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I always try to understand the readers before writing a word. Why they are reading. And what they expect to be able to do better as a result of reading, or what
by KineticLensman 7y ago
I always try to understand the readers before writing a word. Why they are reading. And what they expect to be able to do better as a result of reading, or what decision they might be making.
If an author can't answer these questions, they will likely write something that is perceived as irrelevant, wrong, or simply 'meh'. This is especially true when writing 'technical reports' as opposed to documentation.
- kaycebasques 7y ago"Know thy audience" and "know thy audience's purpose" are the cardinal rules of technical writing, as mentioned in Marcus's post. Often times there are limits to how much I can know about my audience. In that case it's especially helpful to put an "Assumptions" or "Intended audience" section at the top of a doc.
- HenryBemis 7y ago+1 on that "thy audience", and the audience is not just the end-users. It is the 10 extra layers/people that will get to carry an opinion (and whose opinion matters) by glancing a document for 1min or less.