Writing Winning Technical Documents

This two day course (one day format when delivered as an In House course) provides practical skills to ensure that technical documents are written and presented with clarity, accuracy and impact.

This course offers current best practice and strategies in technical writing skills inherent in the principles of good written communication. Participants’ own writing samples are collected before the course and are worked on by participants during the course. These practical writing tasks significantly increase the relevance of the learning experience.

Recognised for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) by Engineers Australia (EA) in accordance with EA CPD Guidelines.

Target Audience

For those who want to improve their technical writing skills. Whether it is writing reports, specifications, tenders, or emails, you need to ensure that your writing can win an outcome for your organisation in a competitive situation, be clearly understood and trigger effective and efficient results, rather than perhaps be confusing or ambiguous.

Course Outline

Introduction

Discussion of the documents written by participants together with profiling the key steps involved in writing effective technical documents.

Audience Analysis

Tailor written text to suit different audiences whether they be managers, clients, technical experts or the general community; identify skills and techniques to integrate the appropriate readability and tone for the reader(s)
 

Organising Information

Learn strategies and tactics to prioritise and categorise information as well as make insightful decisions about the relevance and appropriate level of detail required. Providing ‘signposts’ to the readers to keep them ‘on track’ throughout complex documents.

Write with Clarity, Power & Impact

Create clear, concise and readable technical documents and demonstrate the flexibility to write at appropriate difficulty levels for different audiences from expert to nonexperts; participants will apply a readability formula to their own documents. Produce correct paragraphs and well constructed sentences whilst using words that avoid confusion and ambiguity. Understand the relevance of correct grammar and punctuation whilst learning the principles of integrating numbers into text. Write winning recommendations that highlight the action outcomes.

Optimise Layout

Achieve a consistent, clear and uncluttered look to technical documents; use appropriate numbering systems; and know the current standard regarding integrating graphics into text.

Quality Assurance/Checking

Opportunities throughout the course to review/workshop participants’ own sample documents, whether they be reports, tenders, specifications, correspondence, emails.

Apply Effective Proofreading Strategies

Strategies to be more effective in proofreading; giving and receiving feedback.

Course Objectives

At the end of the course participants will be able to:

• Understand how to tailor written text to suit different audiences
• Implement strategies to prioritise and categorise information (ie the structure of a document)
• Implement writing techniques to keep the reader ‘on track’ (even throughout complex documents)
• Write with more clarity, power and impact
• Achieve a more consistent, clear and uncluttered look to technical documents
• Apply better assurance/checking of technical documents
• Implement effective proofreading strategies

Testimonials

Facilitator Information

Jeanette Learmont BA (Hons) Med (Hons)

Jeanette is the Director of Wordsworth Effective Communications Pty Ltd and has a fine record of achievement specialising in communication skills. Jeanette has a particular focus on effective writing for technical experts, from senior managers to new recruits. Her training approach is to enable individuals to write with clarity, power and impact whilst transferring the acquired writing skills into their own technical and business documents.

Christine Misso BA, DipEd
 

Christine has a strong academic background in English language and literature' with extensive experience as a trainer, freelance editor and writer. She has over ten years experience in education and training in both government and corporate sectors, as well as providing English language coaching to technical professionals.

Registration

Please select your preferred location and date from the below table and then click on the REGISTER NOW button.

A 10% saving for Engineers Australia Members.