“How do I print my word document?”
It might seem basic, but if you’ve ever searched those terms, you’ve encountered Technical Writing.
Jock Barnes, Technical Writer, describes his profession as “Communicating a technology to people who lack an understanding of that technology …we try to bridge that gap.”
According to Barnes, the most important asset of a Technical Writer is being a relentless student, and being able to admit when you don’t know something is equally valuable.
The Gentis consultant communicates technical terms to other experts by spending time with his subject matter experts. If he doesn’t understand something, he’s not afraid to say, “I have no clue what you’re talking about,” with the end goal of more succinctly conveying information to the reader.
“Be willing to show what you’ve written and created and say, ‘Does this meet our expectations? Does this meet the audience’s level of knowledge?’ and have their honest appraisal,” Barnes said.
So the next time you’re looking for help to do anything technical, and you search online for instructions, remember that it is people like Barnes that will help you “bridge the gap.”
