Transcript Technical writing

Technical writing
•
•
•
•
•
1.Overview
2. History
3. Feature
4. Types Of Technical Documents
5. External links
• Technical Writing is a form of technical
communication. It is a style of writing used
in the fields as computer hardware and
software, engineering, chemistry,
consumer electronics, and biotechnology.
• The Society for Technical Communication (STC)
defines technical writing as a broad field that
includes any form of communication that exhibits
one or more of the following characteristics:
• (1)communicating about technical or
specialized topics
• (2) communicating by using technology
• (3) providing instructions about how to do
something
History
• The origins of technical writing have been
variously attributed to antiquity.
• A clear trend towards the discipline can be
seen starting from the time of World War I,
growing out of the need for technologybased documentation in the military,
manufacturing, electronics, and aerospace
industries.
1953
1957
Feature
• Audience analysis is a key feature of
all technical writing.
• Procedural technical writing translates complex
technical concepts and instructions into a series of
simple steps that enable users to perform a specific task
in a specific way.
• Persuasive technical writing attempts to sell products
or change behaviors by putting forth compelling
descriptions of how a product or service can be used in
one's life.
Types Of Technical Documents
• Broadly speaking, technical documentation can
be categorized into three types, depending on
the style of writing, the level of knowledge
transferred, and the target audience:
1. End-user assistance.
2. Traditional technical documentation.
3. Marketing communication.
Technical Writing is
Presentational
• Technical writing involves attractive layout for
easy reading and comprehension.
Presentational strategies help readers to grasp
messages quickly.
• The top-down strategy (tell them what you will
say, then say it)
• Headings (like headlines in newspapers)
• Chunks (short paragraphs)
• Plain, objective style so that readers can easily
grasp details.
External links
• BLS occupational description for technical
writers
• EServer Technical Communication (and
Technical Writing) Library
• IEEE Transactions on Professional
Communication
• Wikiversity Technical Writing Courses