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Subject:Basic skillset for techwhirlers? From:"Geoff Hart" <geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca> To:TECHWR-L -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com Date:Fri, 17 Dec 1999 11:27:59 -0500
Will Grega is <<...I am attempting to articulate the definitive
baseline set of skills a technical writer should have, apart from
anything industry-specific.>>
- The ability to write text that readers can understand and that
helps them accomplish their goals.
- The ability to understand complex material well enough to
translate it into writing that meets the previous criterion.
- An understanding of just how much accuracy (see previous
thread!) is necessary to meet the first criterion.
- The ability to research information, whether from SMEs or other
resources.
- The ability to learn whichever new tools are being used for a
particular job.
Lots of other good stuff on top of this, but these are my personal
top 5 criteria.
--Geoff Hart @8^{)} geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca (Pointe-Claire, Quebec)
"If you can't explain it to an 8-year-old, you don't understand it"--Albert Einstein