Technical communication is a means to convey scientific, engineering, or other
technical information. Individuals in a variety of contexts and with varied
professional credentials engage in technical communication. Some
individuals are designated as technical communicators. These individuals use a
set of methods to research, document, and present technical processes or
products. Technical communicators may put the information they capture into
paper documents, web pages, computer-based training, digitally
stored text, audio, video, and other media. The Society for Technical
Communication defines the field as any form of communication that focuses on
technical or specialized topics, communicates specifically by using
technology or provides instructions on how to do something. More succinctly,
the Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators defines
technical communication as factual communication, usually about products
and services. The European Association for Technical Communication briefly
defines technical communication as "the process of defining, creating and
delivering information products for the safe, efficient and effective use of
products". Whatever the definition of technical
communication, the overarching goal of the practice is to create easily
accessible information for a specific audience.
As a profession Technical communicators generally tailor
information to a specific audience, which may be subject matter experts,
consumers, end users, etc. Technical communicators often work collaboratively
to create deliverables that include online help, user manuals, classroom
training guides, computer-based training, white papers, specifications,
industrial videos, reference cards, data sheets, journal articles, patents, and
forms and documents. Technical domains can be of any kind,
including the soft and hard sciences, high technology including computers and
software and consumer electronics. Technical communicators often work with
a range of specific Subject-matter experts on these educational projects.
Technical communication jobs include the following:
API writer E-learning author
Information architect Technical editor
Technical illustrator Technical Trainer
Technical translator Technical Writer
Usability expert User experience designer
User interface designer In 2015, the European Association for
Technical Communication published a competence framework for the
professional field of technical communication.
Content creation Technical communication is a
professional task performed by specialized employees or consultants.
For example, a professional writer may work with a company to produce a user
manual. Some companies give considerable technical communication responsibility
to other technical professionals—such as programmers, engineers, and scientists.
Often, a professional technical writer edits such work to bring it up to modern
technical communication standards. To begin the documentation process,
technical communicators identify the audience and their information needs.
The technical communicator researches and structures the content into a
framework that can guide detailed development. As the body of information
comes together, the technical communicator ensures that the intended
audience can understand the content and retrieve the information they need. This
process, known as the 'Writing Process', has been a central focus of writing
theory since the 1970s, and some contemporary textbook authors apply it
to technical communication. Technical communication is important to most
professions, as a way to contain and organize information and maintain
accuracy. The technical writing process can be
divided into five steps: Determine purpose and audience
Collect information Organize and outline information
Write the first draft Revise and edit
= Determining purpose and audience = All technical communication serves a
particular purpose—typically to communicate ideas and concepts to an
audience, or instruct an audience a particular task. Technical communication
professionals use various techniques to understand the audience and, when
possible, test content on the target audience. For example, if bank workers
don't properly post deposits, a technical communicator would:
Review existing instructional material Interview bank workers to identify
conceptual errors Interview subject matter experts to
learn the correct procedures Author new material that instructs
workers in the correct procedures Test the new material on the bank
workers Similarly, a sales manager who wonders
which of two sites is better for a new store might ask a marketing professional
to study the sites and write a report with recommendations. The marketing
professional hands the report off to a technical communicator, who edits,
formats, and sometimes elaborates the document in order to make the marketing
professional's expert assessment usable to the sales manager. The process is not
one of knowledge transfer, but the accommodation of knowledge across fields
of expertise and contexts of use. This is the basic definition of technical
communication. Audience type affects many aspects of
communication, from word selection and graphics use to style and organization.
Most often, to address a particular audience, a technical communicator must
consider what qualities make a text useful and usable. A non-technical
audience might misunderstand or not even read a document that is heavy with
jargon—while a technical audience might crave detail critical to their work.
Busy audiences often don't have time to read entire documents, so content must
be organized for ease of searching—for example by frequent headings, white
space, and other cues that guide attention. Other requirements vary
according to particular audience's needs.
Technical communication in the government is particular and detailed.
Depending on the segment of government, the government component must follow
distinct specifications. Information changes continuously and technical
communications must be updated. = Collecting information =
Technical communicators must collect all information that each document requires.
They may collect information through primary research—or secondary research,
using information from existing work by other authors. Technical communicators
must acknowledge all sources they use to produce their work. To this end,
technical communicators typically distinguish quotations, paraphrases, and
summaries when taking notes. = Organizing and outlining information =
Before writing the initial draft, the technical communicator organizes ideas
in a way that makes the document flow well. Once each idea is organized, the
writer organizes the document as a whole—accomplishing this task in various
ways: Chronological: used for documents that
involve a linear process, such as a step-by-step guide that describes how to
accomplish something Parts of an object: Used for documents
that describe the parts of an object, such as a graphic showing the parts of a
computer Simple to complex: starts with easy
ideas and gradually goes into complex ideas
Specific to general: starts with many ideas, then organizes the ideas into
sub-categories General to specific: starts with a few
categories of ideas, then goes deeper After organizing the whole document, the
writer typically creates a final outline that shows the document structure.
Outlines make the writing process easier and save the author time.
= Writing the first draft = After the outline is complete, the
writer begins the first draft, following the outline's structure. Setting aside
blocks of an hour or more, in a place free of distractions, helps the writer
maintain a flow. Most writers prefer to wait until the draft is complete before
any revising so they don't break their flow. Typically, the writer should start
with the easiest section, and write the summary only after the body is drafted.
The ABC format can be used when writing a first draft of some document types.
The abstract describes the subject, so that the reader knows what the document
covers. The body is the majority of the document and covers topics in depth.
Lastly, the conclusion section restates the document's main topics. The ABC
format can also apply to individual paragraphs—beginning with a topic
sentence that states the paragraph's topic, followed by the topic, and
finally, a concluding sentence. = Revising and editing =
Once the initial draft is laid out, editing and revising can be done to
fine-tune the draft into a final copy. Four tasks transform the early draft
into its final form, suggested by Pfeiffer and Boogard:
Adjusting and reorganizing content In this step, the writer revises the
draft to elaborate on topics that need more attention, shorten other
sections—and relocate certain paragraphs, sentences, or entire topics.
Editing for style Good style makes writing more
interesting, appealing, and readable. In general, the personal writing style of
the writer is not evident in technical writing. Modern technical writing style
relies on attributes that contribute to clarity:
Headings, lists, graphics Generous white space
Short sentences Present tense
Simple nouns Active voice
Second and third person as required Technical writing as a discipline
usually requires that a technical writer use a style guide. These guides may
relate to a specific project, product, company, or brand. They ensure that
technical writing reflects formatting, punctuation, and general stylistic
standards that the audience expects. In the United States, many consider the
Chicago Manual of Style the bible for general technical communication. Other
style guides have their adherents, particularly for specific
industries—such as the Microsoft Style Guide in some information technology
settings. Editing for grammar and punctuation
At this point, the writer performs a mechanical edit, checking the document
for grammar, punctuation, common word confusions, passive voice, overly long
sentences, etc. References