Let's Tech Communicate
July 2018
Katie must have been hungry when she was collecting this month’s LTC together, because quite to her surprise there’s a bit of theme going on. Slap some ketchup on your corndog and get ready to throw your chips at the other team’s supporters – it turns out technical writing isn’t much different from the World Cup. Then it turns out the recipe for success in technical writing is…er…recipe writing, and there’s nothing cheesy about using stock images (as long as they’re the right flavour). Finally, get salty with a bit of high tech humor, weenies and Little Red Riding Hood’s basket of treats. Technical writing is a piece of cake.
10 ways technical writing is just like the World Cup
I must admit, despite being an Englishwoman from a family of Boro supporters, I don't usually watch football. Neither does Tom Johnson (though he calls it soccer). I was as surprised as he says he was to read that there are a number of similarities between the World Cup and technical writing. I can’t deny he’s right, so lace up your boots and get ready to blow your vuvuzela for the top 10 ways technical writing is just like the World Cup .
Using Food to Improve Your Technical Writing
When I came across this title, I wasn’t sure if I was about to read a recipe for success, or if it would leave a bad taste in my mouth. But I was intrigued by this clever idea from Jo Stichbury. Whenever she’s hiring writers, Jo asks them to submit a recipe before selecting them for interview. It doesn’t need to be for anything complex, but it is immediately clear how different people tackle it, and therefore their likely approach to technical writing!
Abraham Lincoln’s Favorite Infographic and the 5 Qualities of the Most Memorable Images
It’s pretty well accepted in our field these days that people remember visuals better than text. Does this mean the only way to stick in someone’s memory is to build an elaborate infographic of toilets of the world in seven harmonious colors? No…But that infographic would probably be really, really memorable. Instead, check out the 5 Qualities of the Most Memorable Images for good advice and the odd cheesy pun. You won’t forget it!
High Tech Humor
You might think technical documents are written for people who use common English. You’d be wrong. No, they’re written for your boss, who invariably is an engineer. And engineers like their documents to sound intelligent, and their idea of intelligent is to use big words. Guarantee your success in the tech comms field – make running Scandisk sound like you’ve built a new supercomputer from Home Depot supplies!
You might not learn good tech writing from this satirical piece of High Tech Humor , but you might learn something about getting sarcasm across in print! Now with bonus feature: a properly technical retelling of Little Red Riding Hood (LRRH).