Should We Call it Technical Communication?
More and more I am confronted with the fact that many jobs today - in law, government, medicine, finance, commerce - require the same skills that we teach in Technical Communication - clear instructions, conveying information to someone in a brief, yet comprehensible, way, and managing to make information relevant to a particular audience. With that in mind, what is the point of calling it “Technical” communications? What is “technical” about it?
Today, it is not only hi-tech products that require clear instructions and explanations - this type of writing is essential in many areas because those areas have themselves become more complex. The “glue” that holds complex systems together is communication. The efficiency of any modern, bureaucratic system is contained in its flow of communication - and if the communication that flows is not understandable, the system breaks down.
So what should be rename Technical Communications?
How about “Effective Communication”? The “technical” nominally refers to the “technical” subject matter. All communications need to be effective, regardless of the subject matter.
“Effective Communication” sounds exactly right! Thanks for that suggestion - so now I should rename this blog “The Art of Effective Communication”.