In Mastering the Art of Technical Writing, you'll learn...
- How to properly organize your technical documents
- How to understand your target audience
- The right way to achieve a professional-looking document
- How to edit and proofread technical documents
- And much more!
Writing technical documents is extremely difficult—unless you know the professional tips and techniques you’ll learn in this seminar. We’ll show you how to translate complex scientific, medical or technical information into simple, easy-to-follow documents and reports that educate and entertain. Learn how to organize your document; match your style to your reader to improve comprehension; use charts, graphs and other graphics; and proof your work. This session also includes a review of the basics of technical writing—including formatting, grammar and how to properly word documents to avoid mistakes that detract from your credibility.
WORKSHOP AGENDA
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Getting your technical writing started off on the right foot+
- What is technical writing and how do you differentiate the good from the bad?
- Testing your technical writing savvy—a self-assessment for pinpointing your strengths and weaknesses
- Know your subject: Using the library and other resources to become an expert on your topic
- Know your readers: 6 questions you must ask yourself about the people who read your technical writing
- Overcoming writer’s block: An easy way to get your ideas down quickly
- How “thinking small” can help you organize your writing for maximum impact
- 8 steps to make your technical writing easy
- How to take into account your reader’s perspective—and why it’s vitally important
Projecting credibility and professionalism+
- The 2 sentence characteristics that determine whether your reader will comprehend your message
- How to adapt your tone to match the personality of your readers
- Bullets, underlining, lists and other formatting techniques that make your writing easier to read
- Unclutter your messages—how to eliminate unnecessary words and redundant expressions from your writing
- When it’s okay to break grammar rules
- How to free your writing from unintentional bias that can alienate your readers
- Putting the power of persuasion to work for you—10 simple rules for getting your readers to “see it your way”
- Hard-and-fast rules when working with a team on a writing project
Key concepts for technical writers+
- How to present complex information in a way that is easy for your readers to understand
- How to write procedures that are easy to follow
- The special considerations you must keep in mind when writing an abstract, journal article or white paper
- How to use graphics to display technical information without overwhelming your reader
- The art of writing crisp, clear instructions
- The 12 most damaging blunders in technical writing—sidestep these at all costs
- Don’t miss a single one of these 6 elements when writing a report … they’re all essential!
Editing and proofing techniques+
- Editing techniques professionals use to turn out powerful and effective final drafts
- 4 amazing proofreading secrets that will automatically push your accuracy rate to 99%—or higher
- Why it’s important to read to the end of a document before making any changes or corrections
- Save hours of rewriting—7 questions for pinpointing the strengths and weaknesses of your first draft
- Never-fail techniques for proofreading technical and financial data
- How to accurately proofread foreign words
- A checklist of key points to review before any document leaves your desk
- Why knowing your natural visual span can keep you from overlooking typos and other credibility-robbing errors
