Category Archives: audience

Speaking Upper-Level Geek

Posted on February 9, 2013 by

As I noted earlier this week, I was rapporteur at the Tennessee Valley Interstellar Workshop (TVIW), taking notes for the benefit of the organizers and (as a nice side-benefit) myself, as I find the idea of deep-space travel fascinating. Did … Continue reading →

Posted in audience, engineering, personal, presentations, science, science fiction | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Presentation Writing Tips

Posted on August 11, 2012 by

This will cover verbal presentations without the use of PowerPoint or some other electronic slide software. However, I might bring in a few thoughts about that as well, learned how, class? That’s right: the hard way. With any luck, someone … Continue reading →

Posted in audience, documents, editing, marketing, meetings, research | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Writing in the Corporate Voice

Posted on July 14, 2012 by

Regardless of what sort of materials you write, you have to select or acquire a style that fits the personality of the individual or organization on whose behalf it’s being written. Style is one of those things that’s hard to … Continue reading →

Posted in audience, Office Politics, technical writing, workplace | Tagged , | Leave a comment

It’s Not What You Say…

Posted on June 1, 2012 by

You hear it from your mother the first time you say, “Yes, Mom,” and the sarcasm drips from your lips or your eyes roll. Or maybe you’re unlucky enough to hear it from a friend or teacher. You say something … Continue reading →

Posted in audience, personal, philosophy | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Strategic Technical Writing

Posted on May 12, 2012 by

I am not a documentation writer. That’s the usual assumption when I speak to engineers, but in fact, I usually explain that “I translate Engineerish into English.” In reality, I write presentations, conference papers, and speeches for program managers. That … Continue reading →

Posted in advocacy, audience, philosophy, technical writing | Tagged | 1 Comment

Web Marketing

Posted on March 8, 2012 by

As I’ve absorbed the wonders of this-here internet thing, I’ve tried to understand how it ebbs and flows. In some ways, marketing on the internet is a combination of mass marketing (one message to rule them all), hyper-customization (content customized … Continue reading →

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Website Usability

Posted on January 9, 2012 by

I have already written a great deal about print document usability here, and for the most part the guidelines I suggested there also apply to reading on the web. People still read top to bottom, left to right (at least … Continue reading →

Posted in audience, documents, engineering, technical writing | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Classroom Interview – University of Houston

Posted on November 10, 2011 by

This week I had the unique opportunity to be an online guest speaker for a technical writing grad school class at the University of Houston. The instructor, Dr. Aimee Roundtree, found me via the internet–LinkedIn? This blog? My other blog? … Continue reading →

Posted in audience, careers, education, personal, technical writing | Leave a comment

Technical Marketing

Posted on October 15, 2011 by

As I’ve noted before, I’m not a technical writer in the purest sense. I do marketing (or, if I’m doing stuff for NASA, it’s “education and outreach”). Given the high cost of much of the work I do, advocating for … Continue reading →

Posted in audience, marketing, technical writing | Leave a comment

Usability and the Craft of Technical Communication

Posted on September 28, 2011 by

I would be remiss if I didn’t address the topic of usability. I say this mostly because it was and is a personal crusade of Karla Kitalong, my thesis advisor at University of Central Florida (now at Michigan Tech), and … Continue reading →

Posted in audience, documents, technical writing | 1 Comment