Making
Your Writing Real
By Mark
Hall
"If you want a kitten, start out by asking for a horse." —Naomi, age 15
Writing easily understandable publications isn't easy, as most of us know. But by immersing yourself in the technology, empathizing with your readers, meeting humbly with subject matter experts, and distilling documents down to essential content, you can write documents that better satisfy your readers. And who knows—you might even start having more fun in the process.
Immerse yourself in the technology. The first key to writing real technical copy is "diving into" the technology you'll be describing. Attend as many meetings as you can. Read as much background material as possible. Be a research hound. Ask questions about everything (though more like a curious child than an annoying aunt). Ask for access to the technology so you can play with it. These are all good ways to become more knowledgeable about your topic. Though your mind may feel saturated at first, eventually the right synaptic connections will be made, and "ah ha" moments will gel your understanding of the concepts.
Empathize with your readers. A second way to write more compelling copy is to empathize with your readers. I mean really empathize. Know their minimum reading grade level. Discern their experience level with the subject. Discover their patience threshold. Learn where and how they'll be using the technology. It may even be helpful to create one or more target reader personas (as explained in a recent STC telephone seminar) toward which to target your prose. Only by understanding the reader characteristics most closely tied to the success of your publication will you be able to write the perfect verbiage.
Spend some time with SMEs. A third way to improve your technical writing is to spend one-on-one time with subject matter experts (SMEs). Adopt a humble demeanor (it often helps to admit that you don't know much up-front), and arrange to speak to these people at their convenience. Even if you're meeting with an SME for 15 minutes, be sure to prepare an agenda. This shows the SME that you are focused and you respect their time. And don't forget to connect on a personal level. Make it your goal to find out what makes the person tick. The key to being the recipient of a free flow of information (perhaps even a torrent!) is opening up these personal communication channels.
Distill, distill, distill. Finally, to ensure that your writing is clear and concise, you will need to distill it down to its essence. Ask yourself: Have I mentioned all crucial information? Have I included a list of more detailed references? Can a friend or colleague not intimately familiar with the technology make sense of it? Does my writing contain no extra words? If you can answer "yes" to each of these questions, you'll be close to having great copy. Like making good whiskey, the distillation process, while it takes the most time, is clearly the most critical.
Writing clearly and concisely is the reason why we enjoy writing. Paradoxically, though, it is also why writing is so much work. But the rewards of doing the above things are great—producing a printed or electronic publication that your readers really need and rely on, while at the same time giving you a genuine sense of satisfaction.
Comments or questions? Write Mark Hall at mark@hallmark-consulting.com.
