11 Skills of A Good Technical Writer

Poorly written, confusing content can cost time and money.

Language expert William DuBay has estimated that poor communication costs nearly 40% of business transaction management.

Software development firms, engineering organizations, medical services and manufacturing companies must communicate complex concepts in a way that readers can understand. This task of conveying business concepts requires specialized knowledge and skills. 

A technical writer knows how to simplify difficult concepts for the target audience. Technical writing not only gets the message across but also helps in engaging readers and encourages them to know a subject better.

If you want to hire a technical writer or aspire to become one, here are the top 11 skills that you must look for:

1. Writing Skills

The foremost skill is having excellent writing skills. One should know how to write complex ideas in simple words. It is a skill that you either possess or can learn through practice and hard work. 

Reading quality texts broadens your knowledge about words and content formatting. You can also join a technical writing course to polish your writing skills.

2. Producing Engaging Content

A technical writer is expected to produce readable, actionable content. It’s one thing to have technical knowledge, it’s another thing to communicate it clearly. You don’t want to confuse readers, rather give them information that they can act upon. 

3. Knowing Your Audience

A technical document is created for a specific audience. A user manual for front-line managers will contain simplified information, whereas one meant for senior management will contain in-depth knowledge of complex concepts.

A technical writer must cater to varied audiences with equal proficiency. They should know what their readers need and find out the best way to deliver content.

4. Applying Writing Tools

Numerous technical writing tools offer a specific functionality alongside being a text editor. These tools support various writing formats such as Word, PDF, etc. 

A good tech writer should know about the best tools available and use them for research and writing work. 

5. Thinking Systematically

The ability to think systematically and reasonably helps you in making clear judgments. You have to think critically about gathering information and organizing it. Once you know how to process information, the output will be clear and logical.

6. Gathering Relevant Information

Technical writing involves hours of research work to gather relevant and precise information. In this constantly changing world, you need to double-check all the facts so that you provide only correct information to the readers. 

7. Working In A Team

A technical writer must work with other team members to write quality content. By communicating with other departments, you will be able to understand what is required of you and create the right documentation. 

8. Single-Sourcing Skills

Technical writers must combine given sources with important external information to produce content for multiple end-users. With Single-Sourcing skills, you can create multiple documents with just one source. This technique allows you to mark the sections meant for professionals only and create two separate documents.

9. Communicating Business Concepts

A good technical writer does more than simply convert abstract concepts into readable information. It is their ability to transform complex concepts into relatable work that sets them apart from regular writers.  The readers get useful business information without getting lost in the technical jargon.

10. Educational Skills

Besides exceptional writing skills, a technical writer with a degree in communications, computer science, or engineering will always be in demand. Their experience in handling extensive concepts and domains will also work in their favor. 

11. Editing Skills

A writer is expected to proofread and edit the text. You should check your content for poor grammar, inconsistency, poor word usage, formatting, and spelling errors. 

“No matter how good you are, you should never assume that your content is perfect. Always seek opinions and test your work using editing software.”

– Preeti Kapoor, Technical Writer

These are the top 11 skills that a technical writer should have. Don’t worry if you lack any of them as a technical writing course can fill the gap and train you to become a great writer.

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