TECHNICAL

WRITING
A LEARNING MODULE FOR THE DEFINITION, TYPES AND TIPS IN DOING
TECHNICAL WRITING
OBJECTIVES:

At the end of this module, the students are expected to be able to do the following

 Give a full opinion towards the definition of technical writing.

 Can determine the different types of technical documents
 Can create their tips in doing technical writing.
 Create an technical paper output.


INTRODUCTION

Have you ever wondered throughout the years of writing anything on a piece of paper
that one day you might find out that there are various types of writing styles or formats. You
might know that already unless you skipped class more often in your early years. Well, there are
various types of writing so to speak and one of them is the main topic of this material which
technical writing.

PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT:

With a maximum of 100 words, describe what technical writing is, give at least 3
examples and describe each example.

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Lesson 1

Technical Writing, Characteristics and Types

So what is technical writing? Well it simply writing in a technical way. Close enough but
its definition is relative broad compared to that.

Technical writing is a type of writing where the author is writing about a particular
subject that requires direction, instruction, or explanation. This style of writing has a very
different purpose and different characteristics than other writing styles such as creative writing,
academic writing or business writing. It is a specialized form of exposition: that is,
written communication done on the job, especially in fields with specialized vocabularies, such
as science, engineering, technology, and the health sciences. Along with business writing,
technical writing is often subsumed under the heading of professional communication.

Technical writing has its respective characteristics the same as other writing formats.
Such format are enlisted as follows.

 Purpose: Getting something done within an organization (completing a project,

persuading a customer, pleasing your boss, etc.).
 Your knowledge of the topic: Usually greater than that of the reader.
 Audience: Often several people, with differing technical backgrounds.
 Criteria for evaluation: Clear and simple organization of ideas, in a format that meets
the needs of busy readers.
 Statistical and graphic support: Frequently used to explain existing conditions and to
present alternative courses of action.

Along with the characteristics, technical writing also have different types which reflects
how it will be formed into a notable document. Enlisted below are the three main types of
technical writing documents.
 A. End-User Documentation

End-user documentation gives instructions for the end-user of a given product. Such
instructions must be easily understood by a non-technical reader but still require technical
expertise.

Examples of end-user documentation are as follows:

 a user manual that accompanies a cell phone

 a user manual teaching home computer users how to set up a basic home
networking system
 a how-to guide for using laptops
 a setup and installation guide
 a description document

B. Traditional Technical Writing

Traditional technical writing is written by an audience with specific expertise for their
peers.

Examples of traditional technical writing are as follows:

 an analysis of a legal case for other lawyers

 a summary of a series of medical experiments to be published in a journal
of medicine
 an industry article for a trade publication
 standard operating procedures for a company for payroll or paid vacation
 FAQs for a company
 technical specs and API documentation
 informational documents like a whitepaper

C. Technical Marketing Communications

In that situation, the writer needs to communicate their expertise in a more user-friendly
language to help the prospective buyer understand and take an interest in the product.

Examples of technical marketing communication are as follows:

  a sales pitch to a new potential client about a new type of computer hardware or
software
 informative articles for the web to show businesses that using a particular IT
consulting service can save them money
 an in-depth case study on how the product benefitted a specific company
 chain email to promote a new cell phone coming to the market
 flyer introducing a cutting-edge exercise tracker to the market

Activity 1.

A. Arrange the following letter into word/s.

1. RATDIOLNGHNWRICALNITITEC
2. OSURPPE
3. LWINAGNIRITCHCTE
4. NNGCATIIMMUCIONSHALMTONIARKEC
5. AEINCUED

Clues:

1. Written by an audience with specific expertise for their peers.

2. Getting something done within an organization.
3. A type of writing where the author is writing about a particular subject that
requires direction, instruction, or explanation.
4. The writer needs to communicate their expertise in a more user-friendly language
to help the prospective buyer understand and take an interest in the product.
5. Often several people, with differing technical backgrounds.

