Category: tech writing

The Demise of STC

  By skills, tech writing, what's happening

I recently received an email that described the demise of the Society for Technical Communicators. The organization went bankrupt. I was saddened on several levels. As a member, the society has been so helpful over the time I have belonged to it. Their job boards were once a great resource. The previous organization I had shared with others was encouraging and a real community.

I did notice over the last several years that there have been less and less vital communication to members. The cost of membership was rising to a point I seriously considered if belonging had any advantages. STC was more like a large organization that lost that personal feel it once had. I’m guessing others had the same thoughts as the email stated a drop in membership as part of its issues: “Despite significant efforts over the past several years by the various Boards of Directors and STC leadership, financial liabilities coupled with falling membership numbers have created a situation where we are not able to offer the education, resources, and outreach that this membership expects and deserves. Various cost-cutting measures and attempts to generate revenue have not been sufficient, and our debt and operational expenses now outweigh our ongoing revenue.”

I wasn’t surprised by this message, just at the timing. As I said, I’m sad to see STC go. Having said that, I am glad I teach in the online certificate program at CSUDH in technical writing. Considering how much STC was charging for their now defunct certification, I think the CSUDH certificate is fully worthwhile. Originally STC was less about classes and certs and more about community and offering resources for all levels of membership. Then it changed. Expensive classes, additional costs for membership perks, and cost increases for their conference were noticeable. When they introduced their cert., I had questions which couldn’t be answered clearly by stakeholders (I’ve compared their curriculum to CSUDH’s), and their cert wasn’t widely supported by organizations.

In comparison, CSUDH technical writing certification focuses on practical portfolio-building content versus STC’s more theoretical focus of the original cert. Then STC created more and more certs with expected additional costs of continuing education units for certifications to (cost-required) STC functions. I was surprised at their approach considering their membership. No one at STC was keeping pay scales for tech writers in mind or other cert costs (such as software or security) that may be required of technical writers beyond a tech writer cert. I believe cost was a big factor for many members, forcing them out. STC didn’t even list CSUDH or other accredited programs that were non-degree bearing in their database, but perhaps that is because they wanted to promote their own certs. This was a complete change from previous years. (They used to promote and discount the former UCLA tech writing certificate program, which I attended.)

It is such a shame that STC didn’t stay as authentic to their original goals and audience of technical writers and communicators. The organization priced itself out of their audience by charging extra for most activities and literally spread itself too thin over time to try and capture interest by increasing: special interest groups, chapters, conferences, certification courses and exams, committee and subcommittee activities, classes (not cert related), recognitions, awards, competitions, events, publications, and activities. It failed to have timely discussions regarding the use of AI and other concerns of technical writers and communicators. I do hope some day a version of STC will resurrect itself to a better streamlined and managed organization with clear vision and mission statement but for now, the sun sets on another memorable organization.

AI in Teaching and Business

  By CSUDH, imagery, skills, teaching, tech writing, writing

I just finished the CSU series of webinars on Teaching and Thinking with AI, led by José Antonio Bowen. These included A.I. Literacy & Prompt Engineering, A.I. Grading, Detection, and Policies, and A.I. Assignments and Assessments. It was an amazing series on using AI in the classroom to help students think differently as well as great tips for usage in training in the real world. My big takeaway is that AI (generative AI) won’t be replacing us anytime soon, it has a ton of flaws returning incorrect information (fake references – so always check your references), and requires plenty of time to get prompts to return a modicum of usable results. One example I am experiencing is that I am getting contacted by recruiters on a popular job site for jobs I don’t do. The jobs are so far off of what I do that at first I assumed it was a mistake until I realized, after the webinar series, that whatever AI they are using isn’t providing reliable results. The prompts they are writing must be off.

However, it really got me to think differently about communication. Every bit of communication needs to be in a prompt that is submitted into AI if you want to be able to use or be inspired by your use of AI. If you want a specific tone, mood, specific time frame etc. – state it. So refine your prompt over and over until the results are better.

There are a variety of tools that will cost you per month for premium results and each has strong points and weak points. So, really getting to know your AI tool, like any other tool, and taking it’s results with a bit of skepticism can help. Don’t be afraid to keep tweaking your prompts until you get the desired results. AI is here to stay so keep practice learning how to use it. Learning it and being able to use it in business, training, and education will be a valuable future-skill.

