Three Things You Should Absolutely Try When Communicating Technical Information
Communicating effectively on any topic can be challenging. It is an even bigger challenge when you need to present complex technical ideas in a way a non-technical audience can understand. This is where the practice of technical communication comes in.
Technical communicators work with professionals and subject matter experts (SMEs), such as scientists, doctors, engineers, and programmers, to create clear, simple, and accessible content for a specific, often non-technical, audience.
This article includes things to consider when creating technical content for a non-technical audience. Keep reading to bolster your confidence as a technical communicator.
Communicate Your Ideas the Right Way
With so many apps, platforms, and devices available to us, how do we pick the right way to communicate our ideas? Different people prefer different methods, and it is important to adapt to your audience’s preference. This makes a big impact on how well the recipient will absorb what you have to say.
In addition, remote teams and virtual companies are increasingly becoming more common. Trends are moving away from simultaneous office hours and going towards hybrid workspaces. Keep your audience in mind when doing asynchronous work and use clear examples in your communication with team members and clients. Consider whether your audience would appreciate a link to a demo that walks them through your proposed outline rather than attaching a copy of your proposal to an email.
Not all communication channels are equal, and, as a technical communicator, you need to make your content appropriate for your intended audience.
Use Plain Language
Plain language is a set of tools that makes your communication accessible to your intended audience. As defined by the International Plain Language Federation,
“A communication is in plain language if its wording, structure, and design are so clear that the intended audience can easily find what they need, understand what they find, and use that information.”
Plain language covers a scope of guidelines to follow, from word selection, style, design, organization, and presentation. As a technical communicator, it is important to take a deeper dive to really grasp these concepts.
Consider using the following elements to help your audience find what they are looking for:
Use headings, subheadings, lists, tables, summaries, and transitions to make your content easier to read
Group your content into same-sized topics
Consider white space, font size, and typeface for ease of reading
Consider whether a picture might reinforce the meaning of your words
Use colour only when it is important and relevant
High contrast is better for readability
A communication that is plain to you may not be plain to your audience. Use plain language guidelines to tailor your message to your intended audience and make it easy for them to find what they are looking for.
Test and Evaluate
One of the final stages of technical communication is testing and evaluation. This is where you fine tune your content by evaluating and testing it with a representative sample of your audience.
In technical communication, this is often done through usability testing. Usability testing can be worthwhile to figure out if the content is useful (helpful) and usable (functional) to the audience. It also can highlight areas for improvement.
Reading your content out loud is another way to test your content. There are many tools you can use or you can do it yourself. From a plain language perspective, it is best practice to split up or add punctuation to a sentence if you find yourself taking a breath midway through.
Style guides are also tools technical communicators use to evaluate their content. They provide specific guidelines for writing on a variety of specialized subjects. A common style guide technical communicators might use is The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS). There are also industry-specific guides like the Microsoft Writing Style Guide and Read Me First! A Style Guide for the Computer Industry.
There are many ways to test and evaluate your content. Without some amount of testing, technical communicators will not know whether they have done their job.
Summary
Communicating technical information is challenging, but it does not always have to be. Become an effective technical communicator by choosing the right way to communicate to your audience, implementing plain language principles, and testing your content.
Need Help Communicating Technical Ideas?
The team at Barefoot Consulting can help. We have 16 years of experience helping organizations meet their technical documentation goals. Contact us today.