B. Complete the paragraph given below.

_______________ is a type of writing where the author is writing about a particular

subject that requires __________________________. This style of writing has a very different
_______ and different ______________ than other writing styles such as creative writing,
academic writing or business writing. It is a specialized form of _____________: that is,
__________________________, especially in fields with specialized _________________, such
as ______________________, and _________________. Along with business writing, technical
writing is often subsumed under the heading of ____________________.
REFLECTION

Write what you have learned, you would want to learn and what you need to add to the
subject matter.

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Lesson 2

Technical Writing Steps

The same with other types of writing, technical writing also has its steps to be followed in
order to produce a decent technical document. Though various steps had emerged depending the
writer’s point of view but we will focus on the more common ones.

1. Remember your audience

It’s true for all forms of writing, yet with technical writing, it’s even more pressing. Who are you
writing for? What does your reader need to know? Do they need to first gather materials to work
with? Do they need to put on protective gear? How do they switch on the equipment? What
should they do first?

Come up with the logical sequence of steps, then you can fill in all the details. It won’t do taking
the reader halfway through the documentation and then saying “By now you should have done
this and that.” That’s really frustrating. You can give a bigger picture at the very beginning, but
make is short.

When you start elaborating on the details, make sure it’s in the order that is appropriate to your
particular reader’s context.

You might have very different audiences to cater to with a single document – operators must
know how to work with the equipment, job safety officers must know if this equipment matches
their industry and company regulations, heads of various departments must know some details
relevant to their field, etc. That might be difficult to balance, but usually, you can assume the
level of prior knowledge accurately enough to decide on skipping or including the explanation of
basic details.

For example, for project management software, it’s better to assume a basic level of technical
competence, since people from many industries and with various level of tech-awareness will
potentially use it in their work.

2. Know all ins and outs

This is an obvious thing but I’ll put it here anyway. You should be familiar enough with your
topic to be able to explain complex concepts and ideas in very simple terms. As Einstein said, “If
you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”

If you feel difficulty writing about something, take a moment to assess whether your level of
knowledge is adequate. If you have doubts, do your research, take notes and consult experts, and
keep doing it until you feel ready to explain everything to a six-year-old.

3. Think the structure through

Structure your information in a way that makes it easy to find any piece of it. People often turn to
guides when something already went wrong, when they are upset, lost, and frustrated. Precision
and structure are the best expression of humanity and kindness in this case.

Try to see a problem that the user is having and come up with lists of tasks they need to perform
to solve this problem. You can also group those problems into thematic hubs (getting ready,
creating, deleting, managing, etc.) Using -ing forms coveys a sense of immediacy that appeals to
users, so that’s a good idea to use them when naming your hubs.

Also, don’t forget that some people will need to read through the entire document, so give your
text natural flow. One idea should follow another in a logical sequence. Even when you divide
your text into sections there has to be some transition between them. This improves readability
and encourages your readers to go through the entire document.

4. Use layout

Your text might be expertly structured, yet without proper layout, it will still be difficult to
navigate. Don’t underestimate the power of layout.

It’s not about making your text aesthetically pleasing. That’s also a function, but the function is
to make your text more understandable and easily scannable. Employing the right layout
techniques, you create a map for your reader and guide them with it.

Bulleted and numbered lists, headers, page breaks, bolded keywords, italicized examples, etc.
will highlight the intended points of focus and make your message clearer.

5. Use illustrations strategically

A picture is worth a thousand words. Moreover, illustrations are a nice way to break big chunks
of dense text that can be boring and difficult to digest. Use different kinds of illustrations: tables,
charts, diagrams, and screenshots to balance out the overwhelming text.

That said, add them only if they add value, not just to enhance your text visually. Remember,
your reader will be hunting for a particular piece of information and images are attention
grabbers that derail this search. Don’t add something that has little value or is something your
reader can do without. Images must justify their position in the document.

Always explain your content – it makes a good introduction to conceptual and abstract stuff.
When you add images and schemes, explain what is happening inside the picture, not just “This
is a screenshot of such and such dialogue.” Make your explanation short and scannable.

