Characteristics of Technical Writing

Focused on audience

Technical and workplace documents address a specific audience. The audience may be an individual or a group, and it may or may not be known to the writer. While there is always a primary audience addressed, there may be a secondary audience. Understanding the audience and potential audience for a technical document is key to that document’s effectiveness.

Rhetorical, persuasive, purposeful, and problem-oriented

Technical communication is all about helping the reader or user of a document understand information, solve a problem, or compel others to act. For example, the syllabus of your writing class informs you of what’s expected in the class; a list of job duties informs you of what’s expected of you in the workplace; and a company’s web site provides information about that company’s goods or services, and how to contact the company to seek assistance if you’ve encountered a problem. Identifying a specific purpose along with a particular audience are the first two steps of technical writing.

Professional

Technical communication reflects the values, goals, and culture of the organization, and as such creates and maintains the public image of the organization. Look at various web sites to see the images and values they convey: your college’s web site, a business site, a government site, etc.

Design Centered

Technical communication uses elements of document design such as visuals, graphics, typography, color, and spacing to make a document interesting, attractive, usable, and comprehensible. While some documents may be totally in print, many more use images such as charts, photographs, and illustrations to enhance readability and understanding and simplify complex information.

Research and Technology Oriented

Because of workplace demands, technical and workplace writing is often created in collaboration with others through a network of experts and designers and depends on sound research practices to ensure that information provided is correct, accurate, and complete.

Ethical

Technical communication is ethical. All workplace writers have ethical obligations, many of which are closely linked to legal obligations that include liability laws, copyright laws, contract laws, and trademark laws.

Standards of Technical Writing

As a member of an organization or team, you want to produce the absolute best writing you can. Here are the standards you must follow and some tips to help you. Keep these in mind as you learn about and create technical communications intended to meet industry standards.

• First and most important, your writing must be honest. Your trustworthiness in communication reflects not only on you personally but on your organization or discipline.
• Your writing has to be clear so that your reader can get from it the information you intended. Strive to make sure that you have expressed exactly what you mean, and have not left room for incorrect interpretations.
• Next, good writing is accurate. Make sure you have your facts right. There is no excuse for presenting incorrect information.
• Also make sure you have all the facts, as your writing must be complete. Have you included everything that your reader needs?
• Your audience has neither time nor patience for excessive language, so simplify and cut any clutter. Good writing is always concise writing.
• Your document should be attractive and pleasing to look at. Just as you wouldn’t eat a hamburger from a dirty plate, your reader will not engage with a document that is not carefully designed and professional.
• Without exception, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure have to be correct. Even a single grammatical or spelling error can cause your reader to dismiss you as unprofessional, not caring enough to edit carefully. Incorrect language reflects poorly on your organization as well.