PROMOTE TECHNICAL COMMUNICATIONS

What to say about the profession if you have an audience for 1 hour

By Wendy Barnhart Ross

OVERVIEW

Technical Communication definition

Technical Communication deliverables

Services we offer

Procedure overview

Tools overview

Challenges

Opportunities

Goals

WHAT IS TECHNICAL COMMUNICATIONS?

Communication about technical or specialized topics.

Communication that helps end users.

Communication that advances the goals of the company.

For example,

let me tell you about the time I used the web to sign my child up for Spring hockey…

WHAT IS TECHNICAL COMMUNICATIONS?

The work includes:

Technical writing

Technical editing

Technical illustrating

Information architecture

Research

Technical know-how

Budgeting

Creativity

Customer knowledge

Interpersonal skills

The work requires:

Leadership

Technical editing

Detail-orientation

Writing skills

Project management skills

Software skills

Translation coordination

User experience projects

Packaging design

Web design

OUR TECHNICAL COMMUNICATORS

Technical, curious, enthusiastic

Eager and quick learners

Detailed-oriented with a hint of art and marketing

User advocates

Skilled writers

Customer-focused

TECHNICAL COMMUNICATIONS DELIVERABLES

SERVICES WE OFFER

Proofreading

Product photos

User advocacy

Usability testing

PROCESS OVERVIEW

Info Plan ResearchContent creation

Review & edit

Approval Translate Release

How does this go

together? In what order?

How many can I connect?

Is this for a fire system?User and

Regulatory needs

CP

Release emails

Upload to web

Archiving

SOFTWARE TOOLS InDesign

Illustrator

Photoshop

Adobe Acrobat

DreamWeaver

Screenpresso

ST4

Other tools

CHALLENGES But our tools don’t do that.

Corporate standards dictate…

Regulatory needs it when?

Who decides?

I need a sample.

This can’t fit in this box.

Where is the proofreader?

When did this project start anyway?

All you

have to

do is…

OPPORTUNITIES WE’VE EMBRACED

Collaborative reviews using Adobe Professional

Creating templates to meet customer needs and corporate guideline

OPPORTUNITIES WE’VE EMBRACED (CONTINUED)

Product Engineering Process involvement

Training in products

Training in Tech Comm standards and best practices

STC competitions submissions for objective feedback to improve our work

and influence corporate standards

GOALS

Continued influence on corporate guidelines

Support and cooperation with the newly formed UX department

New website – learn how our CMS inputs to the new website, develop

standards for making the website complete and user-friendly

QUESTIONS?Wendy

Barnhart Rosshttp://www.linkedin.com/in/wendybarnhartross