Defining the Field of Technical Communication
How can you define a type of communication that includes so many genres, situations, audiences, and topics? Defining the field of technical communication is ongoing and difficult, but the work of technical communicators does have boundaries that separate it from other kinds of writing. While it is useful to note the similarities across types of communication, it is also useful to understand the specific work of technical and professional communicators, and to understand how the field has defined its work. Further, noting tensions among technical communicators and scholars helps us to see where the boundaries of the field are flexible or shifting, and can help to frame how technology and a changing landscape continues to push the field in various directions.
In this section, we consider how the field of technical communication (and the work of technical communicators) has been and continues to be defined. One author simply stated that technical communicators “explain things,” and we build off this understanding to get a better sense of the boundaries and possibilities of technical communication.
Even as we define technical communication, this section positions the work of technical communicators as:
- rhetorical, and
- always concerned with collective access and social justice.
Voices From the Field: What does technical communication look like for you?
“Technical communication is the process of transferring technical knowledge to those who need it. Technical communication is the bridge that enables society to benefit from the advancement of technology and science, as well as accomplish specific tasks or goals.
Technical communication begins and ends with the audience or consumers of the communication. An analysis of the audience and their requirements (why they need particular technical knowledge) enables the technical communicator to select an appropriate strategy, format, and style for the communication. The technical communicator must be able to empathize with the audience in order to produce communication that will maximize understanding and benefit to the audience.
The technical communicator needs a good working relationship with subject matter experts. This enables the technical communicator to develop a thorough enough understanding of the subject to be able to translate this knowledge into communication that the audience can understand and use.
The technical communicator must be able to use language effectively, and be able to choose and use the appropriate media for the audience’s requirements. The technical communicator should write persuasively and logically, with economy, precision, discipline, and perfect grammar and style. Shortcomings in any of these areas will impede the technical communicator’s ability to deliver communication of the highest quality, which will reduce the audience’s ability to use and benefit from the communication.
I work in the information technology (IT) field of technical communication. The core of what I do is traditional technical writing: IT policy, process, and procedure documentation, which includes documents and knowledgebase articles. I have also leveraged my understanding of the communication process to design intranet websites and analyze business processes, both of which require similar problem-solving, creative, and communication skills to those used in technical writing. I am fortunate that my colleagues and leadership appreciate the value of effective communication and my contributions.”
Matt Abe
Manager—knowledge management
MAXIMUS IT
Voices From the Field: Defining technical communication as multimodal
“I think the product I work on is so inherently multimodal that I don’t think about it being multimodal. I don’t incorporate video, images, etc. into my writing because the writing is part of a product that contains all of those things.”
“Thinking about how to organize a document so that it clearly states a position, succinctly communicates its purpose is very important or nobody will read what you’re writing.”
Bill Siemers
Content Strategist, Facebook