AI in teaching and business

Some current existing AI tools (this is not a full list just some I found interesting but not necessarily had tried yet).

  • Claude.ai There is also a smaller Haiku and a larger Opus.
  • ChatGPT If you have only used the free version before May you have been using GPT 3.5
  • Gemini (formerly Google Bard).  Gemini Advanced – not free
  • Copilot Microsoft owns half of OpenAI so CoPilot (is really another version of ChatGPT as far as I can tell)
  • WolframAlpha combines the computational powers of Wolfram|Alpha with ChatGPT
  • Pi is focused on dialogue and role-playing and has a good voice interface
  • Poe and ChatHub provide access to multiple AI through one interface
  • There are additional open source models such as Meta AI, Huggingface, Llama 3, etc. Other resources include APIs, chatbots, study assistants, browser extensions, agents, voice, dialog, etc.

Imagery

New Semester at CSUDH – Study Technical Writing!

  By CSUDH, teaching, tech writing, what's happening, writing

Do you want to become a writer or improve your writing for your job? The Advanced Technical Writing/Communication course starts soon at California State University Dominguez Hills. The course is entirely online and students learn advanced technical writing techniques along with improving their writing skills. Students get hands-on experience creating portfolio pieces they will need to apply for job positions. As we discuss key areas of technical communication, we work on putting together a portfolio so you can show what you know right away.

Students may take the Advanced Class even if they have not completed the Intro course as long as they have some writing experience. The certificate at California State University Dominguez Hills consists of three courses. Check out more here. The entire program for the certificate is taught online (and will continue to be taught online). Find out more information on the CSUDH Technical Writing Program website. Dr. Kondor teaches the Advanced course and the Information Design course. Check out the FAQ on this site if you have questions.

The Advanced Technical Communication course starts on October 21st, 2024. For questions, email learn@csudh.edu or call 310-243-2075. To register for courses, call 310-243-3741 (option 1) or go online. You must complete all courses in the technical writing certificate program to receive the certificate.

Check out details on Technical Writing Courses & Schedule.

Learn Technical Writing at CSUDH

#csudh #technicalwriting #technical #documentation #writing

Lu Kondor has worked as a technical writer for more than 20 years at major corporations. She has a Doctorate in Business Management and has created a large variety of documents, videos, and copy for organizations in entertainment, software, public utilities, manufacturing, oil and gas, chemical, B2B, consumer-based products, and the nuclear process industries. She is an adjunct lecturer in Advanced Technical Writing as well as Information Design for more than 17 years.

The Importance of Clear and Concise Communication

  By teaching, tech writing, writing

Recently I was doing a training seminar on technical communication. I reviewed what I wanted to discuss and thought about what technical communicators needed to pay attention to. Of course, the reader was the first thing that came to mind. Then I dug deeper. I realized it was how clearly and concisely any document is written for the audience reading it.

How clearly and concisely a document is written affects the reader in many ways. Readers generally skim, scan, or read word-for-word. It depends on their needs. Skimming lets a reader get an overview of the document. Scanning a document lets a reader find exactly what they are looking for without having to read the whole document.

Mainly these two methods of looking at a document let the reader find data first, such as test results, cost, statistics, or any other organized data. Usually once a reader finds what they are looking for they read word-for-word. Reading word-for-word allows a reader to pick up any details they may have missed and to get a greater understanding of what they are reading.

Technical writers turn data into information for their readers.

When creating a technical document, the first thing technical writers receive is data. That data could be test results, program code, interviews, phenomenological research, statistics, quantitative research results, or any number of other types of data. It doesn’t matter if the data is correlated, raw, or analyzed. As writers, we need to make sure when we get data, that we shape it into information so that the reader can skim, scan, or read it word-for-word.

We shape the information by organizing and presenting the data to the reader so that they can gain knowledge. Once a reader has the knowledge they need, they can then make decisions to take the correct action needed. Even if the reader decides not to do anything, the action in that case is deciding to do nothing. For example, test results show that lead levels are acceptable to government standards. No further action for mitigation is required for the report reader. They can schedule the next test if necessary.

