Observations from the Tech Writer Panel

A few weeks ago, WRD hosted a panel of technical writers who spoke about their careers and job duties. For those who were unable to attend, here are a few tips and observations from these professionals.

Write Clearly

All of the speakers mentioned the importance of clarity and simplicity in writing. A chief duty for technical writers is to take something that an engineer or technical professional is saying, and deliver that information in a way that can be understood by someone who has little to no technical expertise. One speaker declared that when you are writing content — no matter the subject — you should “state it as simply as possible.” A good question to ask yourself about your writing is “Will someone be better off for having read my content?”

Develop Skills

Writers need to master a variety of digital skills to thrive in the world of technical writing, but according to the speakers, many of these skills can be learned on your own. They recommended becoming proficient in programming languages, especially HTML and CSS, and also stressed the importance of learning the basic principles of user experience. There are also a number of software platforms that they encouraged familiarity with, such as the Adobe Technical Communications suite.

Don’t Let Your Background Stop You

I think one of the biggest take-aways from the panel was that you do not have to be an engineer or natural technical genius to be a technical writer; almost all of the speakers had an educational background in the humanities rather than in a STEM field. As one of the speakers stated, all that you need is the ability to write, an interest in technology, and a good work ethic.