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RE: instructions for a pb&j sandwhich - a little OT
Subject:RE: instructions for a pb&j sandwhich - a little OT From:kcronin -at- daleen -dot- com To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Tue, 28 May 2002 10:38:05 -0600
In response to Sean H's post, Sean B. wrote:
> This brings me back to those writing tests that say things like, write a
> set of instructions for putting on a jacket assuming your audience does
> not know what a jacket is. Well, if the audience does not know what a
> jacket it, are we to also assume they have never seen buttons on a
> shirt, and, if so, are we sure this Neanderthal doesn't first need
> instruction on donning underwear . . . or reading lessons, at the very
> least. Indeed, such instructions really test a writer's ability to deal
> with the absurd--which might not be a bad thing--rather than their
> capabilities as an author.
I find Sean H's tale both informative and amusing, and serves to
illustrate that even writing instructions for simple tasks can be
difficult. I've taken this kind of test before, and instead of thinking
"how foolish, this is beneath me," I've looked at the test as an
opportunity to demonstrate that I *know* how to write instructions.
If concerned about what to assume, ASK the interviewer. Or create an
"Assumptions" section at the beginning of your doc, which demonstrates
that you understand the need to eliminate any ambiguity about your
audience's skills.
I think it's safe to say that most people who manage to secure an
interview for a tech writing gig *should* be able to tell you in writing
how to create a PBJ sandwich, or use a stapler, or something similar. A
"professional" tech writer whose instructions led me to putting a jar of
peanut butter between two slices of bread would be somebody I'd think
twice about hiring.
And as far as a writer's "ability to deal with the absurd" is concerned, I
actually think we DO need to be able to deal with the absurd. Just look at
some of the tasks (and their associated deadlines) with which we are faced
on a daily basis!
Keith Cronin
_________________________
Tech writers. We all speak the same lingua franca. Except for those of us
who don't know what a lingua franca is.
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