This all comes back to writing clearly and concisely. If the writing in a document is not clear and concise, the technical writer doesn’t fully understand what they are writing. In other words, they don’t understand the data, the process, or the procedure enough to write information clearly and concisely for the document’s audience. Unfortunately, the document fails for the reader if they cannot turn the information in the document to knowledge.

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Lu Kondor has worked as a technical writer for more than 20 years at major corporations. She has a Doctorate in Business Management and has created a large variety of documents, videos, and copy for organizations in entertainment, software, public utilities, manufacturing, oil and gas, chemical, B2B, consumer-based products, and the nuclear process industries. She is an adjunct lecturer in Advanced Technical Writing as well as Information Design for more than 17 years.

Advanced Technical Communication Class at CSUDH

  By creative writing, CSUDH, skills, teaching, tech writing

I teach the Advanced Technical Writing/Communication course and it starts soon at California State University Dominguez Hills. The course is entirely online and students learn advanced technical writing techniques along with improving their writing skills. Students get hands-on experience creating portfolio pieces they will need to apply for job positions. As we discuss key areas of technical communication, we work on putting together a portfolio so you can show what you know right away. Students may take the Advanced Class even if they have not completed the Fundamentals course as long as they have some writing experience. The certificate at California State University Dominguez Hills consists of three courses.

If you’d like to learn more, check out the Technical Writing Certificate page. The Advanced course Starts:

Date: 08/19/2024 – 10/20/2024

Days/Times/Location: Asynchronous Online

For questions, email learn@csudh.edu or call 310-243-2075

Lu Kondor has worked as a technical writer for more than 20 years at major corporations. She has a Doctorate in Business Management and has created a large variety of documents, videos, and copy for organizations in entertainment, software, public utilities, manufacturing, oil and gas, chemical, B2B, consumer-based products, and the nuclear process industries. She is an adjunct lecturer in Advanced Technical Writing as well as Information Design for more than 17 years.

Project Managers Aren’t the Only People Who Define Scope

  By skills, teaching, tech writing, Uncategorized

The Importance of Scope on a Documentation Project

According to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), the scope of a project is the work to be done on that project. The scope of a project is generally defined using a work breakdown structure (WBS) allowing the user to set goals, objectives, priorities, and deadlines making a project manageable. Knowing the exact scope provides the ability to create detailed cost estimation.

Defining the scope of a project so that all aspects of the project are determined and tracked to completion is not only important to make sure the project is on time and on budget, but also that all changes are properly managed. Change management can make or break a project as it can affect costs, schedule, and the deliverable itself. This may sound like a lot of work, but on large projects with extensive resources, tracking a project makes all the difference in how successful the result is.

What does this have to do with technical writing? All documentation projects need project scope clearly defined. A clear and detailed definition of the deliverable, especially larger projects such as extensive manuals, websites, and long-term documentation changes can help eliminate project overages and decrease project failure risk. What does that mean?

Scope creep and Project Completion Risk – Even Small Projects Can Suffer

If a documentation project, especially a larger one, isn’t clearly defined and tracked, it can lead to scope creep. According to the PMBOK, scope creep means adding features/functionality (to the project scope) without addressing the effects on time, costs, and resources. Scope creep can lead to project failure. If expectations for the project owner and all stakeholders are clearly agreed upon, stakeholders will know what they are getting upon project completion, which means it is easier to keep a project on time and within budget.

What should a technical writer watch out for? Lack of planning. Problematic project definitions such as incomplete requirements, lack of communication between stakeholders, lack of resources, failure to reach project milestones, schedule issues, lack of change management, quality control issues, indecision regarding the deliverables, and unrealistic expectations increase project completion risk.  

Defining project scope is important on any scale documentation project because it provides a clearly defined baseline plan of project objectives, schedule targets, and budget estimates negotiated at the start of a project. Preventing scope creep on documentation projects, or preventing your projects from going over budget and overtime without controls, helps you achieve your goals of completing the project as agreed. Once a documentation project scope is determined, get sign-off on the written scope statement from the primary stakeholders. Follow up by staying on top of changes, schedule, budget, and resources.

