Workshop

From Good to Great: a Reader-Centric Approach to Clear Technical Writing

Learning to write well-written technical documents is key for clarity with both internal and external stakeholders in the workplace. This course, composed of 4 sessions, offers you an opportunity to learn about and practice reader-centric concepts and apply them to your own writing.

Expert: Beth Burrows
Founder of Writing Well, Trainer, Advisor and Professional Engineer

Beth believes writing well is worth it! As an engineer turned technical communicator, she helps scientists and engineers simplify complex information and deliver messages that readers can understand. She loves to teach technical people how to write effective documents and encourages them to think differently about their writing. Beth’s technical writing coaching provides both a career development opportunity and support on documents that matter. Before starting her business, Writing Well Technical Communications, Beth worked in both the private and the public sectors. Recently, she was the subject matter expert for ECO Canada’s Technical Writing Essentials online course. Beth is also a guest lecturer at the University of Guelph School of Engineering. She communicates why writing clear technical documents is important and teaches the students how they can begin writing with purpose. Beth has been a Professional Engineer in Ontario since 1993. She earned a Master of Business Administration from Wilfred Laurier University in 1997 and a Certificate in Technical Communication from Simon Fraser University in 2016.

Session 1: Make It Relevant

  • Define reader-centric communication and why it is important.
  • Identify your audience and determine what the reader needs.
  • Compare different types of technical documents and their purpose.
  • Identify steps to draft a document’s structure.
  • Review writing tips for getting started.

Session 2: Make It Clear

  • Practice effective brainstorming.
  • Discuss obstacles and strategies to overcome them when document writing.
  • Establish methods to write your story, think beyond the information and present it in a way your reader can understand.

Session 3: Revise, Revise, Revise

  • Identify and prioritize strategies for revision.
  • Practice editing for conciseness, clarity, and plain language.
  • Practice proofreading for quality and overall cohesiveness of the message.
  • Compare methods to format for visual cues.

Session 4: Give Credit Where Credit Is Due

  • Review why, how, and when to reference.
  • Compare formats for referencing technical documents.
  • Practice identifying opinions and interpretations.
  • Notice absolutes, certainty and, ultimately uncertainty.

Get Started:

Regular Price:
EP Member Price:
Course Length:
Career Stage:
Entry Level, Medium Level
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