Technical Communication Professionals in Southwest Michigan | Prima Communications, Inc.
Connecting information with the people who need it.
Stop with the Boring!
Posted on 02. Feb, 2009 by Jeremy in Documentation & Training, Prima Communications Blog, Writing & Marketing
What reaction do you have when I say “technical communications”? Eyes glaze over. Brain turns off. Snoring begins. Me too, and I’m a technical writer!
So granted, the technical stuff isn’t very exciting, but it is important. So…presenting the information in a text document with long paragraphs will mean absolutely no one will read it, and therefore the people who need the information won’t get it.
What can you do to present the information in a better format? Start thinking of your document as a picture.
- Is it pleasing to look at?
- Is there enough white space?
- Are there parts of the document that can be presented as a series of bullets rather than a paragraph of text?
- Can you use a flowchart (with either text boxes or pictures)?
- How about a diagram?
- Can you use color to enhance understanding?
- Can the information be presented electronically? If so, there are even more possibilities for creative presentation like a website or video clip.
In this electronic age the possibilities really are endless. So stop with the boring already!