Curtis Cannon, Former City of Oxnard, California, Community Development Director – Improve Your Technical Writing
Curtis Cannon, formerly a City of Oxnard, California, Community Development Director, has led teams that required technical writers several times during his decades of experience in public sector work. To succeed in teams like the ones Curtis Cannon has led for organizations like the City of Oxnard, technical writers must strive to improve their writing skills. Even if you do not have much experience with technical writing, the following tips will make the task easier:
- Be concise. Don’t use too many words. If you can express something in fewer words, do it. Redundant mentions of words and pointless phrases will make a quality document unprofessional and sloppy.
- Eliminate jargon. Unless you’re writing specifically to a technical team, using jargon will make your writing confusing. Consider your audience. Consider what words they are familiar with. Do not use words that they would need to look up to understand.
- Be clear. Do not add unclarified statements to your writing. Instead of writing “the new energy technology increases plant energy output by a notable degree,” write “the solar panels increase energy output by 30%.” This prevents questions, confusion and wasted time.
- Use active voice. Active voice refers to something or someone acting instead of having an action done to them. You can use fewer words with active voice and you’ll answer questions for the readers instead of leaving them wondering. For example, instead of writing “mistakes were made that caused the project’s progress to slow,” write “we made mistakes that hindered project progress.”
Though Curtis Cannon City of Oxnard was not a technical writer during his time at the City of Oxnard, experienced managers like him know good technical writing when they read it. These tips will help you produce content that professionals like Cannon will approve of.
Curtis Cannon City of Oxnard 