Make sure to crop and highlight the images, pointing out the relevant information and leaving
out everything else.

Tables should create visual hierarchy, compare the data and help your reader to interpret
findings. If not, they have no business being there at all.

6. Use examples

Examples keep your writing tied to reality and this is crucial since technical writing deals
with practical things. If you are writing an online help or a disaster recovery doc, then every
issue within the text is going to begin with a scenario of things gone wrong.

Yet even for other types of documents try to refrain from being too theoretical. If you are writing
a manual and list things that might lead to malfunctions, explain situations in which such things
may happen, what are signs of malfunction, how should control
panel/indicators/blades look like when everything is done properly. Add visuals if necessary.

7. Improve searchability

Two things that can dramatically improve the searchability of things your readers will look for
are the table of contents and index.

Think of your table of contents as of the master list of tasks. Your user should be able to scan
through it quickly and easily to find the information they need. Also, don’t make it too technical
and ramified. Try to restrict yourself to three levels maximum, otherwise, you make it too
overwhelming for your reader and it defeats the entire purpose of the table of contents, which is
providing a roadmap.

Depending on the length of your document, creating an index can also be very helpful. People
often search for particular keywords and terms. Those words might not be in the software itself,
or anywhere in the table of contents. This is a great way to tie words and phrases your readers
might expect with the precise technical terms you have actually used.

8. Make human connection

Your text is a bridge between technology and human users. Always remember that humans will
read your text. Avoid sounding robotic. Make the style conversational – it doesn’t mean less
precise or fraternizing. You don’t have to put jokes there. Just be human.

People rarely like to be referred to as “the user”, so writing in the second person will humanize
and make your text easier to read and process (e.g. “Before you start working, place the pad
on your left-hand side).

Also, use present tense and active voice whenever it’s possible and keep things simple. Your
audience may range across different comprehension levels and making your information as
accessible as you can is important.

Ask for the style guides upfront to ensure consistency across all the documentation.

9. Revise and test

Every type of text needs several rounds of revision. This doesn’t only include spellcheck and
hunting for grammar errors. Try to step away from your text for a day or two. If this task is
urgent, at least allow yourself several hours between writing and final edits. By spacing out your
editing sessions you make it easier to spot inconsistencies, redundancies, and gaps.

After you are satisfied with your document, it’s time to test it. Don’t test your
documents yourself – it must be someone else. Ideally, a QA specialist that tests your docs
against the live system.

Iterate on your text one more time (or several times if needed) based on the feedback your testers
gave. When you have a finished, polished version, delete all the other drafts to avoid data
pollution.

10. Seek feedback

One is never too good to learn and improve. One thing you can do to identify areas needing
improvement is to ask for feedback from both your coworkers and your clients.

Do they find your documents helpful? Do they understand what you are trying to say? Is
everything clear? Do your docs answer their questions? Is there anything they don’t like?

They are also more likely to spot any reoccurring patterns in your writing that aren’t strictly
necessary and do not add value to the text—things you may be blind to yourself.

Remember, negative feedback and constructive criticisms are both an opportunity to work on and
improve your skills. Keep a notebook of your mistakes and the things you’ve learned and never
stop perfecting your skills.

Activity 2.

A. Using the steps provided above, make a sample draft of a technical document of your
choice.
 B. Create a 10-min video about technical writing. The video must contain the following:

 Brief explanation about technical writing

 Difference of technical writing from other writing formats.
 Advantages and disadvantages of technical writing
 Importance of technical writing in your chosen field.

C. Search for a sample technical document in the Internet and do a technical review on
it. Submit your review by using a technical writing format.

REFLECTION

Write what you have learned, you would want to learn and what you need to add to the
subject matter.

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REFERENCE

https://alltogether.swe.org/2019/10/10-tips-to-improve-your-technical-writing-skills/

https://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-technical-writing-assigments.html

https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/word-definitions/definition-of-technical-writing.html

https://www.thoughtco.com/technical-writing-1692530