Re: [twin] Course Content for Technical Writing

Hi
Your hard skills are okay. But you are not specific when you say 'team
skills' I mean today everyone is expected to be a team player so it is not
necessarily a skill you know? I'd rather focus on specific skills
like 'interviewing skills' and 'survey skills': a tech writer spends lot of
time interviewing subject matter experts and technicians to collect
information.
And on the technical front I strongly recommend they understand and learn
SGML, XML, HTML (stuff like the docbook DTDs is important). They have to
understand Mark up languages in order to write something that can be
published anywhere (cross platform). You may want to add in tools like
robohelp, framemaker PLUS a basic course on 'help' formats (winhelp, java
help, htmlhelp and so on).
A technical writer writes to an audience so her work has to be user-friendly
so you may want to include a primer on usability and usability testing. (I
can provide material on this)
I think a good technical writer is one that is not afraid of code, that is
ready to skim through reams of material, one that loves talking to people,
one that knows the rules of the language and knows when to break them. And
finally one that loves to write. And understand what 'being objective' is.

Hamsila wrote:
>
>Hi All
>
>I have been asked to help develop a post graduate diploma in Technical
>writing. This could possibly train novices in the field or those wishing to
>take up Technical writing as a career.
>
>As I see it, there are two sets of skills required:
>Hard Skills:
> Language
> Tools
> Editing
> Proofreading
>
>Soft Skills:
> Interpersonal skills
> Team skills
> Research skills
> Motivational skills
>
>Is there anything else that could be included?
>
>Regards
>Hamsila
>
>
>
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