Technical writing is a specialized field which not only demands
an in depth knowledge of the subject on which you are writing,
but also a good command of the written language. A common main
goal is to translate tec-speak into everyday familiar jargon for
the average reader. In other words, your content needs to be
understood.
To help keep technical translation plain and simple, here are
some tips:
- Plan ahead. Determine the main focus, i.e. what the readers
need to learn from your content. Ask yourself, what are their
expectations from the article?
- Take care to match your content to the level of knowledge of
the audience. Don’t underestimate your audience and write down
to them. But do watch the level of your tec-speak.
- Ask someone to proof read your material who represents the
reading audience.
- Add a glossary if necessary for your technical terms. Or
place short explanations of the terms in brackets within the
piece.
- When possible, incorporate examples and illustrations to
get your points across.
- If your data is complicated use graphs, diagrams and / or flow
charts to make it visually expressive.
- Experiment with different software to enhance your
presentations. For example, add audio / video.
There are excellent technical writing books out there. Check
with your local public library for some and on Amazon.com. And
broaden the scope of your projects with good technical writing
skills.
You can also head to Content Propulsion Lab. It's the place for
“Do It Yourself” companies who would love the benefits of a
high-end Public Relations firm but lack the budgets, online at
http://www.ContentLabInfo.com ,a Division of Content Desk,
available at
http://www.ContentDeskInfo.com .
By Diana Barnum, president of Moving Ahead Communications. Get
tons of freebies, tips and help at
http://OhioHelpGroup.com or call:
(614) 529-9459. Freebies section at
http://presssuccess.com/bookstore
