The objective of technical writing is to clearly convey some information to a select group of audience in a way that topic can straight away be understood.
Technical writing is a way of analyzing, generating and managing information about various products and technical procedures to be used in the generation of technical documentation.
Technical writers write and sometimes edit manuals, newsletters, user guides, online help files, reports etc. and many different types of text.
For big assignments, a technical writer has to work with a graphic and interface designer, many computer programmers etc. to design a huge website. But for smaller assignments or for smaller organizations the technical writer is expected to do the aforementioned task all by himself.
First and foremost thing for a technical writer is to recognize the target audience. Technical writers who know the target audience can advise and execute solutions to the problems that no one else can recognize.
Expertise required for Technical Writing
Technical writers must possess the aptitude to comprehend correctly and then be able to elucidate correctly.
Training required for Technical Writing
Since the field of technical writing is relatively new so the question that comes to ones mind – How to acquire training for technical writing?
Aspirants who wish to have formal technical writing training can take up courses at colleges or go for online programs. There are some private institutes also which run courses in technical writing. Such courses increase the employability of the candidates.
Anybody who wants to get into the field of technical writing should be at ease with writing and technology – which differs for different organizations and often training is provided related to the technical processes and various products.
In nutshell, a good technical writer is also a good trainer or teacher. They are very good at explaining difficult ideas to audience who might not give a second look to the related literature. Technical writers are also good at noticing very minute details. Therefore, they can tell others why their documents need to be changed. They also possess very good inter-personal skills as they have to interact and gather or provide information with designers, programmers, SMEs, marketers etc.