Technical Writing Tips
by: Diana Barnum
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, at
http://presssuccess.com/cplAbout The Author
By Diana Barnum, president of
http://MovingAheadCommunications.com. Get tons of freebies, tips and help at
http://www.OhioHelpGroup.com &
http://presssuccess.com/bookstore or call: (614) 529-9459.
