Reinvent yourself! Are you looking for a job/career change? Find out how you can apply your skills and knowledge to a new job/career in technical communication, marketing, journalism, and more. It's all about communication.
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Toni Ressaire
Technical Communicator
http://pub.ink
Twitter: @Route11Books
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Editor's Notes
When asked what I do, I can’t explain it. Why? I do many things.
Communication degree; background in journalism and public relations.
In fact, I didn’t know what tech comm was. The first time I heard of tech comm…my reaction.
I saw someone use this example.
Message: oral, written, image, symbol
Medium: paper, computer screen, video, powerpoint, podcast, app
When we place those together, your user should understand
A video in PDF could be oral, medium is the PDF and video; instructions that popup in an app would be written, app, mobile phone
So, tech comm is a combination of skills and expertise; writing and technology
Message: oral, written, image, symbol
Medium: paper, computer screen, video, powerpoint, podcast, app
When we place those together, your user should understand
A video in PDF could be oral, medium is the PDF and video; instructions that popup in an app would be written, app, mobile phone
So, tech comm is a combination of skills and expertise; writing and technology
Message: oral, written, image, symbol
Medium: paper, computer screen, video, powerpoint, podcast, app
When we place those together, your user should understand
A video in PDF could be oral, medium is the PDF and video; instructions that popup in an app would be written, app, mobile phone
So, tech comm is a combination of skills and expertise; writing and technology
Message and medium
Have you ever seen one of these?
How many of you have used a recipe?
How do you play this game?
Textbooks; medical community produces lots of tech docs
Topics aren’t always technical in terms of scientific. They can be practical uses, like steps for using a baby carrier.
Marketing materials
Not just written documentation. Technology is changing, and with it the roles for technical communicators.
Documentation is online, in software, in apps, in videos.
With it we need to develop new skills, or people with those skills are coming into the profession.
Imagine writing scripts for videos.
Or creating structure for an online help. It’s not just about content, but how content is presented.
Online help for managing donors
How fun would it be to write the UI text for a computer game?
We also need to think in terms of how the user accesses the content. IN pop-up help, you need to write in context. Short and friendly.
For example, here we would not outline steps on how to do something in boring tech-ease. We would smile and say , hey, try this! Here’s and example!
Note also a link to Watch and learn—a video on how to do it.
So what is technical communication?
At its core: Tech Comm is communication. The same skills you have or are developing.
Broad skills
Writing to the style of the medium
Speaking in context
Structuring and organizing content based on how it will be used
Understanding the audience needs
Do any of these sound familiar? I suspect many of you already have these skills
Interactive with attendees
Interactive with attendees
Interactive with attendees
Role change: Magazine publisher
Example of evolving skill sets and transferrable skills: Me-I’ve probably been reincarnated more times than Buddha, but in one lifetime
Writing, editing, layout and design, photo editing, working with printers, project management
Tech comm
Took previous skills and added different writing style
Some new software
Different type of design
Some coding
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Interactive with attendees
Role Change:Publishing
Added some more skills:
How publishing books works, creating ebooks, coding for ebooks-remember, I already knew coding, book design, lots of marketing
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Your job title is irrelevant. What skills do you have?
