Technical writing
Articles and resources to help you turn your expertise into clear and precise technical documents
Contents
Featured
Presenting data
Dazzling with data: how to create charts that win friends and influence people
Check your figures
Make communicating numbers as simple as 1, 2, 3
Fundamentals
How to make an impact with numbers and statistics
Fundamentals
These five techniques will transform your technical writing
Technical fixes
How to fix the 7 most common glitches in technical writing
Presenting data
Dazzling with data: how to create charts that win friends and influence people
Quick questions
For those answers that don't need a full article
This will always depend on the issue. A simple fault report need only be a page, summarising where and when the fault occurred, and how it has been remedied. Some reports, however, might extend to hundreds of pages.
A report could, for example, be part of a bid for a project lasting decades that has to meet complex technical specification and legislation.
In both cases, documents might be on file long term as a crucial record, so the writing must be clear, concise and precise, referencing who did what and when.
A report could, for example, be part of a bid for a project lasting decades that has to meet complex technical specification and legislation.
In both cases, documents might be on file long term as a crucial record, so the writing must be clear, concise and precise, referencing who did what and when.
The answer to this question is one that applies to many other questions across all types of business writing. And that is: consider your audience. Who is going to read this report? What level of technical knowledge do they have? What jargon will be meaningful to them and what will leave them lost? Your purpose matters too: what level of technical detail is necessary for the document to do what it needs to do?
Technical writing often has a unique structure, Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) being a good example. This rigorous approach aims to highlight potential failures in the design of a product or process before it goes live.
Clearly identifying the reader is always important for what you write to be effective, but it's particularly important in this style of writing. Will your reader(s) understand complex technical terms? You can’t afford to leave them scratching their heads or simply losing interest if your writing is not on their level. Complex ideas don’t need complex language – it should be clear, concise and precise so the reader focuses on what’s being said rather than how it’s being said.
Read about how to write technical information for a non-technical audience
Clearly identifying the reader is always important for what you write to be effective, but it's particularly important in this style of writing. Will your reader(s) understand complex technical terms? You can’t afford to leave them scratching their heads or simply losing interest if your writing is not on their level. Complex ideas don’t need complex language – it should be clear, concise and precise so the reader focuses on what’s being said rather than how it’s being said.
Read about how to write technical information for a non-technical audience
After training many scientists on our courses, we know this is a common fear. But making your work accessible is not the same as dumbing it down. It means writing for the right audience – and that means your work can have the practical applications that it should.
And doing this may also mean increasing the size of the audience your work is exposed to, as NYU scientific writing lecturer Philip Rodenbough explains in this article. As he puts it, 'All technical writing is improved by making it more accessible – as long as we’re not completely re-explaining the very basics.'
And doing this may also mean increasing the size of the audience your work is exposed to, as NYU scientific writing lecturer Philip Rodenbough explains in this article. As he puts it, 'All technical writing is improved by making it more accessible – as long as we’re not completely re-explaining the very basics.'
Useful resources
Prompting success
The Boardroom Advantage
Report briefing template
Proofreading checklist
Case studies
See how we've helped our clients
Business report writing, Professional email writing
Heartlands High School invests in better writing skills for a stronger future
Heartlands High School
Business report writing
Making crucial health information accessible for the people who need it
The Health Policy Partnership
Writing to customers
HSBC overhaul complaint-handling style to cut comeback and connect with customers
HSBC
Corporate communications, Writing for marketing
Transforming opinion writing at EY for insights that get press attention
EY
Business report writing
Turning complex information into impactful research reports at CFE
CFE Research
Technical writing, Writing to customers
Environment Agency cultivates a new public image
Environment Agency
Professional email writing
Small UK charity makes big international impact thanks to clear, convincing communications
Refugee Rights Europe
Business writing essentials
Concise, consistent and contract-winning writing at Spinning Clock
Spinning Clock
Business report writing, Writing to the board
'We cut the iterations on our strategy documents from 56 to just 4!'
Shawbrook Bank
Bids and proposals, Technical writing
Simplifying technical language and raising communication standards at SeaRoc Group
SeaRoc Group
