TECHNICAL WRITING MADE EASY

www.idconline.com

INTRODUCTION

Q: How many technical writers does it take to change a light bulb?

A: Just one, provided there's a programmer around to explain how to do it.

Technical writing is the profession that involves translating scientific and

technical information into easy-to-understand language. Technical writing is a
style of formal writing and is used in fields as diverse as - computer hardware
and software; chemistry; aerospace industry; finance and more. Technical
writers explain technology and the related ideas to technical and nontechnical
audiences. For example, telling a programmer how to use a software library or
telling a consumer how to operate a television remote control.

www.idconline.com

BASIC SKILL SETs EVERY TECHNICAL WRITER NEEDS

Knowledge of technology
Writing ability
Organizational skills
Strong research skills

"There is no great writing, only great rewriting." -Justice Brandeis

www.idconline.com

Knowledge of technology:
The technical part of a technical writer doesnt mean that you must be a
hardcore techie but you must possess a basic knowledge of the technology
you are documenting. You must understand basic concepts such as; databases,
internet, and file manipulation (opening, closing and saving files).
Most importantly you should be willing to learn new technology as it develops.
Writing skills:
A technical writer is a translator. You start with a complicated piece of
technology and your goal is to explain to a non expert how to use this
technology. This deceptively simple mission requires good writing skills along
with a knowledge of technology. Writing should be clear, easy to understand,
concise and easy to follow. An important part of clear writing is using correct
grammar and spelling.
Organizational skills:
As a technical writer you should have strong organizational skills. In many cases
getting information is not that difficult but identifying what is relevant for your
reader is challenging. So you must absorb, organize, prioritize and deliver the
right information.
Strong research skills:
Last but not least is the talent to be able to research and investigate. The
information you need may be residing in someones head, so you must be able
to work with people and ask questions to extract the appropriate information.

www.idconline.com

Distance + Efficiency + Possibilities =

ing
Help cut train
sts!
and travel co
Electromeet is software that allows you to join or provide live online sessions.
It efficiently brings distant people together in a virtual room
for affordable web conferencing and remote laboratories.
Real-time online training & eLearning

Remote support
Bring an expert to site
without travel
Fast, efficient
troubleshooting
Long distance
"desktop" sharing

Enhance learning
experiences
Improve retention and
completion

Remote laboratories

Online meetings & collaboration

Access to labs around

the world
Safe, managed
experimentation
and practice with real
equipment

Product Training

Reduce expenses
Improve communication
Quick and informal or
tightly structured

Online presentations

Live online
demonstrations for
remote sites
Reduce time and limit
travel

Interactive presentations
using advanced tools
Reach multiple locations
simultaneously
Engage and stimulate

www.electromeet.com
Distributed internationally by:
IDC Technologies, PO Box 1093 / 1031 Wellington Street, WEST PERTH, WA 6005, Australia.
Phone +61 8 9321 1702. Email ric.harrison@idc-online.com.
Offices in: AUSTRALIA CANADA INDIA IRELAND MALAYSIA NEW ZEALAND POLAND
SINGAPORE SOUTH AFRICA UNITED KINGDOM UNITED STATES VIETNAM

Simple Effective Flexible

Interactivity at your fingertips...
Two-way audio

Electromeet is
so simple to install
that you can join
your first session
in minutes.

One click on the Access Key

and you will enter a virtual
room, with a range of
interactive tools available.
Electromeet aims to be simple, effective, flexible, and
reliable. It is software that you'll soon master, freeing
you to focus on the content and purpose of your
online work.
Download your own free copy at

VoIP ("voice over internet" technology)

with amazing clarity
Listen to others and have your say - live

Instant text messaging

Send text messages to all or selected
participants

Whiteboard
Draw and annotate on the shared
whiteboard using simple tools
Display slides and images for immediate
discussion
Respond instantly to poll questions and
quizzes

Participant information
Use emoticons to convey your thoughts
during a session
Watch interactions of other participants

www.electromeet.com
Video
Watch the presenter live on your screen
Transmit video from your location to
others

Installed Electromeet?
You now have three options:

Web tour

1
2

Use the Access Key link sent to you by a

Provider to join a session at the
appropriate time.

