With the advent of technology, the need for transforming complex systems into simple processes underscores the importance of technical writing. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the average salary for those individuals with solid technical writing skills is $71,850 a year, and demand for technical writers is projected to grow 11% from 2016, to 2026 (Figure 1).
That means being able to provide clear instructions and information to an intended audience is more lucrative than ever. Today, most professional fields will require some degree of technical writing. This is why good technical writing skills are critical for all occupations in a competitive global economy and technology driven workplace.
What is technical writing?
Technical writing is found everywhere. Technical manuals and reference guides; internal procedures; design and product descriptions; implementation of processes; business services; mission statements; resumes and cover letters; this is but a small list of all the forms of technical writing developed by technical writers.
The fundamental purpose of technical writing is to communicate. As an important subset of technical communication, technical writing often involves communicating information to those who need it to accomplish some task or procedure. The word “technical” actually comes from the Greek word “techne”, which simply means skill. With that said, the precise definition of technical writing almost always varies by industry.
In engineering, for example, technical writing refers to the process of documenting complex systems and technical processes. Writing instructions and inferring data from charts and graphs are common tasks that require engineers to make use of their technical writing skills.
In business management, by contrast, technical writing refers to the process of writing and sharing information in a professional tone. This includes the formulation of status reports, emails, proposals, briefs, press-releases and other forms of documentation used everyday.
In computer programming and software development, good technical writing skills are paramount for writing instructions and process documentation so that it can be presented in a format that is easy to read and understand, and utilized effectively. The technical writer is the interface between the computer professional who created the technology and its user.
In academia, scientific and technical research must be understandable to the public, investors and even governments for opportunities to receive a grant. Grant providers expect researchers to have the ability to express themselves clearly and convince others of the benefits of their projects or findings.
These are just some of the occupations that require good technical writing skills. Every profession has its own specialized forms of writing, and make use of a similar writing process and ultimately draw on the same established set of writing skills. In other words, once a writing process is developed, it can be applied to any technical document desired.
Why is technical writing a critical skill?
Major companies spend a fortune training their employees in order to bring their writing abilities up to scratch. According to NACE's Job Outlook 2016 survey, problem solving, and written communications shared the number one spot, among a pool of many others, as the skills employers believed as most valuable and critical in a candidate. Weak communications skills can hinder your career progression and even make it difficult for you to get hired.
From the moment you write your very first cover letter and resume/CV, you have taken the first step as a technical writer. A technical writer has the ability to see simplicity in complexity. But let’s face it – for many people is not easy to strip away the complexity of a system, document, or process and present it in a way others can understand with minimum effort.
How are technical writing skills improved?
To be effective, technical writers must reflect carefully on their aims, audiences, and contexts, and make intelligent choices of what to say and how to say it.
Moreover, we all know good writing skills are developed over long periods of practice and hard work. Technical writing is no exception. But, by choosing to develop your technical writing talents you will naturally be perceived as a bright, detail-oriented, self-assured and polished individual who is not intimidated by any levels of technicality.
The following list of ideas, will provide simple action-oriented strategies aimed to improve your current set of technical writing skills.
Read more.
The best writers are avid readers. Reading on a regular basis is the first step towards improving your technical writing skills. Be open-minded, and welcoming of more challenging reading materials. Additionally, always be on the lookout for grammar and punctuation errors. This will have the added benefit of also improving your editorial skills.
Keep writing.
Make a habit of writing about what you read, and about things that interest you. The key is to keep writing. The old adage, “Practice makes perfect” is true of writing. If you want to improve your technical writing skills, writing on a regular basis will not only diminish writer’s block, but will also help you develop a unique style.
Constantly proofread your work.
Most of writing comes from rewriting. Benjamin Franklin asserted many times his writing was only as good as his editing. By constantly editing your work you will catch both factual and grammatical errors in copy. This will help prevent embarrassment, additional costs, and even legal action taken against you.
Always make an outline
Technical writing is already unwieldy by nature; with an outline you at least have a rough guide on where to begin. Secondly, don’t overcomplicate an outline. A simple framework of which sections should appear in a particular order, along with a few sentences about what each section contains is often enough.
Brush up on the basics whenever possible
A quick brush up on the present state of English writing is never a bad idea. Let’s face it, to write satisfactorily on the subject of language suitability and adequacy would be to write a treatise on style; and obviously this article doesn’t have a place for that. However, language should be everybody’s business, and enters into almost every part of human life. Yet, it is all too often misused: directness and clarity disappear in a whirl of clichés, euphemisms, and woolliness of expression. Keep it as simple and straightforward as you can.
In today’s competitive global economy and technology driven workplace, technical writing skills are more important than ever. Professionals of all walks, levels, and ages should brush up on their written communication, but new graduates should view this skill as especially beneficial to hone. The good news is that technical writing, like most things in life, gets better with practice.
