It is essential that leaders can (even momentarily) disconnect from the constant demands of productivity and immerse themselves in the experience of human connection. It's during these moments that they realize the key role relationships play in raising engagement levels. Once leaders prioritize connection, there are infinite tactical options, most of which stem from a solid internal communications strategy.
At TKO Communications, we are an ever-expanding team of tenured and nimble technical writers, business writers and content developers - proficient in tackling complex business topics, and helping our clients distill their internal messages with clarity, accuracy and precision towards targeted communications goals.
Today, we look back at our core as ‘technical writers’ - how we’ve always added value in the world of business communications across our client base… and most importantly, how this foundation still guides our daily processes and overall mode of operating as we take on new initiatives in 2023+.
Technical writing is a specialized field that involves creating documentation, best practices and instructions for complex technical products, rollouts and services. Techncial writers specialize in translating complex information into clear and concise language that can be easily understood by audiences and users (who may not have a technical background). While some organizations overlook the importance of technical writing, it provides significant value to any company! At TKO, we observe that once a budget line item is created for the indispensable service of technical/business writing, the possibilities for continued upside are endless.
So, let’s get down to it. Why use technical writers?
Clarity and Consistency: Technical writers excel in making complex information easy to understand for non-technical users. They can translate jargon and technical terms into layman’s terms, ensuring that anyone can understand how to use a product or service. Additionally, technical writers ensure consistency in language and tone across all documentation, ensuring that users have a consistent experience and understand how to use a product correctly.
Time and Cost Savings: Technical writers save companies significant amounts of time and money by creating clear and concise documentation. Clear documentation can reduce the time and expenditure associated with training new employees, management or leadership, reducing the need for expensive in-person training sessions. Moreover, well-written instructions can reduce support calls, and ultimately, increase end user and client satisfaction and loyalty.
Risk Mitigation: Technical writers play an essential role in minimizing risk by creating accurate and complete documentation with best practices and risk mitigation strategies. Technical writers can also help companies comply with regulations, ensuring that their products meet industry standards and legal requirements.
Flexibility and Adaptability: Technical writers are adept at adapting to changes in products or services, creating documentation for new features or upgrades. They can also tailor documentation to specific audiences, including different languages, cultural contexts, or accessibility needs. Technical writers can create multiple versions of documentation, depending on the target audience, ensuring that users have access to relevant and appropriate instructions.
Professionalism and Branding: Well-crafted documentation enhances a company's brand and reputation. Technical writers help ensure that the company’s branding is consistent across all documents, creating a professional image for clients and users. Additionally, high-quality documentation instills trust in users, demonstrating that the company cares about their experience and is committed to providing high-quality products and services.
Today, technical writers play a crucial role in ensuring that complex technical products and services are accessible, understandable, and transparent for users. Investing in technical writing can provide significant benefits, including increased efficiency, reduced risk, and improved client satisfaction. Any company that values its reputation and client experience makes a shrewd, informed choice when they allow technical writers to create, edit and maintain documentation.
At TKO, we offer all kinds of business writing. Technical writers, content developers and other kinds of business writers (some niche: such as medical writers, etc.), have different focuses and responsibilities, but the key thing to note is that they often overlap.
TKO’s technical writers create documentation, instructional materials, and other content that explains how to use a product, service, or technology. Here, we specialize in translating complex technical information into clear and concise language that can be easily understood by users who may not have a technical background. Our technical writers work closely with engineers, developers, and subject matter experts to create user manuals, help documentation, FAQs, and other technical content.
On the other hand, TKO’s business writers create content such as reports, success stories, content summaries, blog content, newsletters, proposals, marketing copy, and internal communications. Out focus here can be more weighted on informing or influencing our audience, rather than explaining technical concepts. We use a variety of writing techniques, such as storytelling and data and gap analysis, to achieve our goals.
At TKO, we're in the business of information simplification - we provide an objective analysis of your business message (often technically complex or layered with internal jargon), help you map out your communications purpose and strategy, and then develop clear, concise content that meets your communications objectives. This year alone, we've helped our global client base communicate effectively and nimbly by making sure their business messages are on target, easily understood and drive measurable results.
And we love what we do.
We're a recognized leader in the field of corporate communications, having partnered with a diverse array of global organizations, including G4S, Marsh & McLennan, Humana, Valtech, Mercer Canada, Mercer US, Bank of Montreal, Brinks Canada, Brinks US, Glaxo Smith Kline, MacLaren McCann Advertising and CN North America… just to name a few!
Corporate social responsibility helps build trust, raise awareness, and encourage social change. Although there are tens of thousands of companies doing their part, large global corporations’ efforts have far-reaching results that can impact major world issues from hunger and health to global warming. Here are examples of how some major brands are doing CSR successfully.
