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: Dumbing it down From:John Cornellier <cornelli -at- CLAMART -dot- SRPC -dot- SLB -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 9 Dec 1998 09:43:50 +0100
>Another way of thinking about writing simply and clearly is to picture
yourself
>giving instructions to an older relative who's very intelligent, just not
very
>knowledgeable about your subject.
Another good analogy is to picture youself giving instructions to someone
who speaks English as a second language. I've noticed in my travels that
some people have an almost instinctive aptitude for speaking to
language-learners, while others "just talk louder".
John Cornellier
cornelli -at- clamart -dot- srpc -dot- slb -dot- com