book

Technical Writing for Business People

by Carrie Marshall

September 2018

Beginner

70 pages

1h 25m

English

BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT

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The technical writer’s toolkitThe most important thing you need as a technical writerKey takeaways

1. Specification, audience and scope2. Planning3. Research and writing4. Testing, reviewing and revision5. Delivery6. Evaluation and feedback7. Revision, archiving or destructionTechnical writing in a teamA quick word about writing appsA quick word about formatting textKey takeaways
Who are you writing for?Personas in technical writingWhat do they already know?What do they need to know, and why?Where and when do they need to know it?Key takeaways
Break it down (but not too much)The other big benefit of a task-based approachKey takeaways
Making assumptionsAssumptions and accessibilityJunk the jargon, banish buzzwords and abolish acronymsKey takeaways
Be preciseDon’t leave wiggle roomBe specificKey takeaways
The importance of clarityKey takeaways
1. Long paragraphs2. Dense blocks of text3. Irrelevant or useless graphics4. Poor punctuation5. Too much information6. Forgetting to include the ‘how’7. Unclear navigation aidsKey takeaways
Why weak words make writing worseKey takeaways
Listy businessGo with the flow (chart)Other kinds of chartsKeep away from the clipartGood graphicsKey takeaways
Let go of your egoWhat to look for when you’re editingAccuracySimplicityBrevityEffectivenessSheer tediumKey takeaways
When commas costThe conversion that cost a spaceshipThe ‘s’ that killed a companyWhen xxx costs $$$The £52 million comma

Overview

Technical writing needs to be clear and it needs to be precise. This book shows you how to achieve this and more. Whatever the content or context, in this book you’ll discover the essential tools and resources that you need to create technical writing that works for everyone.