The rise of remote work has drastically changed the relationship between companies and their employees. Nearly 60% of employees who can work from home would prefer a hybrid work schedule going forward. At the same time, roughly 60% said they want more structure from their employers when it comes to deciding hybrid work schedules. Less clear for employers, though, is how frequently employees might come into the office. Check out what these business leaders and experts think about the future of hybrid work:
In the early stages of any crisis, it can be difficult to know what actions to take. And in the face of a human tragedy on the scale of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, you may be tempted to act now and think later. Alternatively, you may wonder what marketing could or should do at such a time, especially if your sector or industry is not immediately impacted by the crisis. Although marketing is sometimes seen as secondary in managing and mitigating enterprise risk, marketers are accountable for their brands and serve as the de facto voice of the customer. Consequently, it’s important that you ensure you have a seat at the decision-making table. Once you get there, take these five essential steps.
While organizations are just beginning to regain some stability, many of tomorrow's challenges are already knocking at the door, and they need to be prepared to meet them. The expectations of all stakeholders have evolved, and some of these imperatives are here to stay. Here are the trends our corporate and financial communications experts see for 2022…
The pandemic has dramatically increased the speed at which digital is fundamentally changing business. McKinsey’s latest survey confirms that the future will belong to companies that put technology at the center of their outlook, capabilities, and leadership mandate. Check out this comprehensive report to ensure your business is leading with the right focus moving forward.
If you want an open company culture, start this one habit - participate in the corporate Blog. When people read personal blogs from their co-workers, it helps to build positive relationships, increases productivity and saves time as knowledge is shared effectively and easily. An internal blog sends a clear message that an organization actually wants to hear from all of its workers. When people at an organization actually start blogging, a culture can begin to develop where people feel comfortable offering their perspectives or giving feedback. Personal blogging, in particular, gives workers a space to express themselves. It can let them know that it’s okay to bring their passions, their interests and their sense of humor to work!
2021 will be an opportunity for businesses to consolidate, and to make sure they learn lessons from the challenges brought by the pandemic - by reevaluating and rethinking their values, their objectives and their operations. Here are the trends that our corporate and crisis communications experts see for 2021…
Research shows that new ventures that reinvent their businesses—even multiple times—cut their chances of failure by conserving resources while continuing to learn more about customers, business partners, and new technologies. But pivots can incur a penalty if they’re not correctly managed. The companies that are likely to endure will be those that nimbly adapt—and can effectively get stakeholders on board with change. Learn about a sequence of stratagems critical to establishing and maintaining stakeholder support during major reboots.
Leaders must tap into a different skill set to effectively deliver their messages and be engaging in a remote environment. Virtual venues require you to transition from reading nonverbal cues in the moment to getting curious about your participants before, during, and after presentations to ensure your message lands. Here are six ways to deliver well-received presentations when you and your audience are bound by the limitations of virtual communication.
The pandemic has hastened a rise in remote working for knowledge-based organizations. This has notable benefits: Companies can save on real estate costs, hire and utilize talent globally, mitigate immigration issues, and experience productivity gains, while workers can enjoy geographic flexibility. At the same time, concerns include how to communicate across time zones, share knowledge that isn’t yet codified, socialize virtually and prevent professional isolation, protect client data, and avoid slacking. Research into work-from-anywhere (WFA) organizations and groups that include the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Tata Consultancy Services, and GitLab (the world’s largest all-remote company) highlights best practices and can help leaders decide whether remote work is right for their organizations.
Many employees are now doing the work of three or more people. They’re doing their own jobs, their childcare worker’s jobs, and their children’s teacher’s jobs… and a key divide seems to be between parents and non-parents. “I’ve noticed that there is a huge split among my trial lawyer colleagues. Those without children are, for the most part, getting a lot done. Those of us with kids at home are litigating as if sinking in quicksand,” said Gordon Kaupp, a lawyer in San Francisco. Companies need to get analytical about the optimal role of remote work going forward. Lots of research shows that telecommuting typically makes workers more productive….but not without the right structure.
It takes a lot to get to the top of an organization: a high IQ, emotional intelligence, technical competence, and a variety of personal characteristics, such as fortitude and resilience. Even with those qualities, many leaders fail at the top job — often because they don’t know how to get the organization to do what they want. What they lack is organizational intelligence. OQ, as we’ll call it, consists of five competencies: sending messages that reinforce strategy, fostering an ethos, using “action strategy,” rebelling from the top, and staging moments of theater. Let’s look at each, drawing on examples from our own experience and that of well-known successful leaders.
Building a culture of equality is not just an ethical imperative, it is a business priority. Ask yourself… are you ready to build a culture of equality where people can thrive and create? As a starting point, you should have an inclusion and diversity (I&D) strategy in place - one that is aligned with your overall business plan. Let TKO help you build one that resonates and promotes a progressive corporate culture. Also, check out this comprehensive Accenture report, filled with incredible graphs and visuals to support this important initiative.
Is work today permanently different from what it was before Covid-19 and the work-from-home shift? We don’t know yet, but the data can give us ongoing, real-time information that we can use to influence what happens next. Microsoft believes that what we learn about these changes will be key to organizational resiliency in the months and years to come.
