TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: What is our real area of expertise? From:Alan -dot- Miller -at- prometric -dot- com To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Mon, 11 Dec 2000 14:35:30 -0500
Thomas Quine quoth:
<snip>
>I tell my clients I am an expert in information delivery systems. (I think
I
>can safely tell you all that I am actually no more than a student of
>information delivery systems...) I take technical information from
documents
>and from subject matter experts, work it to make it understandable to my
>audience, and build a delivery system (printed manual, online help system,
>classroom training, Web solution, etc.) to get that information from where
I
>decide to store it to the person who needs to use it.
>I learned from studying instructional design under some very wise people
>that a skilled instructional designer with a sound system can teach anyone
>anything - I mean anything - from a starting point of zero. That's because
>the instructional designer is not the fount of knowledge, they just build
a
>conveyor belt to take the knowledge from those who have it to those who
need
>it.
<snip>
I find this troubling in two respects. First, how does the technical writer
evaluate the information presented in the documents and by the SMEs? More
to the point, how does the technical writer know which documents and SMEs
to trust? What are the ultimate sources of the information? What
simplifications and generalizations were made along the way between the
original source and the source used by the tech writer? How does he/she/it
know? Ultimately we have to make decisions about the content and
presentation of technical material in our writings. If you don't know the
topic, you can't do it.
Second, I would have agreed with you about skilled instructional designers
and instructors ... twenty years ago. Not any more. Consider this, the US
military creates its instructional designers and instructors from its
technical elite, not vice versa. They understand that only the very
competent can teach their skills and knowledge effectively. When *we*
figure that out, we'll be the better profession for it.
Al Miller
Chief Documentation Curmudgeon
Prometric(r), a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Develop HTML-based Help with Macromedia Dreamweaver! (STC Discount.)
**NEW DATE/LOCATION!** January 16-17, 2001, New York, NY. http://www.weisner.com/training/dreamweaver_help.htm or 800-646-9989.
Take XML and Tech Writing courses online! Our instructor-led courses
(4-6 hrs/wk) give you "hands on" experience at your convenience. STC members
get 20% off! http://www.online-learning.com/index.html.
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
