Technical Writing Skills

Class Summary

(based on last 3 sessions)

Have you been assigned the responsibility of producing technical documents (users manuals, procedure guides, proposals, specifications, project status reports, or problem-solving reports) and don’t know where to start?  Have you had experience in writing technical documents but weren’t totally satisfied with the end product?  If so, this full-day session may be just what you’re looking for.

COM104 6.0 Combinable 0.53
One 8-hour session

Employees responsible for developing, editing, and designing layout for technical documents.

  • Greater confidence in your ability to communicate technical information.
  • Increased professionalism and impact in technical documents.

By the end of this program, you will be able to:

  • Understand the difference between business writing and technical writing.
  • Practice a step-by-step method of developing a technical document.
  • Be able to group and arrange information according to managerial and scientific principles of organization.
  • Create a reader-focused technical document.
  • Practice writing instructions
  • Discover tips for layout and formatting of documentation for reader-focused documents.
  • Be able to write documents efficiently and without procrastination.
  • Understand the need for revising and be able to review and rewrite to improve readability.

The 5-step Process for Technical Writing Projects

  • Planning
    • Clarifying the writing task
    • Determining your purpose
    • Analyze your readers
    • Define your reader’s response
    • Define your scope
  • Brainstorming
    • Visuals
    • Freewriting
    • Clustering
  • Organizing
    • Chronological
    • Priority
    • Problem-cause-solution
    • Comparison – Contrast
    • Advantages – Disadvantages
    • Cause – Effect
    • Scientific vs. Managerial
  • Writing
  • Revising
    • Check content, purpose, organization, and emphasis
    • Check paragraphs and sentences
    • Check spelling and punctuation