Technical/Business writers are an interesting segment of the writing population. We primarily hail from one of two backgrounds: English and/or Science & Engineering. We often have advanced degrees in business communications. We love to research. We love to write. We especially love to organize words on a page, and we are not afraid of large documents, if that's what it takes. We also love to write steps – clearly telling people what to do, when to do it, and in what order. We even do this is our spare time!
If we’re any good at what we do, and at TKO we are, we use pictures instead of words (or to bolster words) wherever we can. Studies show that information presented pictorally or in a visually appealing way (think on-target graphics, charts, and engaging images) imprint on the brain more effectively and lead to better recall, than the use of words alone.
We work closely with C-Suite, management, project leaders, developers, business analysts, and even various user groups to research your business message, analyze your communications needs, and then develop a communication strategy to meet these needs.
At the heart of what we do is the actual writing itself. Technical/business writers create and organize meaningful content to describe what it is that you need to explain or offer, specifically directing the content at your target audience(s). Ideally, content should be concise, to-the-point and easy to understand (even for someone outside your company or subject area). What may be easy to understand from a developer’s perspective may not be easy to understand for the CEO or even the average user!
Technical/Business writers aim to simplify, simplify, simplify… regardless of the level of complexity being tackled.
Technical/business writers help companies implement their communications strategies by coauthoring a clearly defined goal (and also the objectives required to meet that goal). We then help devise a clear distribution plan, and an awareness plan so your message gets sent out with priority attention. Will you use email, newsletters, podcasts or company Intranet to get your message out? How often will we send your message out? These tactical considerations are key to what technical writers must appraise when approaching any project.
Training materials (for trainers and trainees), manuals and process maps may also be part of an effective communication solution. These materials help users to understand your product, service or technology quickly and with minimal frustration. We might also design follow-up reference materials, such as Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) or Wikis, which reduce the need for questions to supervisors by empowering your end users.
And what’s happening while we are doing all this, you may ask?
You can go on doing what you do best – developing, selling, configuring, distributing and implementing your product, service or technology. Your C-Suite and management can continue working on their core tasks such as big picture strategy and company direction. Your project managers are free to manage projects. Your developers are free to design new products and services. Your business analysts are available to analyze business requirements and potential impacts. All without being bogged down by the writing of policies, procedures, help or instructional text.
Your internal people need only to lend their brain power to TKO’s writers on a schedule that works for them (with the greatest respect for their full-time job requirements), AND with the clear understanding that although they may be excellent writers – or on the flip-side, not very confident in this area at all – it is the job of the TKO writer to relieve them from the bulk of this oft substantial task.
Sound too good to be true? It’s not. Contact TKO today.
TKO - Free Your Audience.