| Technical writing is a specialized field which not only | | | | - Ask someone to proof read your material who |
| demandsan in depth knowledge of the subject on | | | | represents thereading audience. |
| which you are writing,but also a good command of the | | | | - Add a glossary if necessary for your technical terms. |
| written language. A common maingoal is to translate | | | | Orplace short explanations of the terms in brackets |
| tec-speak into everyday familiar jargon forthe average | | | | within thepiece. |
| reader. In other words, your content needs to | | | | - When possible, incorporate examples and illustrations |
| beunderstood. | | | | toget your points across. |
| To help keep technical translation plain and simple, here | | | | - If your data is complicated use graphs, diagrams and |
| aresome tips: | | | | or flowcharts to make it visually expressive. |
| - Plan ahead. Determine the main focus, i.e. what the | | | | - Experiment with different software to enhance |
| readersneed to learn from your content. Ask yourself, | | | | yourpresentations. For example, add audio / video. |
| what are theirexpectations from the article? | | | | There are excellent technical writing books out there. |
| - Take care to match your content to the level of | | | | Checkwith your local public library for some and on |
| knowledge ofthe audience. Dont underestimate your | | | | Andbroaden the scope of your projects with good |
| audience and write downto them. But do watch the | | | | technical writingskills. |
| level of your tec-speak. | | | | You can also head to Content Propulsion Lab. |