Exploring different genres of Technical Writing and its allied fields Presentation by: 1. Rahul Prabhakar (Technical Writer, Oracle India Private Limited) 2. Saravanan Manoharan (Technical Documentation Engineer, think3 Designs) Exploring different genres of Technical Writing and its allied fields -1

Objectives After completing this presentation, you should be able to do the following: Analyze the role of Technical Writers in varied domains, organizations, and sectors Understand the relevance of each role to a Technical Writer Develop some of the strategies for obtaining the position Determine the factors/ questions disturbing our community Identify the job outlook for Technical Communication Exploring different genres of Technical Writing and its allied fields -2

Fact Files OJ Simpson Trial

OJ Simpson Trial During police testimony, it was discovered that the evidence-gathering manual produced by Los Angeles Police Department’s (LAPD) hadn’t always been followed by officers in the chain of evidence. Tainted evidence became one of the defense team’s major concerns. LAPD revised the evidence-gathering material and updated the training class. Exploring different genres of Technical Writing and its allied fields -4

Fact Files Persian Gulf War

Persian Gulf War TWs prepared a surrender leaflet that was dropped into enemy lines. It was revised based on information from captured prisoners. Highlights Removed color red (sign of danger in Iraq) Inserted picture of a bearded soldier in place of clean-shaven Allied soldier (a bearded man in Iraq is more trusted) Added Bananas to the bowl of fruit picture (delicacy in Iraq) Almost 87,000 enemy soldiers defected without firing a shot Exploring different genres of Technical Writing and its allied fields -6

Education - Academic Background 2002 Survey of STC members showed the seven academic backgrounds most common among technical communicators: English: 32% Technical Communication: 22% Business Administration: 10% Computer Science: 9% Science: 9% Engineering: 8% Journalism: 7% Others: 28% Exploring different genres of Technical Writing and its allied fields -7

Questions disturbing our community Where are we going? Will we disappear? Should we re-invent ourselves to face requirements? What do we need to do differently? What we need to be thinking about to survive?

The Bottom Line The TC change is a fact of life The products evolve The documents that we work on changes constantly or so it seems

Genres of Technical Writing Computer Software Engineering and Manufacturing Marketing Writing Technical Marketing Literature Medical Writing Courseware or Training materials Government and Military Writing Education Science Journalism Computer Hardware Exploring different genres of Technical Writing and its allied fields -10

What are the prerequisites? College degree in any field that promotes analytical thinking and clear communication Strong problem-solving, writing, and communication skills Basic computer skills, especially word processing at the intermediate level Ability to conduct research and learn technical information quickly Dedication to providing quality documentation to customers

What are the prerequisites? Willingness to be proactive in seeking information Ability to learn and use sophisticated publishing tools Ability to plan milestones and meet deadlines Ability to work as part of a team and independently

Computer Software Development documents, which include business requirements or specifications, usability features, process flows, high-level and low-level design documents, API manuals, and programmers guide. User documents (to help the users understand and use the software), which include user manuals, quick reference guides, and training guides. Online help, online user support tools, such as wizards for troubleshooting. Software documentation (books), online and hard copy. Exploring different genres of Technical Writing and its allied fields -13

Engineering/ Manufacturing Process flows Work instructions Maintenance procedures Non-computer equipment guides Technical reports Exploring different genres of Technical Writing and its allied fields -14

Marketing Writing Ad copy and layout (design) Presentations Sales force materials Packaging design Promotional materials Information materials Annual reports Trade or news articles Exploring different genres of Technical Writing and its allied fields -15

Technical Marketing Literature White papers Technical proposals Online demonstrations Technical reports Trade or news articles Exploring different genres of Technical Writing and its allied fields -16

Medical Writing Newspapers Magazines Public relations (press releases) Scientific writing within organizations Professional journals Pharmaceutical writing Reference material Technical reports Annual reports Exploring different genres of Technical Writing and its allied fields -17

Courseware or Training Materials Online tutorials and training (Instructor Led Training and eClass material) Quick reference guides Trade or news articles Exploring different genres of Technical Writing and its allied fields -18

Government and Military Writing Internal policies and procedures Internal engineering documents Reference material Organizational material Annual reports Technical reports Trade or news articles Exploring different genres of Technical Writing and its allied fields -19

Education Textbooks, online, and hard copy Scholarly journals Online tutorials and training Reference material Exploring different genres of Technical Writing and its allied fields -20

