“13 TIPS ON HOW TO TECH-TALK TO NON-TECHIES”

BY HASMITA CHANDER

Julia Cantwell

ENGL 393

INTRO Technology is here to stay

All fields of study are going to need to learn new technology and upgrade skill set.

13 tips to use in order to help beginner to intermediate users of technology.

1. TITLE AND LEADERS Write your title and leader according to

style Ex. Witty and light? Or serious and direct?

2. FIRST PARAGRAPH Hook/ attention getter to interest and

hold the audience Text should relate to the question or

subject

3. TAKE ORGANIZED STEPS Flow and easy to read Organized with steps Break down long steps into 2 points

4. EXPLAIN THE BIG WORDS Explain all acronyms and abbreviations Don’t try to impress readers or editors

with big words.Write simply and clearly

5. KEEP THE TARGET IN MIND Think about the reader when writing Avoid lengthy descriptions, and things

that are too technical

6. WATCH YOUR TONE Don’t talk down to readers.

Write as if your talking to an intelligent person

7. SAY EVERYTHING Give away all your tips

People will respect and always remember who taught them.

8. STOP WHEN YOUR DONE Don’t get carried away Don’t stray from the main subject

Beginners cannot comprehend extra topics that are irrelevant

9. USE SUB-HEADS Gives readers the main idea Explore other recent issues of the

publication Can give ideas for creative ways to create

sub-heads

10. CUT OUT THE SMALL TALK Use a friendly voice that sticks to the

topic Avoid

JokesSoundsMultiple Exclamation points!!!!

11. SNIP OFF THE EXTRAS Cut off the Fluff Make the writing crisper and clearer

12. ILLUSTRATE Good, relevant illustration can be more

explanatory than a paragraph. Don’t overdo pictures! Use correct format for pictures

Ex. JPG or GIF format

13. MARGIN MATERIAL Any info that doesn’t fit in, but is

relevant, send it in as a sidebar or margin material

Sidebars are a good place to put links, explain jargon, or “Did-you-knows”

CONCLUSION Don’t have to be a great writer, Just

know your stuff! Use the tips above, and the writing

process will be easier.