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Rahel: I just want to make a point about communicating, so just relax. You
wrote:
"If I had a dollar for every time an engineer ... said to me, "I can't
explain it but here, let me draw it on the white board", ....Having said
that, I think the challenge is for the engineers, as much as the tech
writer, to figure out how to do their share of the communicating."
There are many ways to communicate besides verbal communication. Body
language can say lots as can facial expressions. When a kid is acting up,
sometimes they can be quieted by just a look from mom or dad. Think of the
gestures that people use--the fist, the finger, the okay sign, thumbs up or
down. And presenting information in a drawing can sometimes be more
informative than a verbal explanation.
Although I truly enjoy being a technical writer, my real passion in life is
drawing and painting, so I wrote this in defense of art, not engineers.
Have a good 4th of July.