An Intro To Technical Writing

An Intro To Technical Writing

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  AN INTRODUCTION TOTECHNICAL WRITING Technical communications—or technical writing, as the course is often called—is not writing about a specific technical topic such as computers, but about any technical topic. The term "technical" refers to knowledge that is not widespread, that is more the territory of experts and specialists. Whatever your major is, you are developing an expertise—you are becoming a specialist in a particular technical area. And whenever you try to write or say anything about your field, you are engaged in technical communications. Another key part of the definition of technical communications is the receiver of the information—the audience. Technical communications is the delivery of technical information to readers (or listeners or viewers) in a manner that is adapted to their needs, level of understanding, and background. In fact, this audience element is so important that it is one of the cornerstones of this course: you are challenged to write about technical subjects but in a way that a beginner could understand. Forms of technical writing… • Business letters • Assembly instructions • Contracts • Certification guides • Annual business reports • Corporate disclaimers • Developer Guides • Feature Design documentation • Getting Started cards or guides • Maintenance and repair procedures • Industrial film or video scripts • Installation guides • Magazine articles • Business policies • Business procedures • Presentations • Business proposals • Reference documents • Reports • Scientific reports • Specifications • Technical papers • Training materials • Troubleshooting guides • Tutorials (multimedia) In this course, we will be focusing on business letters, proposals, speeches, presentations, and reports. You will use information that you already know as well as “made up” company information to create these documents.