Additional Reading

Project Management Institute: Top five causes of scope creep … and what to do about them – https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/top-five-causes-scope-creep-6675

References

Larson, R. & Larson, E. (2009). Top five causes of scope creep … and what to do about them. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2009—North America, Orlando, FL. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.

Lu Kondor has worked as a technical writer for more than 20 years at major corporations. She has a Doctorate in Business Management and has created a large variety of documents, videos, and copy for organizations in entertainment, software, public utilities, manufacturing, oil and gas, chemical, B2B, consumer-based products, and the nuclear process industries. She is an adjunct lecturer in Advanced Technical Writing as well as Information Design for more than 17 years.

Active Voice and Technical Writing

  By CSUDH, skills, teaching, tech writing, writing

“What’s so great about using active voice?”

This is a common question I’m asked by students. Active voice is a sentence with an action verb where the subject of the sentence performs the action expressed by the verb. Active voice is clear and concise and active voice sentences are less wordy. To understand active voice, we need to think about passive voice.

In passive voice, the subject receives the action expressed by the verb.  For example, the man was bitten by the dog. The dog is acting upon the sentence subject (the man) meaning it uses the passive voice. What would be the active counterpart to this sentence? The dog bit the man. In this active voice sentence, the subject (dog) performs the action (bit) to the individual being acted upon (man).


Figure 1. Passive voice example

Examine the passive and the active sentences in Figures 1 and 2. The wordiness of the passive sentence is noticeable (21 words vs. 19 for the active sentence). Most readers of technical documents read quickly, skimming over the material or scanning it to find exactly what they need. Longer sentences are more difficult to skim and scan. When a document user repeatedly rereads a technical document to understand its meaning, they will skip sections or potentially infer the wrong meaning. The result can lead to a negative and potentially dangerous misinterpretation of the information.

Figure 2. Active voice example

If you struggle with identifying passive voice, there are some quick tricks to look for passive voice. First, identify the subject of the sentence. Once you know the subject, determine if it is passive by asking yourself is the subject performing the action (of the verb)? Or is the subject the recipient of a verb’s action?

Are you looking for another way to recognize passive? Look for forms of to be (see figure 3). Check out this passive example: Action on the bill is being considered by the committee. A big clue in this sentence is the phrase is being.

Examine the passive example – Large chunks of asbestos-laden material will be removed from the facility on the second and third floors by asbestos abatement teams. The use of will be is a clue to look at that sentence further.

Figure 3. Writers tend to use to be verbs when writing with passive voice

There are instances where a tech writer may want to use passive voice. Use passive voice with care to be sure the writing is clear and concise. Try the following exercise. Find passive examples online. Then consider the answers to the following questions:

  • Did you understand what was said, or were things vague?
  • Was the use of passive voice understandable?
  • Should the writer reword the example(s)?

If you decide to use passive, test the document with several users to be sure your writing is clear, concise, and not misinterpreted. But remember, you should have a good reason for using passive voice in your writing.

Lu Kondor has worked as a technical writer for more than 20 years for major corporations. She has a Doctorate in Business Management and has worked in a large variety of organizations including entertainment, software, electric utility, manufacturing, oil and gas, chemical, and nuclear process industries. She is an adjunct lecturer in Advanced Technical Writing as well as Information Design for more than 14 years.

Using Technical Marketing

  By teaching, tech writing

Working as a full time technical communicator and professor for years, I have received quite a few questions by both my students and by various organizational management personnel on what it means to be a technical communicator versus a technical writer. Yes– I said organizational management. Technical communication is a broad field from white papers to manuals, data sheets, technical blog posts, applications, how-to’s, video training instructions, vlogs and more. Today technical communication encompasses not just documents but all kinds of media and crosses other fields once thought to be silos in the workplace.

I want to discuss technical marketing. Working in this area of technical communication the last several years I have come to realize how much technical marketing relies on technical writing to take complex information and make it succinct.  Fields overlap in technical communication in general, which is why the term technical communication is commonly used today instead of technical writing. Technical marketing is one of the fields where there is even more overlap. Think of it like technical writing meets the marketing pitch. Confused as to how technical writing is used in marketing? This confuses quite a few people, so no worries.