Science Scholarly journals Professional journals Magazines Proposals Reference material Technical reports Trade or news articles Exploring different genres of Technical Writing and its allied fields -21

Journalism Newspapers Magazines Promotional materials Trade or news articles Exploring different genres of Technical Writing and its allied fields -22

Computer Hardware Maintenance and service guides, which involve procedures, graphics, and some software documentation User support tools, such as help panels on printers Books, online, and hard copy Reference material Quick reference guides Exploring different genres of Technical Writing and its allied fields -23

Strategies for obtaining the position Determine what fields interest you Take a class in a related topic Become familiar with publishing software Join a professional body like the Society for Technical Communication (STC) Prepare for interviews Research the company Anticipate questions and come up with answers before the interview Put together a portfolio Exploring different genres of Technical Writing and its allied fields -24

How the job outlook is Did you know that The average monthly salary for technical writers is 25,833 Rupees (STC India’s 2003 technical communicator salary survey). In the last ten months, more than 1,000 jobs have been advertised on the Technical Writers of India mailing list. This is just 10 per cent of the actual demand; there are opportunities for at least 10,000 technical writers today (Hindu – April 19th 2004). Exploring different genres of Technical Writing and its allied fields -25

Driving Factors Global competition and translation requirements Customized products and niche marketing Convergence of software and documentation Shrinking cycle time and budgets Value-added documentation to assist the end users in decision making support Exploring different genres of Technical Writing and its allied fields -26

Where can I go from here Trainer Customer Service Engineer Consultant/Contractor Product Manager Product Marketing Analyst Publications Analyst Publications Department Supervisor Marketing Communication Engineer Owner of a publications shop managing several consultants Exploring different genres of Technical Writing and its allied fields -27

Where can I go from here (Contd.) Project Manager Systems Engineer QA Engineer Technology Analyst Programmer Systems Analyst Information Architect Project Leader Usability Specialist Exploring different genres of Technical Writing and its allied fields -28

What every writer has to know The types of work that you do well Which of that work makes you feel the best How those map into what needs to be done in the business world Remember: Your background is nowhere near as important as your skills. Exploring different genres of Technical Writing and its allied fields -29

Transition to Technical Writing from other professions From Journalism From Teaching From Academia From Marketing From Law From Software Development From Quality Assurance Exploring different genres of Technical Writing and its allied fields -30

Sources Technical Communication - Journal of the society for Technical Communication August 2004, Volume 51, Number 3 Solitary Scrivener - Newslet-ter of the Lone Writer SIG,Volume 3, No. 1 http://www.inwords.co.za http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/Simpson/Simpsonaccount.htm http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos089.htm http://www.writing-world.com/tech/tech1.shtml

Sources (Contd.) http://listserv.okstate.edu/CGI/WA.EXE?A2=ind9901C&L=techwr-l&P=R4672 http://listserv.okstate.edu/CGI/WA.EXE?A2=ind9901C&L=techwr-l&P=R5560 http://listserv.okstate.edu/CGI/WA.EXE?A2=ind9901C&L=techwr-l&P=R6118 http://listserv.okstate.edu/CGI/WA.EXE?A2=ind9901C&L=techwr-l&P=R6879 http://listserv.okstate.edu/CGI/WA.EXE?A2=ind9901C&L=techwr-l&P=R16998

Sources (Contd.) http://groups.yahoo.com/group/technical_writers_india/ http://www.computerbits.com/archive/1996/0100/techwrit.html http://www.stc.org/interestedTC.asp http://tc.eserver.org/14138.html http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/pdfs/gettingstartedadvice.pdf http://www.klariti.com/business-writing/Career-Outlook-Technical-Writer.shtml

Summary In this presentation, you should have learned how to: Analyze the role of Technical Writers in varied domains, organizations, and sectors Understand the relevance of each role to a Technical Writer Develop some of the strategies for obtaining the position Determine the factors/ questions disturbing our community Identify the job outlook for Technical Communication in India Exploring different genres of Technical Writing and its allied fields -34

Q&A Session Exploring different genres of Technical Writing and its allied fields -35

Thanks Rahul Prabhakar: rahulpr_2002@yahoo.com Saravanan Manoharan: sara_techwrit@yahoo.com Exploring different genres of Technical Writing and its allied fields -36