Technical Communication

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Technical communication is the process of conveying usable information about a specific domain to an intended audience. The domain is usually academic, job-related, or technological in nature. The information is most commonly conveyed through writing and speech. Information is usable if the intended audience is able to perform an action or make a decision based on its contents. Technical communicators often work collaboratively to create products (deliverables) for various media, including paper, video, and the Internet. Deliverables include user manuals, technical manuals, product specifications, process and procedure manuals, training, business papers, reports, etc.

Content Creation

Technical communication is sometimes considered a professional task for which organizations either hire specialized employees, or outsource their needs to communication firms. For example, a professional writer may work with a company to produce a user manual. Other times, technical communication is regarded as a responsibility that technical professionals employ on a daily basis as they work to convey technical information to co-workers and clients. For example, a computer scientist may need to provide software documentation to fellow programmers or clients.

The process of developing information products in technical communication begins by ensuring that the nature of the audience and their need for information is clearly identified. From there the technical communicator researches and structures the content into a framework that can guide the detailed development. As the information product is created, the paramount goal is ensuring that the content can be clearly understood by the intended audience and provides the information that the audience needs in the most appropriate format. This process is sometimes described as The Writing Process.

Question and Answers

Are there online courses in Technical Communication?

School	Degree	Type	Program and Link
Mercer University School of Engineering	Master's	Online	Technical Communication Management
Texas Technical University	Doctorate	Mostly-Online	Technical Communication
Utah State University	Master's	Online	Technical Communication