Tour websites led by your presenter

Use the software to playback a recording

of an Electromeet session. You would
need to obtain a link to the recording
from a Provider.

Watch as the presenter shows remote

applications at work
Opportunity to operate other applications
remotely

Try or Buy a Provider Licence so that you

can provide you own sessions.The trial
version is free, and Special First Release
Offers apply to the full licence. See the
website for details.

Desktop sharing

Record and playback

Record entire sessions for playback
Build your own library of recorded
sessions in highly compressed format

www.electromeet.com

ELECTROMEET FEATURES

PROVIDER LICENCE TYPE

20-User

20
free
30 days
n/a
1

24/7

20
US$480.00
24 months
$Option
1

24/7

Audio
Two-way "Push to Talk" audio
Flag showing person speaking
Audio set up wizard
Latest VoIP technology

Text
Text to all or selected users
Choice of fonts
Time stamp for text messages
Emoticons with text
Text narration

Whiteboard
Whiteboard with drawing and text tools
Slide upload and display feature with automatic conversion
Zoom feature
Web Tour feature
Polling and quizzing (with responses seen by presenter)

Participant Information Window

Emoticons in Participant Window for instant feedback

Video
Watch video of presenter or other participants
(bandwidth dependent)

Desktop Sharing
Presenter can share desktop and demonstrate applications
Presenter can give desktop control to participants

Recording and playback

Presenter can record sessions showing major interactions,
including ntext, audio, whiteboard, video
Edit recordings (Premium Module)
Participants can playback sessions

n/a

Premium

Remote Laboratory
Remote laboratory - long-distance experiments with
real equipment (Premium Module)
Hardware patch panel for experiments (Lab version)
Hardware patch panel for experiments (Participant version)

n/a
$Option
$Option

Premium
$Option
$Option

Number of users (Presenters + Participants)

Cost of Provider License
Note: Free to use to join sessions and playback recordings
Duration of licence (Special First Release Offer)
Enable Premium Modules* with license (optional annual cost)
Number of simultaneous sessions
Controlled session access via "Access Keys"
One-click log in (after download & installation)
Availability for sessions

* Premium Modules are advanced features and will be added progressively to the software

www.electromeet.com

50+ users

ON APPLICATION

Trial

- Be part of the Story

How it started
Over the last 15 years at IDC Technologies
we've trained over 200,000 engineers and
technicians from all over the world. Our
early training was almost 100% face-to-face,
classroom-based instruction. We witnessed
the early forays of others into web-based
training. In many cases we saw that these
attempts were not much more than "books
on the web", with nothing to approach the
learning retention or completion rates of
face-to-face instruction. Following the early
hype many people became disillusioned
with "eLearning", thinking that it
necessitated hours spent in isolation with
little offered to motivate or interest and no
interaction.

certainly poised to become a major part of

the blend in your learning environment,
complementing and enhancing traditional
delivery methods.
How it Works
People who want to join an Electromeet
session simply download the installation
package from electromeet.com . It is free to
download. Once installed, the software can
be used to join a session, playback a
recorded session, or Provide sessions for
others.

Be Part of the Story

While Electromeet is in "First Release" we want
as many people as possible to use and
present sessions with a Provider
licence.We encourage you to register
for your own trial licence and use it to
present your own sessions - with
colleagues, students, friends and
family from anywhere. Provide us
with feedback and be part of the
Electromeet story.
After the 30 day trial period is
finished you have no obligation
to go any further. But if you like
the software and you have used it
a few times in the 30 Day Trial
period, we'll offer you a choice:
extend your free trial for another 3
months, OR buy a 20-user licence and
get 24 months for the cost of 12 months.
You'll have your own virtual room on our
server for 2 years!