Technical marketing is any type of marketing that concentrates on specifications and key product features that fulfill a need for customers and businesses (B2B) requiring an understanding of technical aspects of a product. Technical writing is used to convert product  information clearly and concisely for a user to gain knowledge. The buyer can make informed decisions on products/services or discover new products/services they might want. Think of technical marketing as a part of a bigger marketing plan in a technology related business.

Generally technical marketing is done in a high tech industry but it is becoming commonplace in fields not considered high tech. Businesses such as oil, gas, manufacturing are using more intricate product that are integrating tech. For example, the process industry is pushing the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). IIoT is being adopted so that instruments that were once siloed at a facility, are on their own Intranet relaying real time information for maintenance and monitoring.

Technical marketing supports customers and businesses who need to get information on the ever-growing complex tech market. Each aspect of a marketing plan can contain technical writing. Marketing automation, for example, can consist of email blasts and educational or nurturing drip campaigns that are used to deliver technical newsletters and key targeted technical information to customers who already have considerable knowledge in their field.

Social media can be used to deliver all sorts of technical content such as instructional videos, technical blog posts, and problem solvers to a wider audience. Inbound marketing opportunities can be created with useful technical examples, such as procedures or processes, posted on a company’s website with links to products to help solve a need.

Today technical communication is more important than ever in creating clear and concise content with the ever-growing amount of information on the Internet. Technical marketing plays an important role in bringing products to market and technical information to customers.

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Lu Kondor has worked as a technical writer for more than 20 years at major corporations. She has a Doctorate in Business Management and has created a large variety of documents, videos, and copy for organizations in entertainment, software, public utilities, manufacturing, oil and gas, chemical, B2B, consumer-based products, and the nuclear process industries. She is an adjunct lecturer in Advanced Technical Writing as well as Information Design for more than 16 years.

Abobe Max Conference – 2021

  By CSUDH, illustration, imagery, skills, teaching, tech writing, what's happening

I recently attended this year’s Adobe Max Conference. I use Adobe products all the time and thoroughly enjoyed the conference. There were hundreds of sessions. There was also the usual smattering of the famous, the academics, and wonderful artists. My favorites were the practical tips in Illustrator, Photoshop, and After Effects and that’s where I spent most of my time.

My take on this is that there are some exciting new technologies coming out way in AR. I wasn’t that impressed with the 3D tools presented. Considering the additional cost beyond the creative suite (appears to be its own suite), not worth it with all the hype. I’ve recently taken to learning and using Z-Brush and Blender and will be sticking with those. My one big disappointment was the lack of updates and information on Acrobat and Audition. I would love to see more about what the future holds for those tools.

However, the improvements coming to their core software are amazing. The graphic design, illustration, digital painting, and After Effects sessions (as well as Premiere & InDesign) were worth it. I found myself jumping out of sessions on 3D to join other awesome sessions. The social media sessions were worth a note (even if you don’t do much social media) because they had excellent hosts and they were generous with information and tips. Finally, one impressive aspect of the conference is the demonstration of the speed of Apple’s new Computers. If you can view the materials (not sure if you need an account), I recommend taking the time to watch as many videos as you can if you use Adobe products.

Important Skills Technical Writers Need for Success (Part 2)

  By CSUDH, skills, teaching, tech writing, writing

I’ve compiled a list of skills that are important to be an effective technical writer and technical communicator. In the first post of this multi-part series, skills discussed were grammar, usage, editing, and the ability to turn data into information that a reader can use to create knowledge. In part 2 we look at additional skills technical writers need for success.

Know Your Target Audience

An underrated skill in technical writing is being able to determine your audience and understanding how to write for them. This starts with a basic overview of the primary audience. Are they the general public or a specialized smaller group such as scientists? Is the target audience all ages over 18 such as a medical provider or is there a specific targeted age group? As a writer define the primary reader for the document and then determine the secondary audience. Who else might read the material either in the future (will the document be archived) and what do they want from it?

Determining targeted information is a great way to write for your reader. Knowing the audience will allow a writer to target the proper age group and education level and increase the readability of a document. A reading index is a great tool on grade and reading level for readability.

Knowing the target audience is key to writing a great document.

Understanding Complex Concepts and Processes

This seems like a basic principle. A technical writer needs to be able to grasp technical concepts, clearly and concisely. In the classes I teach on technical communication, students know I always comment on how clear and concise their work is. Clear and concise writing is extremely important.

