Four Challenges for Technical Communication
July 2016
In our regular Southern Communicator feature, we showcase a recent article from this Australasian journal. Once again, Saul Carliner hits the bull's eye with his detailed observations of technical communication. In the March 2016 edition of Southern Communicator, he presents Technical Communication at a Crossroads, an article so packed with gems that it is thoroughly worth a careful read.
If you're new to the profession, or only recently discovered it's a "thing", allow this seasoned practitioner, educator, and former President of STC to explain where we've come from, and where we're going.
He structures technical writing history into four main "epochs", each characterized by the shaping factors of the day – financial, political, technological, social. He then presents four extremely relevant challenges for the profession, along with examples, ideas, and insights:
- Challenge 1: Whom do we include as technical communicators?
- Challenge 2: What competencies does a technical communicator really need to succeed?
- Challenge 3: How do we promote the value of our contributions to sponsors and prospective sponsors?
- Challenge 4: What is the role of a professional association serving technical communicators?
…the profession faces four key challenges…If we rise to these challenges, they could change the focus of our work and provide a more meaningful role in organizations, including stronger professional standards: the same things we have sought since the beginning
For the full article, see Technical Communication at a Crossroads.
See more by Saul Carliner: TCs: "factory" workers or knowledge organizers?