Changed Technolgy
Exponential developments in
internet technology have changed
eLearning. The "book on the
web" no longer represents all
that we can expect. Instead, it is
possible to provide a live,
interactive
session
which
captivates
and
motivates
students. An expert presenter can
work from a home office to reach
an audience located just about
anywhere in the world, and make
use of a range of sophisticated tools.
The Design Brief
Our experience indicated that some
eLearning packages did not meet the
rather unique needs of engineers,
technicians,
and
other
technical
professionals. In 2006 we commissioned a
team of expert programmers to develop
our own software for delivery of
eLearning. The philosophy behind the
design brief was for the software "to be
simple, effective, flexible, and reliable". We
wanted software that was intuitive, so that
the content and purpose of the live
sessions remained paramount.
Electromeet is the result of almost 3 years
of hard work and experience. Although
developed with technical training in mind,
it is a vehicle that has potential for a range
of online uses. Some are mentioned in this
brochure.
Part of a Blend
Electromeet allows interaction with
colleagues and clients situated throughout
the world. It will cut down on travel
expenses plus venue costs and has the
potential to improve your training and
learning experience. Electromeet may not
replace face-to-face training, but it is

Possibilities
The possibilities for Electromeet are
immensely exciting, and we've not begun to
explore them all. Imagine being able to
provide access to remote laboratories that
allow students to experiment with real
equipment located remotely. Or consider
bringing an international expert to site
"remotely" for a live consultation with key
staff. Electromeet can do this now! We are
working on a module that will permit a
presenter to take students on a real-time tour
of actual industrial sites.

When participants are invited to join a

session they each receive an "Access Key"
from their Provider (the company or
individual who is going to provide the
session). At the appointed time and with
one click on the Access Key, participants
enter a virtual room and use tools such as
instant texting, 2-way speech, interactive
whiteboard, video and more. Replaying a
recorded session is a simple as clicking on
the highly compressed recording file sent by
a Provider.
In order to Provide sessions for other people
a Provider Licence is purchased. This is an
annual subscription. The cost of the
subscription provides 24 hour a day, 7 day
per week access to a private "virtual room".
The Provider is given a set of Access Keys that
can be emailed to whoever else is to join the
session(s) in the virtual room.
More details about how to join or
provide sessions can be found at
www.electromeet.com.

www.electromeet.com

Go online now to register

for your 30 day free trial:
www.electromeet.com.
Any questions? Email us
now at ric.harrison@
idc-online.com.
Be part of our growing
community of users and
take advantage of the
First Release Offer.

Go to www.electromeet.com
and register now!

PROCESSES INVOLVED IN TECHNICAL WRITING

Understanding the subject

Collecting and organizing information

Designing the document
Creating the document
Reviewing the document
Publishing the document

www.idconline.com


Understanding the subject

A writer needs to gain an understanding about the subject that is to be

written before they are able to write about the subject.

Collecting and organizing information logically:

Obtain information about your audience, this helps in deciding various
parameters such as style of writing and so on. After this, organize the
obtained information logically. To do this follow the below steps,
Group similar things together.
Order groups appropriately.

The "appropriate" order depends on the situation. For

example,

If you are describing a process, list the steps

chronologically.

To explain something, move from general to specific

points.

To document a project try ordering by problemsmethods-solutions.

To persuade, order your arguments from most

significant to least significant

www.idconline.com

 Designing the document:

Now sort the gathered information and create a detailed outline for
the document based on the collected information. Provide a logical
structure to the document in such a way that the most important

information appears first, then the essential details and examples

follow. Here are some clues to make the document easy to
understand:
Provide clues to help readers follow and find information.

Use headings, lists, and other formatting devices to make the

information accessible.

Use forecast statements to preview what is ahead.

Use summary statements to review what you've covered.

www.idconline.com

 Creating the document

The proportions of space you give to any piece of information reflects

the relative importance of that information. Another very important part

is the adopted writing style. The document should be simple, readable

and easy to understand. For this;

Choose words that get your point across.

Use technical terms correctly and appropriately.

Avoid vague words.

Avoid ambiguous words and phrases (like "this" and "it").

Use strong verbs.

www.idconline.com

 Reviewing the document

Review drafts to pick up problems in formatting, spelling and

punctuation. Also ensure that units of measurement and labels for

figures are all correct. Proofread!
The key for this is to edit the document in stages.
Make a first pass through the document to see if the

organization is logical and the information correct. Use

your outline to check the first draft after you've written it.

Make sure the sequence is logical and that the outline has
been followed.

Make another pass through the document to check

phrasing and spelling.

