« How to Properly Paraphrase | Home | Online Sales: Creating a “soft close”. »
Technical Communication: The Basics
By Administration | November 3, 2006
You may not even know what technical communication (or technical writing) is but I can guarantee you that you will take something from this article.
Technical Communication - Speech or writing that is standardized in appearance, feel, and flow. An example of technical communication would be an instruction booklet or a user manual.
Technical communication is actually a high paying practice that often requires a university level education to get into. At it’s very core it simply refers to making your documents look and sound the same. By sound the same I don’t mean have the same content, but rather, the same method of executing that content. All of the headings/sub-headings, titles, topics, bullets, etc. should be handled in the same manner throughout the entire document so as to not confuse the reader.
This article will not go into depth about technical communication or technical writing. The fact is that there’s simply too much ground to cover and one article won’t do it. However, this is the first in a long line of articles designed to help you improve your ability to standardize your writing.
The Basic Technical Communication Checklist:
- All of the titles/headings/sub-headings/paragraphs/etc. have the same appearance qualities. They are all the same font, size, and color. For example - if your title for chapter three is in bold and size 12 Arial font, then your title for chapter 4 should also be in bold, size 12 Arial font.
- All of the pages are numbered. Make sure that the page numbers appear in the same place on each page.
- The document maintains the same layout from start to finish.
- There are no spelling/grammar mistakes.
- Images are always referenced to in the same way.
- Line and paragraph spacing is the same throughout the document.
- The document itself appears standardized.
A document that meets those guidelines will be easier to read, understand, and navigate. This will almost certainly result in less misunderstandings and complaints that result from them. I know that it may sound tedious but it is in your benefit to take the time to make sure that your documents are universal in their apperance and design.
Having the ability to do this also makes your marketable in the future. Being able to communicate on a technical level is a valuable skill that many companies are actively seeking qualified personnel to do. You may find yourself much happier taking the time to learn how it’s done.
Comments are closed.