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Skills a Technical Writer Must Have

Technical writing is a promising career option for those people who can write well and have an interest in learning about new things. While you will find that technical writing is an accepted skill in the IT and engineering fields, its influence in domains such as medical, pharma, and education is growing.



Like any profession, technical writing requires proficiency over certain skill sets. Some of the most valuable skills for a technical writer are:


  • Tools of the Trade
    A technical writer must be proficient in the technical writing tools, so that they are efficient at their work, and also know what the tool is capable of. So of the popular technical writing tools are Microsoft Word, Adobe RoboHelp and Adobe FrameMaker.
  • Command Over Language
    Technical writers should be proficient in the language in which documentation is to be created. They should be able to write clearly, precisely and concisely.
  • Information Gathering and Analysis
    While documenting a solution, a technical writer has to gather information from a wide variety of sources such as reading existing documents, interviewing subject matter experts (SMEs), working with the solution, etc. The ability to analyze the information to determine what is relevant and useful is an important skill for a technical writer.
  • Audience and Task Analysis
    Technical writers must understand the audience they are writing for, and the task to be explained. This will help them decide what kind of deliverable they will create, the information it must include and the language they should use. For example, while the operation of oil drilling equipment may be best explained through an interactive video or demonstration, a printed user guide is the best solution for a mass-market product such as a cell-phone.
  • Research
    Strong researching skills help technical writers locate more information about the solution or the domain. This information helps them understand the solution better and add value to the documentation.
  • Domain Knowledge
    Domain knowledge is invaluable in adding value to user documentation, and is a must for some forms of documentation such as technical reference manuals. Gaining domain knowledge reduces reliance on SMEs.
  • Visual Design
    Technical writing is about making the information easy to understand. Hence, Effective use of page layout, tables, icons, schematics, graphs and charts make the technical documents more readable and usable.
  • Communication Skills
    Good communication skills are a very important part of a technical writer’s toolkit as a technical writer has to interact with a diverse range of people; from project managers to engineers to graphic designers to end-users.
  • Creativity
    Technical writers are increasingly contributing to technical marketing communications by writing for corporate websites, blogs, mailers, press releases, brochures, etc. These kinds of deliverables need technical writers to develop a level of creativity that will help them create engaging content that catches the attention of potential customers.

These are but a few of the skills that a technical writer needs. Among other skills that are valuable are project management and usability analysis.

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