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The article “Ten Technical Communication Myths” demonstrates how much we are
influenced by myths. Myths have inspired us across the millennia but according to the
article it is time to outgrow them, especially in the area of technical writing. Technology
expands and slowly but surely creeps in our everyday life, making our life either easier or
more difficult. Technical writing and manuals are often the first clue about new products.
The manual is going to indicate that the new product is going to be easy to use or that we
will have a hard time to make the product effective; consequently, we will never buy it
again.
I strongly agree with the author’s analysis of myths. The myth #1 claims that
knowledge of specific tools is vitally important when a company is about to hire a new
employee. I know from my own experiences that to learn a new type of software does
not take much time. It might take between two weeks and a month. Nevertheless, to
learn how to communicate effectively technical information in writing may take years
and years of practice. Therefore, when employers hire new technical writers, the
knowledge of specific tools should not be vital.
Moreover, I agree with the author’s opinion about myth # 5. A procedure
should have as many steps as necessary to make a task understandable for the
readers of all groups. The procedure should be written so that each task is
assigned its own singular step. It is better to let the readers digest one piece
of information at a time. Once they have finished comprehending the previous
instruction, they are then ready for the following step without being confused.
Therefore, I consider unwise the idea of 7 steps plus or minus 2 as optimum
numbers of steps for a given procedure.
I want to respond to myth # 8 which is that usability testing is prohibitively
expensive and difficult. Even though many companies limit the testing resources, the
technical writer should still perform at least basic testing. For example, it is not expensive
to take a new manual with the product and give it to ten readers of different ages and
backgrounds. This audience’s reaction can tremendously help the writer of the manual to
improve its procedure at very low cost. The most important myth is myth # 10 that the
documentation is a cost center. I believe the exact opposite is true, because effectively
and easily written manuals can reduce post-sale costs such as technical support. If I have
a manual, which I can read easily I will be less likely to call company’s1-800 number for
assistance and I will deal with the product on my own. Properly written manuals can be
used as a shield in costly torts lawsuits of people who got injured while using a product.
The money a company has to pay as a settlement in these lawsuits should de rather spend
in prevention. In addition, a well-written manual can make me decide that I will go back
to the same company if I need to buy more products or if I simply want to buy an
upgraded version of the product. In the growing global market competition there is
nothing better for the company than the faithful customer who will come back again and
again.
Definition: Technical writing is writing that communicates useful information to the readers.
This information either helps us to solve or understand a particular problem.
Technical writing must be easily understood; otherwise, it is losing its efficiency.