Technical Writing Tips

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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

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By Diana Barnum, CEO of http://OhioHelpGroup.com & president of

public relations and writing. Subscribe to blogs for Free tips:

or call: (614) 529-9459