1. What Is Writing?

Writing is a skill; like other skills, it can be learnt, and like most skills it is not inborn. For example, few
people lack the basic equipment to learn to ride a bicycle (balance, strength, sight), but most become
skillful cyclists only after much practice. Confidence is the main necessity, and having the courage to get
on and try. The same is true of writing. Most people have the basic equipment (tact, experience,
language), but like riding a bicycle, writing is a skill that must be learnt by doing it. No amount of
reading, or absorbing rules and advice, can substitute for practice.

2. What Is Technical Writing?

Technical writing communicates specific and factual information to a defined audience for a defined
purpose. The information is technical in nature, and this is what makes technical writing different from
other types of writing. Broadly, that audience includes technical readers, managerial readers, or even, at
times, general readers. The purpose is to inform, instruct, describe, explain, or otherwise document
scientific or industrial processes and mechanisms.

Technical communication is the “art and science of making complex technical information accessible,
usable, and relevant to a variety of audiences in a variety of settings.”

You will readily discover some overlap between technical writing and business writing, but the two have
many distinct differences, both in terms of subject matter and document format. Whereas commerce and
the business community govern the subject matter of business writing, technical writing deals primarily
with the hard sciences and the industrial community. The primary documents of business writing are
letters, memorandas, and business reports. The primary documents of technical writing are technical
reports, manuals, and instructions.

Despite their differences, business and technical writing share the same principles of good writing. Both
are concerned with delivering factual information in a clear, concise, and objective manner.

The discipline of modern technical writing came of age during World War II. Increasingly sophisticated
technical processes were used to manufacture weapons, culminating with the invention of nuclear bombs.
Communications developments during this time allowed the spread of technical documents more than
ever before.

The next great surge came with the computer revolution. Since the development of the first powerful
mainframes in the 1960s, instruction, description, and documentation within the high-tech arena have
become crucial to every facet of our work and home lives. Today, everything from automobile owner's
manuals describing computerized dashboards to the instructions for booting up personal computers floods
us with technical information.

2.1
Who Writes Technical Documents?

There are professional technical writers who do nothing but write. Some of them work within industry to
develop user’s manuals, scripts for training films, or marketing material for industrial equipment. Others
work as freelancers on individual projects within their areas of technical expertise. There are also
professionals such as engineers, scientists, and technicians who do various types of technical writing as a
necessary part of their everyday work. They write memoranda to inform their supervisors of progress,
journal articles to contribute to the collective knowledge of their disciplines, and grant proposals for
government support. Most technical writing is done by these technical professionals. Students make up
another large group whose success depends on clear, concise, accurate writing.

2.2
The Need for Clear and Concise Technical Writing

Never has there been a greater need for clear and concise technical writing. The more scientifically
complex our world becomes, the greater the need for direct, simple, and clear communication. World
knowledge currently doubles about every year. Many of these data are documented in one form or
another. Manuals, texts, field reports, instructions, and progress reports create a mind-boggling amount of
information. Scientists, engineers, and technicians need clear communication to understand one another's
work and the rapid changes taking place in their fields of expertise. Managers and marketers in
technology-driven industries need clear and concise information to help them communicate successfully
beyond their own technical areas. Systems engineers need clear writing to design local area networks to
link personal computers and software that runs on them. In all of these cases, the ability to communicate
clearly and concisely is key. Though the subject matter is, by definition, complicated, technical writing
must not be. Technical writing must help, not hinder, the communication of complex ideas.

Technical writing that succeeds conveys a message that is accurate, useful, and objective. As a primary
goal, it transmits to the reader factual information that is crystal clear. Technical writing always
concentrates on content, rather than style. A technical writer must sacrifice the ego of personal writing
style for the sake of clear technical content. The technical message is paramount in all cases.

The dangers of unclear technical messages cannot be overstated. An auto mechanic who misinterprets
instructions for rebuilding brakes can be the unwilling cause of tragedy. Line engineers in an assembly
plant likewise depend on clear technical writing to manufacture dependable, high-quality products.
Hospital patients rely on medical technicians' ability to comprehend support documentation for diagnostic
equipment.

3. Readers Get First Consideration

In technical writing, your readers should always come first. Although it's tempting to first consider
content, approach, and style, don't do this at the expense of clarity. Your purpose is to inform make sure
you write to your readers' level of understanding. Readers dictate the success of any piece of writing. It
doesn't matter how well you understand the subject matter if your readers miss the message. If they don't
understand, your writing has failed. Think first of your audience. Evaluate their needs as well as their
ability to understand technical content.

We can class the readers of technical documents into three broad categories: technical readers,
managerial readers, and general readers. Let's consider them in terms of their needs and their level of
understanding.

a. Technical Readers:

Technical readers are different from managerial and general readers. Technical readers have deep
knowledge about the content of your particular written communication. This knowledge may be a general
knowledge of the subject or it may be detailed knowledge. In either case, to fit in this category, readers
must technically know your subject. Be especially careful to allow them to get directly to the idea without
fighting your writing.
Superficial verbosity meant either to impress them or to accommodate their technical knowledge will fail.
Do not ever assume that because they have advanced technical knowledge and understanding, they prefer
writing loaded with long sentences and unnecessary words. Once again, technical readers prefer a direct
and simplified written approach. This allows them to deal with difficult concepts instead of difficult
writing.

Technical readers fall into two groups: theorists and technicians.

b. Managerial Readers

Managerial readers need to be informed, yet they often do not need the technical detail and depth that
theorists and technicians need. Remember that the title of ''manager" indicates job responsibility rather
than technical knowledge. The managerial reader might not have the technical understanding of the
purely technical reader. This is why the "Executive Summary" has become a common and valuable tool
in technical report writing. The executive summary reduces an entire technical document to the plain facts
a manager needs to make decisions. The report itself will contain technical details a managerial reader
may not fully comprehend. Therefore, the executive summary must accurately describe the key points of
information in nontechnical language.

To succeed with this group, you must get straight to the point. Managers generally are flooded with
written information and do not have time to read rambling, unclear prose. Concise writing is key with a
managerial audience.

3 General Readers

General readers usually have the least technical knowledge and understanding of your particular subject.
Consequently, you must write clearly and concisely for this group while addressing their level of
technical understanding. This does not mean you should write down to them. This type of reader will
have enough challenge understanding your concepts without struggling with your writing. General
readers are a vital audience for technical business and industry, they are the customers!

Generally readers do not necessarily lack technical knowledge and understanding. A surgeon who just
bought a personal computer may be a novice where the product is concerned, yet a technical reader in the
field of medicine. The issue, once again, is the need for simplified, direct, understandable language.

Self-Test Quiz
1. Technical writing is meant to be understood only by highly educated scientists, engineers, and
technicians.
2. Concise writing gives only needed information to the reader.
3. Clear writing avoids intricate detail because of its tendency to confuse or be misunderstood.
4. Highly complex subjects call for a highly complex approach to writing.
5. Scientists and technicians do not require the definitions of terms and concepts that a non-
technical reader requires.
6. Managerial readers may or may not be technical readers also.
7. General readers are the easiest audience for whom to write.
8. Personal tone in technical writing promotes the active voice and adds clarity to the message.
9. The active voice is preferred over the passive voice.
10. In highly technical documents, longer sentences are preferred to shorter sentences.

1F 2T 3F 4F 5T 6T 7F 8T 9T 10F