How can a technical writer write about a concept if they don’t understand it clearly and concisely?  If a concept isn’t clear to the writer, it will come out in the writing. If the writing isn’t concise, you will lose the reader. Remember, more isn’t better in the case of tech writing. It is just more. Too much explanation usually means the tech writer does not understand what they are writing about.

Quality and Accuracy

Writers need to be concerned about quality. To be more precise, accuracy is important. There are times where the work must get out and so some quality is sacrificed. Accuracy should never be sacrificed, otherwise, there can be issues or failures related to the document. This in turn can be catastrophic in a safety or critical process. Injury, harm, or damage can occur to people and property. Can you imagine a mistake on a technical manual for a nuclear power plant or Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for an industrial chemical process?

Accuracy is important to technical writing.

Style Guide Knowledge

Style guides are important, especially if a technical writer creates documents for conferences, symposiums, or academic white papers. The use of a particular style guide varies depending on a client/employer, conference, symposium, academic paper, or knowledgebase article. Technical writers should know the difference between APA, CMOS, MLA, and other guides. I’ve even seen the AP style guide used depending on the technical writing assignment.

Did you know there is a style guide for Physics? It’s called the AIP style guide. AIP Style refers to the citation format established by the American Institute of Physics. There are other style guides by the American Mathematical Society, Geological Society of America, American Medical Association, American Chemical Society, and more. Remember, style guides are your friend. They give clear guidelines on how to write for publications and companies. Do some research and see.

Interviewing Skills, SMEs, and Researching

A very handy set of skills any technical writer can possess includes interviewing, interaction with subject matter experts (SMEs), and research. I have met too many people who think writers of any kind sit pensively thinking out the perfect document and work alone, producing masterpieces all by themselves. Too many beginner tech writers feel they can do it alone in the first draft for manuals and then are shocked to find their materials are flawed, grammatically incorrect, or missing information. I have yet to find the perfect assignment handed in after more than a decade of teaching tech writing. Writing just a single draft is not going to lead with quality or accuracy.

The idea of a lone writer is silly. In many of the jobs I’ve held, I was the only writer but I always worked in teams with experts, inventors, engineers, management, certification consultants, and dozens of other stakeholders. So interviewing skills, especially with experts is important. Learn how to interview people. Practice is the best way to learn.

Here’s where research comes in. Not only is research necessary for documentation, but a technical writer should do their homework and research the topic they are interviewing the SME for before the interview. That way they don’t ask basic questions they could find the answer online and waste the short amount of time allotted with the SME. An SME may get frustrates and end the discussion early, refusing to discuss more. That situation makes technical writing more difficult.

Research is an important skill in your technical writing toolbox.

Ethics

Ethical obligations are a part of technical writing. A big part. Ethics is in everything from representing technical information efficiently, clearly, and concisely so that the reader doesn’t feel like they have been tricked to avoid major safety concerns and potential loss of life. I consider ethics a skill because not only do you use common sense, a technical writer needs to learn legal implications as well as corporate culture in the organization that they work for to apply a broad scope of ethics.

Think about all the considerations there are for certifications in hazardous environments and what a business or technical writer needs to learn to work in certain industries. Diligence in making sure information is accurate affects all industries from pharmaceutical, oil and gas, nuclear, chemical, utilities, baby furniture, car seats, automotive, etc. Can you imagine incorrect procedural documents in the utilities or nuclear industries? There are also obligations to keep employers’ trade secrets, to the environment, the public, property, copyright, and liability laws. This list can go on and on. Remember, there can be legal repercussions to the technical writer if ethics are ignored.

Ethics is important to consumers as well as organizations and industries.

This wraps up the two-part series on important skills technical writers need for success. There are other skills like software but the type of software used varies from organization to organization. So every writer must decide what they need to learn.

Check out part 1 of Important Skills Technical Writers Need for Success.

Lu Kondor has worked as a technical writer for more than 20 years for major corporations. She has a Doctorate in Business Management and has worked in a large variety of organizations including entertainment, software, electric utility, manufacturing, oil and gas, chemical, and nuclear process industries. She is an adjunct lecturer in Advanced Technical Writing as well as Information Design for more than 14 years.