Fundamentals of Technical Writing
Published by O'Reilly Media, Inc.
How to explain complex ideas simply
Workplace writing can be daunting, especially when the ideas are complex, the stakes are high, and time is tight. The great news is that writing skills can be learned—and developing the ability to write logically, succinctly, and engagingly can advance a career in any field.
Join expert author/developer David Griffiths to get the inside scoop on practical techniques that can enhance your writing skills. You'll discover how to better understand your audience and what motivates them, structure your writing to make it more compelling, and explain complex concepts in a way that's easily understood. You'll also learn valuable techniques for writing when you're pressed for time or when you lack inspiration. By the end of the course, you'll be able to apply your newfound knowledge to writing reports, specifications, training materials, and more.
What you’ll learn and how you can apply it
By the end of this live online course, you’ll understand:
- The importance of understanding your purpose and your audience
- How to write when you lack time or inspiration
- How professional writers tackle technical subjects
And you’ll be able to:
- Generate ideas that are relevant to your audience and purpose
- Structure your writing to make it more compelling and engaging
- Overcome writer’s block
- Present your work professionally
This live event is for you because...
- You’re a technologist who wants to improve your written communication skills.
- You’re a consultant who wants to improve your written reports.
- You want to improve your writing skills to progress in your career.
- You need to write documentation for your product.
- You want to create training materials for your customers or colleagues.
- You want to become a technical author.
- You want to learn techniques that will help you become a better writer.
Prerequisites
Recommended preparation:
- Pen and paper for writing or sketching
Recommended follow-up:
- Read Business Writing for Technical People (book)
- Read Technical Writing (book)
- Read Professional Writing Skills (audiobook)
Schedule
The time frames are only estimates and may vary according to how the class is progressing.
Getting started (35 minutes)
- Presentation: Understanding your audience and purpose; “head, heart, and you”
- Hands-on exercises: Classify pieces into the four writing types; use head, heart, and you to generate ideas
- Q&A
Motivation (35 minutes)
- Presentation: Problems give people a reason to care; putting things in the right order
- Hands-on exercises: What’s the problem?; arrange the ideas in an outline
- Q&A
- Break
Refine your outline (20 minutes)
- Presentation: Fixing, demoting, or removing your copy
- Hands-on exercise: Triage the outline
- Q&A
The write-up (30 minutes)
- Presentation: Structuring for audience and purpose; tools to improve your writing
- Hands-on exercise: Structure the text
- Q&A
Your Instructor
David Griffiths
David Griffiths is the founder of HereScreen Ltd, based in the UK. He’s the author of five books in the Head First series, including Head First Android Development and Head First Kotlin, as well as the React Cookbook; he’s also created courses in Android development and technical writing, and developed the animated video course The Agile Sketchpad with his wife, Dawn, as a way of teaching key concepts and techniques in a way that keeps your brain active and engaged.