start by talking about software. And that is where the trouble begins.
By Kerri Harris
Effective communication is a manager’s greatest tool in rallying groups toward a common cause. From the annual department address to daily email, careful audience consideration is vital in determining how accurately audiences receive messages. Even the most engaging statements lose meaning when barriers to effective communication foster misconception and confusion.
While many managers typically hold listeners solely responsible for how they receive or interpret information, true leaders are more cognizant about potential communication barriers. As a result, leaders often question their assumptions about the “right” way to communicate and strive to better understand the ways their subordinates interact with one another.
For many years, scholars have studied barriers to effective communication based in simplified terms, putting culture and gender among the greatest inhibitors. While no individual is bound to set generalizations, specific characteristics can impact personal interaction and business objectives.
Through this article we’ll examine:
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