RE: Calling all Technical Editors again!; Was, "RE: Writing Corrective Actions for customers?"

[<richard -dot- melanson -at- us -dot- tel -dot- com>]

 I politely disagree, if you don't know what you are writing about, how can you write about it, know what the user needs, etc.

This statement is dead on accurate. 
 "I've come to the conclusion that understanding the material on an intellectual level is paramount, and I know what happens when writers don't. It can be a big black eye on technical writing. I think our reputation is pretty well shot because of it."


-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+richard -dot- melanson=us -dot- tel -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+richard -dot- melanson=us -dot- tel -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com <mailto:techwr-l-bounces+richard -dot- melanson=us -dot- tel -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> ] On Behalf Of Michael West
Sent: Thursday, April 24, 2008 5:32 PM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Re: Calling all Technical Editors again!;Was, "RE: Writing Corrective Actions for customers?"

Ned wrote:

> I've come to the conclusion that understanding the material on an
intellectual
> level is paramount, and I know what happens when writers don't. It can
> be a big black eye on technical writing. I think our reputation is
> pretty well shot because of it.


"Understanding the material" is _part_ of the technical communication process, not a prerequisite to it. But even more "paramount"  than that is understanding the specific information need of the audience, and how it can best be met. Because nobody's paying you just to learn things that your audience doesn't need to know.

When I pick up a manual to look up how to do what I need to do, I care not one whit how much the author of that manual knows. It is a matter of supreme indifference to me.

ALL I care about is whether the one bit of information I need RIGHT NOW is in there, and easy to find, and, once found, easy to follow. The last thing I want is a manual written by a technical expert who wants me to know how clever he is.

To whatever extent "our reputation is shot" (as Ned puts it), it isn't because we aren't subject matter experts. It's because we haven't learned how, after gathering the right information from subject matter experts, to put it into a structure that our users find easy to access and easy to understand. We haven't learned to speak the users' language and address their specific information needs.

Recently I was introduced to my firm's managing director by the CFO, who said, "This is the guy I was telling you about. He's a translator from techo to Human."

THAT is where we can make a difference. The engineering schools are full of experts. What the business world wants is someone who can bridge the information gap between those experts and people who have other fish to fry.

--
Mike West
Melbourne, Australia



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