Why internal communications is the land of opportunity

When we think of technical writing, most of us think of end-user documentation. However, technical writers have skills that can be leveraged inside the company as well. By acting as a communications service for other departments, technical writers can build a reputation for quality work and contribute to the bottom line.

What does this mean for you?

A lot, actually.

Greater respect from coworkers - You'll spend less time explaining what exactly you do, and justifying your existence to the powers-that-be.

Awareness of recent changes - You'll have deeper involvement in projects from other departments. This can mean earlier notification of changes that will impact the documentation.

Increased product knowledge - Through increased interaction with developers and engineers, you'll have more water-cooler discussions about how products function currently, as well as any enhancements being developed.

Networking opportunities - More cross-department projects leads to greater entrenchment within your company and opportunities for advancement. (And more invitations to food events!)

New skills - Inside projects often require skills that you may not get to exercise when working on end-user documentation.

How to get involved

Here are several ways technical writers can add to the efficiency and profits of an organization.

  • Reviewing the content produced by other departments for technical accuracy. Marketing materials, executive presentations, policy and procedures manuals, and similar documents can always benefit from a thorough review.
  • Assisting web developers with information architecture and taxonomy issues. For example, is the corporate website well-structured?
  • Q&A and related product testing. Technical writers are great at looking at the product from a user's perspective.
  • Developing case studies and assisting with specs.
  • Creating scripts and storyboards for multimedia presentations.
  • Producing training materials and reference guides for internal tools.
  • Assisting with the technical details in Sales documents and providing screenshots.
  • Developing flowcharts from use cases that can be used to guide the product design process.
  • Assisting with the automation (macros, workflows, etc.) of document production in other departments.

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Definition of technical writing | What is it?

Technical writing is the act of documenting how to use products of all types. This definition of technical writing is broad because the field itself is vast. Those who work in the field are employed in a huge array of industries, including medical, automitive, software, training and consulting, and more.

A technical writer works closely with the engineers and product developers to draft instructions for using the product. The writer must interview the developers to find out how the product works, and then write clear instructions that can be understood by average users.

The final product can take the form of user manuals, online help, training guides, installation guides, quick-reference sheets, white papers, and more. Some technical writers also work on proposals. Others draft instructions that appear on packaging, or warnings stamped directly onto products.

The process requires highly developed language, project management, and technical skills. Also, people skills are important for gathering information and working with the many departments within an organization that have feedback on documents.

Here are a list of the writing techniques I believe are most important for technical documents.

  • Information gathering
  • Making sense of complex technology
  • Organization of content for ease-of-use
  • Drafting jargon and technical concepts into plain language
  • Reducing procedures to simple steps
  • Verifying the accuracy of the content
  • Conveying warnings effectively
  • Writing with user-advocacy in mind
  • Minimizing wordiness
  • Breaking information into granular concepts
  • Cross-referencing and linking related concepts
  • Providing a clear learning path through the content
  • Assessing what users already know
  • Knowledge of topic types and structure (reference, procedure, faq, overview, and so on)

Overall, you have to write like a teacher. If you have a knack for explaining things in a clear and concise manner, chances are you have mastered some of the essential technical writing techniques.

You can find an overview of the field in the Technical Writer section of the Occupational Outlook Handbook produced by the US Department of Labor.

To view job-related discussions by a large community of technical writers, check out the Techwr-l Mail List Archives.

To read about technical writing theory, check out this free technical writing textbook.

Another great resource for technical writers is the Society for Technical Communication website. The society is the largest professional organization for technical writers, and is a great place to network, find mentors, and share information.

Hopefully this definition of technical writing gives you a strong understanding of what the field involves.

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Writing technical documentation

The process of writing technical documentation can be enjoyable if you follow some basic principles. The tips below should help you to produce high-quality instructions for your users.

  • Stay user-focused. Remember, not everyone knows what you know. Develop profiles of different types of users, and double-check your documentation against the profiles often.
  • Outline the tasks users will perform with the product, and then start writing. Don't worry about the technical details until you have a clear understanding of what should be included in the manual.
  • Avoid jargon. Most people don't have the technical knowledge of an engineer, or the linguistic abilities of a professional writer. Speak in plain language.
  • Think safety first. If the product can cause injury when used in the wrong manner, be sure to include appropriate warnings and draw attention to them.
  • Follow these guidelines for drafting effective procedures.
  • Interview subject matter experts so that you have a clear understanding of the product you are documenting.
  • Schedule formal reviews so that other experts can check your work, and don't take corrections personally. Many such corrections and reviews will be necessary if you want to produce great documentation.
  • Explain to readers the benefits of reading your document. Otherwise they may not be motivated enough to learn to use the product effectively. If they can increase productivity by 10% using your instructions, tell them so.
  • People often read instructions only when they run into problems. Provide troubleshooting tips that address specific questions and issues.
  • Be open to communicating directly with users. Feedback tools, forums, usability studies, and other user contact will help you get a clearer understanding of how users interact with a product.

If you follow the guidelines above, the process of writing technical documentation will be much more enjoyable. Your users will thank you!

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