Chapter Objectives
Upon completion of this chapter, readers will be able to do the following:
- Explain and apply strategies for articulating technical discussions to nonspecialist readers.
- Use audience analysis to decide what information to include or exclude from a document and how to discuss that information.
Articulating Technical Discussions
The ability to explain complex, technical matters with ease, grace, and simplicity so that nonspecialist readers understand almost effortlessly is one of the most important skills you can develop as a technical writer. This ability to "translate" or articulate difficult-to-read technical discussions is important because so much of technical writing is aimed at nonspecialist audiences. These audiences include important people such as supervisors, executives, investors, financial officers, government officials, and, of course, customers.
This chapter provides you with some strategies for articulating technical discussions, that is, specific strategies you can use to make difficult technical discussions easier for nonspecialist readers to understand.
You use your understanding of your audience to decide
- What information to include in the document
- What information to exclude from the document
- How to discuss the information you do include in the document
Articulating is particularly important because it means supplying the right kinds of information to make up for the reader's lack of knowledge or capability. Articulating thus enables readers to understand and use your document.
| Defining unfamiliar terms | The "in-other-words" technique |
| Comparing to familar things | Posing rhetorical questions |
| Elaborating the process | Explaining the importance or significance |
| Providing description | Providing illustration |
| Reviewing theoretical background | Providing historical background |
| Providing examples and applications | Providing the human perspective |
| Shorter sentences and paragraphs | Stronger transitions |
This list by no means exhausts the possibilities. Other techniques include
- Headings. See the section on using headings that break up text and emphasize points and on how to construct headings that guide readers from section to section.
- Lists. See the section on constructing lists that break up text and emphasize points and on how to construct headings that guide readers from section to section.
Note to readers: Move your mouse pointer over the highlighted words in the following examples to see discussion.
