Overview

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Build the skills to plan and write technical documents that meet the needs of their readers. Drawing on content from Michael Markel and Stuart Selber, authors of Practical Strategies for Technical Communication, published by Macmillan Learning, this course introduces the foundations of technical communication and the decisions that shape effective workplace writing. You will examine the purpose of technical communication, the qualities of successful communicators, and the ethical and legal responsibilities involved. You will also practice collaborative writing approaches, including project planning, meetings, scheduling, and team evaluation. You will learn to analyze audiences and define a communication purpose, choose primary and secondary research methods, and evaluate a questionnaire. Reader-centered writing techniques help you organize information and improve titles, headings, paragraphs, sentences, and word choice. Through readings and applied activities, you will evaluate documents, address collaboration challenges, and make writing choices based on audience needs. The course includes approximately ten hours of learning material. This course is part of the Technical Writing Essentials Specialization and can also be taken independently.

Syllabus

Introduction to Technical Communication
- Examine what technical communication is, why it matters in your career, common challenges, successful communicator qualities, and examples of technical documents; apply measures of excellence to a résumé.
Understanding Ethical and Legal Considerations
- Examine ethical and legal considerations in technical communication, including obligations, corporate culture, social media, and cross-cultural ethics; apply these ideas to a workplace case.
Writing Collaboratively
- Examine collaborative writing practices, project management, meetings, scheduling tools, team evaluation, digital tools, and diversity; apply collaboration strategies to a team scheduling challenge.
Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose
- Examine how audience and purpose shape technical communication, including audience profiles, reader research, cross-cultural communication, and multiple audiences; use audience needs to make purposeful communication choices.
Researching Your Subject
- Examine the research process used in technical communication, including choosing appropriate methods and distinguishing primary from secondary research; evaluate and revise a questionnaire.
Writing for Your Readers
- Focus on organization and reader-centered writing choices, including titles, headings, paragraphs, sentences, word choice, grammar, and emphasis.

Taught by

Macmillan Learning

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