Lecture1 (technical writing)

1. 1
Introduction to
Technical Writing
(Technical Writing CS212)
Lecture 1
Abdisalam Issa-Salwe
Taibah University
College of Computer Science & Engineering
Computer Science Department
2
Outline
1.About Technical Writing
2.Technical vs. academic writing
3.Essential Skills of a Technical Writer
4.Technical Writing Myths
5.Audience Analysis

2. 2
3
About Technical Writing
2Communication is part of the life of every
creature on this planet.
2How that communication is carried out however,
is varied, and different types of communication
are suitable based upon the type of information
that needs to be conveyed.
2One specific area of communication involves
transmitting, understanding and knowledge of a
technical subject to others that need to know the
basics and details of the subject in question.
2In written form, this communication type of
communication is called technical writing.
4
About Technical Writing (cont…)
2What is Technical Writing?
3Taking complicated subject
matter and transforming it into
easy-to-understand information
for the reader.

3. 3
5
About Technical Writing (cont…)
2Technical writing is the presentation of information that
helps the reader solve a particular problem.
2Technical communicators write, design, and/or edit
proposals, manuals, web pages, lab reports, newsletters,
and many other kinds of professional documents.
2While technical writers need to have good computer
skills, they do not necessarily have to write about
computers all their lives.
2"Technical" comes from the Greek techne, which simply
means "skill".
2Every profession has its own special specialized forms of
writing.
6
About Technical Writing (cont…)
2Technical writers represent those who write
technical and software manuals, handbooks,
technical guides and provide online help;
anyone who writes about technology for other
people is typically referred to as a technical
writer.
2Most professionals require some technical
writing skills.
2In the information technology realm, project
managers and analysts write a large number of
technical documents that must be clear and
concise.

4. 4
7
About Technical Writing (cont…)
2When technical writers approach a new piece of
technology, they are inwardly observing their own lack of
knowledge.
2As they interact with and learn the software, they identify
the information needs of the software users.
2They must be able to communicate well with
programmers and customers, and extract information
from them in a professional and personable manner.
2A technical writer's primary tool is the language.
2Technical writers communicate ideas; they design
information, participate in the product development
process, and manage complex documentation projects.
8
How is Technical Writing Different?
2The information is organized, presented and
communicated in a specific format.
2The writing is concise, clear and accurate.
2The writing takes into account the audience’s needs,
biases and prior understanding.
2The writing presents information to help readers
solve a problem or gain a better understanding of a
situation.
2The writing conveys technical, complex, or
specialized information in a way that is easy for a
non-technical reader to understand.

5. 5
9
How is Technical Writing Different? (cont…)
2Technical writing is
3objective
3direct
3clearly defined
3precise
10
What Technical Writing is Not
2Subjective
2Metaphorical
2Technical writing avoids figures of speech
such as metaphors and similes, symbolic
language, and abstraction to restrict
readers’ freedom of interpretation.

6. 6
11
How is Technical Writing Different?
2Technical writing achieves precision with:
definitions and descriptions photographs
and drawings numerical data and
mathematical equations
2tables and charts
12
Why should you care about writing?
2You must communicate your work to the world
2If people don’t know about it, they won’t use it
2Increase probability of adoption
2Clear writing requires clear thinking; muddled
writing is a sign of muddled thought
2Be kind to your readers good writing can be a
joy; bad writing is agony
2These skills transfer to other endeavors

7. 7
13
4Technical writing is a natural partner to
academic writing.
4It is descriptive, creative, and expository, but the
format is different and the standards are higher.
4Technical writing requires 100% accuracy.
4Technical writing is effective when:
5the writer communicates precisely his/her
intended meaning to his/her reader.
5the writing fulfils its goal or intended
purpose.
Essential Skills of a Technical Writer
14
Essential Skills of a Technical Writer
2There are five important skills or characteristics which
are "musts" for the technical writer:
1. Facility with technology: You must have the potential
to grasp intended technology.
2. Ability to write clearly: The essential skill of any
technical communicator is to disambiguate.
3. Talent in showing ideas graphically: People
understand better when you can communicate your
ideas visually. These images go a long way toward
making your writing clear.
4. Patience in problem-solving/troubleshooting: Unless
you have patience, you’ll never make it
5. Ability to interact with Subject Matter Experts (SME):
Interacting with SMEs is one of the most overlooked
skills in technical writing.

8. 8
15
Academic Writing Technical Writing
Descriptive Writing Job Description, Incident Report,
Résumé, Process Explanation
Narrative Writing Observation Report, Progress
Report
Analysis Performance Evaluation,
Feasibility Report
Cause and Effect Analytical Report, Product Field
Test Report
Compare-Contrast Product Comparison, Feasibility
Report
Persuasive Writing Proposal, Action Plan
16
Examples of Technical Writing:
•Action Plans
• Advertisement
• Agenda
• Audit Report
• Book Review
• Brochure
• Budget
• Business Letter
• Business Plan
• Catalog
• Contract
• Critique
• Data Book or Display
• Description
• Diagram, Chart, or Graph
• Editorial
• Email
• Feasibility Report
• Field Test Report
• Incident Report
• Informational Form
• Informational Poster
• Informative Summary
• Instructions
• Interview Questions
• Itinerary

9. 9
17
What do Tech Writers create?
2User’s manuals
2System manuals
2Step-by-step
procedures
2On-line help
2Training manuals
2Quick-reference guides
2How-to video scripts
18
Identify the audience
2Potential audience includes:
3Experts in your area; people outside your
area
3Expert professors; advanced undergrads
3Industry practitioners
3Researchers now; researchers 10 years from
now

10. 10
19
References
-The Essence of Computing Projects: A Student’s Guide,
by Christian W. Dawson, Prentice Hall.
-Mohammad Alsuraihi, Technical Writing, CS212 Course
notes, Taibah University, Madinah, KSA
-Abdisalam Issa-Salwe, Taibah University, Madinah,
Saudi Arabia.
-Technical writing overview,
http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Technical_writing_overview