1.1 Introduction

The Society for Technical Communication describes technical communication as any form of communication that communicates about technical or specialized topics such as IT, medical procedures, or engineering processes.1 Technical communication also incorporates communicating about technology and instructing others on how to use digital technology or software, such as writing instructions for help files or FAQ pages.

Technical communication also includes instructions about how to achieve goals or accomplish tasks. Inside an organization, there is often a lot of overlap between technical writing and other types of communication, such as marketing. Being an adept internal technical communicator requires understanding how to plan, strategize, and create content for all communication processes required within an organization.

Why Technical Communication Is Essential to Any Organization

Technical communication in a business or organization is specific and essential to both internal-facing and external-facing communication mediums. Internal communication involves any process or strategy employed by an organization that improves business value via communication with employees and stakeholders and promotes a sense of belonging to that firm.2 External communication involves any process or strategy employed by an organization that improves business value via investors, customers, the public, and so forth, and advances the purposes and mission of that firm.

Technical business communication is useful for completing internal organizational tasks and processes, and for communicating how to organize and explain those tasks and processes, as well as products, roles, and expectations within an organization.

Internal and External Technical Communication within an Organization

Technical communication in organizations often requires technical writers to become subject matter experts, creating communication documentation not only for coworkers, direct reports, and others inside an organization, but also for those outside of the organization, such as customers, investors, other organizations or businesses, and the general public.

This internal and external technical communication messaging includes documentation for research reports, proposals for grants and projects, instruction manuals for things like engineering products and processes, how-tos and FAQs, and the often-dreaded but necessary white paper documents that are essential communication for nearly every middle- to large-sized organization.

Technical communication differs from other types and styles of communication, and it is often the framework or the scaffolding for all other types of communication within an organization. Without impactful, efficient, and effective technical communication, a breakdown or failure in operations and processes is likely to occur, with negative consequences that could impact various moving parts of an organization.

Introducing the Role of the Technical Communicator within an Organization

It is often a difficult and laborious process to undertake the job of an organization’s technical communicator; these roles require a disciplined writer and communicator who is conscientious in applying the skills of listening, asking pertinent questions, empathizing with the audience, writing, proofreading, and editing.

Technical communicators must also understand which medium or channel to use to most effectively deliver the communication from start to finish. The myth that technical communication at the highest level is just about “writing manuals” will be dispelled during this course.

The effective technical communicator might not be given the accolades of a famous journalist or fictional writer or receive the attention that a viral advertising campaign writer might get. This is one reason why technical writing in business communications is an often-overlooked and underrated mode of communication.

It might be more difficult for an organization to see exactly how essential an effective technical writer should be to their organization. However, technical writing and communication skills are very necessary for any serious writer to learn. Certainly, when technical communication within an organization breaks down or fails, that failure is felt by everyone in the organization.

Technical Communication Is a Growing Field of Expertise

Technical communication jobs are on the rise, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,3 and technical writing4 in organizations as a career is also often higher-paid labor than other types of commercial writing.5 The reason for this difference is that technical writing requires exactitude, discipline, and fine attention to detail. It often involves rigorous research and editing to utilize communication processes and procedures within an organization on a micro level.

Any decent writer can be cheeky or pithy in creating targeted ads to catch the attention of customers searching for a product, but not every writer can be an effective technical communicator without training and practice. In this course, we will discuss how you can learn to become an effective technical communicator. By learning skills that are foundational to this field and many other types of written or oral communication, you will improve your overall skills as a master of communications and expert writer.