Up to Snuff #112: A solemn vow, to become a good communicator
By, Afua Serwah Osei-Bonsu
Becoming a good communicator may take a combination of strong technical writing, mixed with graphic design, copy editing and rhetoric. One may have a goal and make a vow to themselves to be strong or masterful within an area like “communication” or type of writing skills like “content” or “technical” or “editing.” Technical writing is very useful in the workplace in memos or emails. It is also good at creating excitement in workplace exchanges and documents. Technical writing is strongly used for making textbooks, manuals and a variety of professional documents and even editorial writing. Communication then becomes something like style, delivery, organization, understanding, value and service, clarity. It is what it is; it is what you want yours to be. It’s always beneficial to create “value” in a document and go the extra mile in an email for example and provide a precise link. Also, one key to technical communication has consistently been problem-solving.
The below list makes up the beginning of a quest for mastership in communication:
Technical Communication, 11th edition 2014
Mike Markel
ISBN: 978-0312-485979
Bedford/St. Martin’s
Technical and Professional Writing, Solving Problems at Work, By Kennedy & Montgomery
Business Writing, By Wilma Davidson
Excellence in Business Communication, Twelth Edition 2017
John V. Thill and Courtland L. Bovee
ISBN: 9780134388144
Pearson
Loose Leaf Edition: ISBN: 9780134388175
Successful Writing at Work, 4th Concise Edition 2014
Philip Kolin
ISBN: 978-1280-5052564
Cengage
Technical Communication Today, 5th Edition 2014
Richard Johnson-Sheehan
ISBN 978-0321-907981
Pearson
The Essentials of Technical Communication 3rd Edition 2014
Elizabeth Tebeaux and Sam Dragga
ISBN: 978-0195-5384222
Oxford University Press
Writing in the Health Professions 2005 Barbara A. Heifferon
ISBN: 978-0321-105271
Google Professional memos
Purdue Owl (search technical writing for examples of memo writing and workplace writing etc.)
Copy Editor’s Handbook: A Guide to Book Publishing and Corporate Communication
Pay attention to stellar staff emails and memos in the workplace
Get a Technical Writing degree