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The podcasts I record for I'd Rather Be Writing cover the latest trends in technical communication. I interview tech writing luminaries around the world as well as record STC presentations and other audio content. You can subscribe to podcast specific feeds using the subscription information below.
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Ten Lessons Learned as a Technical Communicator — Interview with Rahul Prabhakar
January 13th, 2007 | Posted in Podcasts 11 Comments »
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Duration: 49 min.
Rahul Prabhakar talks with us today about ten lessons he has learned as a technical communicator. Rahul is an Indian technical writer living in South Korea working for Samsung. You can read more about the lessons he talks about from his ten lessons learned post.
Here’s a snapshot of the 10 lessons:
- Lesson 1: Choose the Right Words
- Lesson 2: Strike a Rapport with Your Audience
- Lesson 3: Pay Attention to Details
- Lesson 4: Meet the Expectations
- Lesson 5: Break the Mediocrity
- Lesson 6: Know Your Role Well
- Lesson 7: Steer Away from the Usual Rut
- Lesson 8: Don’t Network for the Heck of It
- Lesson 9: Education is only a Catalyst
- Lesson 10: Don’t Suppress the Writer in You
Links mentioned in the podcast:
- Technical Writers of India (TWI) mailing list info
- To subscribe to TWI, send an email to technical_writers_india-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
- Rahul’s blog
- Holly Harkness’s blog
- DMN Communications Podcast
- Harry Miller’s podcast
- Music from Podshow
Contact Rahul at prabhakar.rahul@gmail.com
Contact me at tom@idratherbewriting.com. You can also view my blog.
[...] Here are some very wise words from Rahul Prabhakar. He lists and discusses the top 10 lessons he has learned as a technical communicator. I won’t even list them here as a teaser. Go to his site and read them. Or listen to them at Tech Writer Voices. You cannot just read or listen once. [...]
Hey Rahul,
the snapshot of 10 lessons are really too good to be true.
can i request you to send me these lesson in word / text format on my email id
your creative, active and technical mind give a inspiration to others
Keep it up…
Regards,
Vandana Sah
Vandana, you might want to send Rahul an email with this request, as I’m not sure he checks this site regularly for comments. If you click the first link in this post, you’ll see a written version of the 1o lessons.
[...] full link http://techwritervoices.com/2007/01/13/rahulprabhakar/ [...]
[...] Ten Lessons Learned as a Technical Communicator — Interview with Rahul Prabhakar [...]
I disagree with “Don’t suppress the writer in you” part. Technical writing is intended for an audience and with a purpose. Unlike creative writing, technical writers can’t take the liberty. The message has to be precise and unambiguous.
May be blog, like Prabhakar, to show the writer in you. But, with a manual, just be a technical writer.
It is an interesting comment, not suppressing the writer in you. It all depends on how one defines the term “writer.” Writers certainly use skills of organization, clarity, focus, accuracy. But usually the word writer conjures up associations of novelists and creative types. I do think creativity and innovation are huge parts of the IT industry. And these are the key traits of writers. You have to create a product manual out of nothing. You have to communicate complicated concepts. You don’t have to write everything in dry, short Dick-and-Jane type sentences. You can add some flair and style.
This will help any one wanting to progress in the tech field. Thx for the post.
im trying to get readers to my blog too and was wondering if i could purchase a link in your blog roll via paypal? let me know – thanks
True, writers sure should not restrict their creative writing abilities due to the fact that what’s being written is a technical manual – after all it’s read by the end user. At the same time give the user what’s required in a simple and pleasant way. It’s only balancing both – should be a good read aa well as what’s required!
Nirmala, I like your point about not abandoning some creative style to the prose, keeping in mind that it will be read by a real human being. Thanks for the comment.