Emily Cotlier | November 17, 2021
With business and regulations changing in response to COVID-19, instructions matter more than ever. We need to give clear instructions to our staff, our clients, and everyone who interacts with us. We may not be able to explain things to clients or customers face to face. And if we prepare instructions for products, services, or policies in advance, we can help our audiences quickly — and benefit ourselves, too.
When it comes to writing good instructions, you are not alone. In this post we suggest some ways for you to connect with other people who write instructions and learn from them. Writing effective instructions and documentation helps everyone — at work and at home.
At Write, we’ve updated our instruction-writing course to support you with the challenges of writing instructions today.
In the past, organisations often thought of instructions as ‘user manuals’ created by an occasional specialist. Today, instruction writers include business analysts, administrators, managers, and technology professionals. And good instructions are a living thing, changing and updating constantly. Online instructions are shared via websites, searchable knowledge bases, even videos. Written instructions may be in print or in PDF documents. Policies can include different levels of instructions.
Our trainers will work with you to answer questions like these.
Our team at Write is part of a worldwide community of writing-focused professionals. We’re happy to share two ways that we connect with other professionals who write instructions, both in New Zealand and worldwide.
Write is proud to support TechCommNZ — a professional organisation specifically for writers in New Zealand, with a focus on documentation and technical communication. They say, ‘We are here to support, educate and encourage Technical Communicators around the country by providing regular networking and professional development opportunities.’
TechCommNZ members connect and meet up throughout New Zealand. And they are planning a mini-conference in Christchurch in 2022.
In their own words, ‘Write the Docs is a global community of people who care about documentation… We consider everyone who cares about communication, documentation, and their users to be a member of our community. This can be programmers, tech writers, developer advocates, customer support, marketers, and anyone else who wants people to have great experiences with software.’
Their goal is to improve the art and science of writing instructions, with a focus on technology. You can connect with Write the Docs professionals via Slack, local meetups, and their international conferences.
Check the dates for our workshops on effective instructions and procedures.