How to Become a Successful Business Writer?

What is Business Communication?

Communication refers to the exchange of information, ideas and thoughts between two or multiple parties. Technical communication involves the transmission of technical knowledge about a new technology or product to the non technical users.
Transforming Technical Information into Words

It is the job of a business or technical writer to translate the hardcore technical information into words which are easy to grasp and follow. Before we go into the purpose and details of technical writing, have a look at the following definitions:

“Technical writing refers to straightforward explanations and/or instructions dealing with a particular technical subject. The subject being written about may be abstract or tangible.”

or

“Technical writing, a form of technical communication, is a style of writing used in fields as diverse as computer hardware and software, engineering, chemistry, the aerospace industry, robotics, finance, consumer electronics, and biotechnology. Technical writers explain technology and related ideas to technical and nontechnical audiences. This could mean, for example, telling a programmer how to use a software library or telling a consumer how to operate a television remote control.”

or

“Technical Writing is a term that represents an increasingly broad set of activities that are designed to communicate understandable information that can help people be productive.”

Gerald J. Alred, being a technical writer, wrote a book named Handbook of Technical Writing where he discussed in detail that technical writing is all about enabling the readers to understand a new technological theory, concept or a process.
Requirements of Technical Writing

The requirement of technical writing is that the information presented must be precise and to the point therefore, technical writers make use of objective tone rather than subjective. The technical writing style is strictly utilitarian and emphasizes on clarity, accuracy and corrective-ness, not on elegance and allusiveness like creative or essay writing.
Importance of Technical Writing

Everyday we hear about new inventions in technology; we all need to upgrade our tech knowledge in order to survive in this global world. Thanks to technical writers who create for us the how-to guides, manuals, textbooks, instructional material and explain to us in simple and meaningful words about the technological inventions, their purpose and usage.
What Does Technical Writing Include?

Technical writing covers a broad range of areas and includes various types of technical writing areas. However, typically it includes the following deliverables:

White papers

User guides and manuals

Application programming interface programmers’ guides

Network configuration guides

Network administrators’ guides

Network recovery guides

Presentations

Site guides /FAQs

Reference documents

Training materials

Installation guides

Alarm-clearing procedures

Troubleshooting guides

Specification documents

Proposals

Reports

Magazine articles

Policies and procedures

Requirement documentation

Certification and accreditations

Procedure reports

Release notes

Corporate disclaimers

Technical papers

Scientific reports

Hardware maintenance and repair procedures

Other forms of writing, closely related with technical writing are expository writing, business writing and academic writing.
Types of Technical Writing

Technical writing can be broadly divided into the following kinds:

* Legal
* Medical
* Scientific
* Mechanical
* Business
* Expository

Properties of Technical Writing
Accuracy

One of the essential characteristics of technical writing is maintaining accuracy. If you are writing a review of a newly launched Nokia mobile phone and you miss on one important detail, this will convey the customers that there is nothing special about this product and they would buy another mobile phone instead. Technical writing requires that the information you provide is based on accuracy and quality content.
Clarity

Write the technical document in a layman’s tone so that the customers who are not really techie fans are also able to understand what the product is all about. Try cutting down on the use of jargons because again, this is going to confuse the customers. Keep your language and expression simple and meaningful. Use of complicated words may put the readers in a quandary.
Descriptiveness

Be as descriptive in distinguishing the technical product as you can. More than half of the customers come from a non technical background and they need to have sufficient details otherwise they will not be able to picture the product correctly. If you are creating a manual for an electronic product which explains how to operate it, make sure you cover every aspect of its functioning.
Correctness

Technical writing requires that you use correct grammar and sentence structure. Write down the key features in the form of headings, sub headings or bullet points as this will make the manual easy for the customers to read.
Academic Prerequisites

Students who intend to enroll in master’s level degree program in technical writing should have a bachelor’s degree. Preferred candidates will have a degree in a related field, like English, creative writing or journalism. Some universities require students to provide their GRE scores and writing samples for consideration.
Online Technical Writing Courses

Students can also earn online masters degree in Technical Writing. In distance learning, the communication between students and teachers is carried out through emails, discussion boards, video conferencing etc. Popular online courses include:

* Content Management
* Computer Software
* Technical Publications
* Digital Communication
* Technological Change
* Consulting
* Creative Writing
* Corporate Communications
* Multimedia

Occupational Outlook for Technical Writers

You can have an idea about the current job opportunities of technical writers from the statistics shown by the U.S Bureau of Labour Statistics or take a look on best technical writing fields for technical writers. Between year 2008 and 2018, an increase of 18% is expected in the demand of technical writers. This is due to the rapidly growing electronic and tech industries. In 2008, the annual salaries for technical writers were between $60,000 and $70,000.