Defining Technical and Professional Writing

Technical writing is a very broad term and its definition has been debated for quite some time.  The definitions tend to be imprecise and put limitations on the technical writing field.  However, in general, technical writing is a way to convey information.  Technical writers hope to help readers and users understand and use a product.  Their goal is make complicated information easily understandable.  Technical writers are the ones who create manuals and instructions for a wide variety of things.  They do not always write about technology.  They could write business correspondence, grant proposals, or even cookbooks.  Their writing is meant to be clear and concise.

With my internship with the Southeast Kansas Humane Society of Crawford County, I am writing grant applications.  So, my goal is to gather all of the data and information and present it in a way so that the Humane Society can receive funding for their needs.  I need to be as clear as possible so that the proposal reviewers know exactly what the Humane Society wants to do, why they need the funding, and how the funding will be used.  If I am not successful, then the Humane Society will not receive any funding for all of the projects that they need to be accomplished. 

There is a great potential value in hiring a technical writer.  Technical writers are very efficient because their writing has to be clear and concise.  During their coursework, they learn how to think critically and write professionally.  All of these skills enable them to communicate in professional manner both on paper and in person.  Along with strong writing skills, they also know a thing or two about page layout and design.  They will make any content and information look professional.  They should also have strong computer skills.  Overall, they have a good understanding of communicating in a precise manner. 

A degree in technical and professional writing from the humanities department adds to the value of a technical writer.  Along with the technical writing classes, they are taught to think critically and logically, which helps with the precise writing.  Throughout their coursework, they will learn how to work with others, which is also an important skill to have.  By studying literature, they will learn how to interpret text, which is important when writing clear content.  Most importantly, through the humanities department, they will learn how to write in an organized and clear way.  Technical writers from the humanities department have a broadened skillset and knowledge, which makes them vital to any workplace that produces any type of documents. 

Olivia Hansen