Reading aloud can help you spot any wording that

needs revision.

www.idconline.com

 Use your word processor's spell checker, but

remember that it will not pick up all errors. You must

also proofread.

Learn from past mistakes . . . and past successes. As you

write each new assignment, remember the comments your

past writing has received. Keep these in mind as you revise.

www.idconline.com

IDCSURVEY

s
1.

The ebook vs the printed book? Which are you more likely to buy and
why?

ElectricalEngineering

ChemicalEngineering

Instrumentation,
Automation&
ProcessControl

2.

Are there any titles missing from our library? What are they?

3.

How did you first find out about IDC Technologies? Do you receive our
training information and if so is it by post or email? How would you prefer
to receive our information?

4.

What are the biggest issues facing your industry right now?

5.

Are there any courses that IDC doesnt offer that you think we should? Is time a
problem when considering attending a course? Indicate your preference in
regards to training i.e. public workshop, on-site or e-learning.

6.

Are you the person that books training for your colleagues? What do find are
the most sought after training courses?

7.

What are the things you look for in a company before booking a course with
them?

8.

Classroom Training Vs E-Learning training - which are you more likely to

take? Why?

CivilEngineering

DataCommunications
&Networking

Electronics

Information
Technology

Mechanical
Engineering

Project&Financial
Management

9.

Have you ever participated in an e-learning course? What are your feelings about e-learning
training?

10.

Rate our services on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest and 1 being the lowest).

CONTACT NAME:________________________________________________________________
COMPANY NAME (if applicable):____________________________________________________
ADDRESS:_______________________________________________________________________
CITY: ___________________________________________ COUNTRY: ______________________
POST CODE: ________________________
TELEPHONE: _________________________________________________________
FAX: _____________________________________________
EMAIL: _________________________________________________________________________

Yes, I would like to receive a free 2009 engineering diary/planner and I confirm that my above details are correct

If you do not wish to receive FREE technical updates, newsletters and workshop information, please tick here

www.idconline.com

TECHNICAL WRITERS TOOL BOX

A technical document may contain text data, graphics, tables, lists and so on.
Various tools are used to make sure all of these are included correctly. These
tools fall under various categories:
Corel Draw
Graphic Tools

Photo Shop
Paint Shop Pro

Frame maker
Developing Tools

Microsoft Word

Interleaf

Help authoring Tools

RoboHelp
Fore Help

Web Tools

Front Page

Dream Weaver MX

www.idconline.com

TECHNICAL WRITING TIPS

Technical writing is much harder than any other form of writing. Start here with
some of these helpful tips.
Consistency
Wording is of essential importance in technical writing. This is not a creative

writing piece where it is encouraged that you utilize colorful adjectives. In fact,

in technical writing the goal is the exact opposite. Your goal is to produce a

document that is factual and to the point. The document must be accessible.
When youre writing about technical things, you must use technical terms within
the document. If necessary, include a glossary with the article to help with its

translation. Otherwise, define technical terms the first time you use them in the
document and repeat the exact same term throughout the document when
referring back to eliminate any confusion.

www.idconline.com

Making Sure the Consumer is Happy

There are a few ways to make this easier on you as nobody wants any backlash
or to hear that their product is defective in any way. First of all, the earlier you
start your research and the more involved you are with the project the better.
Understand what youre talking about. Know the language and a little bit of
the history of the project.

APPLICATIONS OF TECHNICAL WRITING

Business correspondence and resumes

Technical reports: structure and process
Types of technical reports: an overview
Business plans
Proposals
Progress reports
Instructions
User guides
Organizational policies and procedures
Recommendation and feasibility reports
Abstracts, introductions, and conclusions
Oral presentations

www.idconline.com

Specialist training in:

Data Communications
& Networking
Instrumentation, Automation
& Process Control
Electronics
Electrical Power
Mechanical Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Information Technology (IT)
Project & Financial
Management
Civil Engineering
Environmental Engineering

www.idc-online.com
AUSTRALIA CANADA CHINA INDIA IRELAND
MALAYSIA NEW ZEALAND POLAND SINGAPORE
SOUTH AFRICA UNITED KINGDOM UNITED STATES