1.3 How “Technical” Writing and “Professional” Writing are Related and How they Differ
Technical writing—is writing about any technical topic. The term “technical” refers to specialized knowledge that is held by experts and specialists. Whatever your major is, you are developing an expertise and becoming a specialist in a particular technical area. And whenever you try to write or say anything about your field, you are engaged in technical communication.
Technical writing has six characteristics: Planning, clarity, brevity, simplicity, word choice, and active voice (Russ, 2015). We next describe each and provide examples for clarification.
Planning takes place when the writer first considers the reader (demographics, level of education, knowledge in the field…etc.) to adapt language to a more particular body of individuals rather than the general population. Second, the author must also have a clear understanding of the reasons behind the message along with the acceptable document format (i.e. progress report, lab report, etc.). Lastly, the content must be well organized, such that the most important part of the message is presented before additional details are provided.
Clarity characteristic implies that the writer should use technical jargon based on the audience because it may be difficult for the lay audience to comprehend. For example, if the writer uses software names or scientific terminology that the reader does not recognize, they (the readers) may not understand nor retain the information.
Brevity includes using short sentences and omitting unnecessary verbiage to keep the message concise and easier to read! Writers should remove repetitive sentences.
Simplicity entails removing unnecessary details, which can overwhelm the reader. For example, recognize the difference between stating that the world population is: “8,256,016,994” versus “about 8.2 billion”.
Word Choice explores the importance of the way the sentence is written to help the reader grasp the message in a logical order. For example: “When a computer program freezes, the user should restart the computer.” vs. “The users should first try restarting their devices if they are experiencing a program that is freezing their computer.” The second sentence in this instance directs the reader to take steps prior to acknowledging the issue and adds additional important information that the program could be used via different devices.
Active Voice use is suitable in most contexts as it usually requires less wording and is considered as more direct, thus clear to the reader. Passive voice should be utilized sparingly. For example, the first sentence is shorter and gets to the point of the message sooner than the second sentence: “The company will now start using Microsoft Teams to hold monthly meetings” vs. “Sneha Williams from Human Resources stated that, going forward, Microsoft Teams must be utilized by all company employees during monthly meetings.”
Professional (or business) writing, on the other hand, covers much of the additional writing you’ll be doing in your profession. Professional writing includes correspondence through channels such as emails, memos, newsletters, business letters, and cover letters, as well as other documents such as resumes, social media posts, blogs, and vlogs. While professional writing may convey technical information, it is usually briefer and targets an individual or small group of readers who may or may not be experts in the field.
You will get a chance to explore both technical and professional communication in this course. You will write short memos, presentations, proposals, and reports. Keep in mind that both professional and technical communication are vital in succeeding as a STEM Major.
This section is adapted from “What is Technical and Professional Communication?” in Howdy or Hello? Technical and Professional Communication Copyright © 2022 by Matt McKinney, Kalani Pattison, Sarah LeMire, Kathy Anders, and Nicole Hagstrom-Schmidt, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
