Comments on: How to Setup a Technical Writing Department

By: Stop Your Technical Documents From Crashing - Part 1 | I Heart Technical Writing, Tips, Tools and Templates for Technical Writers

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 04:44:59 +0000

[...] become huge and start crashing, here’s a few ways to fix it. I’ve creating some very long technical documents in Microsoft Word and learnt a few ways to control these [...]

By: 5 Reasons Women Technical Writers Are Better Than The Boys | I Heart Technical Writing, Tips, Tools and Templates for Technical Writers

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 08:18:42 +0000

[...] I’ve been in this game 18 years and, with only one exception, the best technical writers I worked with have been women. I guess I’m referring to team leads here. One of the small things I’ve also noticed is that technical writing depts tended to be a close group. [...]

By: Can She Lead? Are Women Better Managers Than Men? | Internet Business Plan - Learn How To Plan Anything Online

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 04:59:40 +0000

[...] 3) will men support women bosses or do their best to defeat them? One argument is that many men don’t feel comfortable playing second fiddle to a women boss. Yes, I know there are exceptions but… So, while men tend to become CEOs etc due to networks/old [...]

By: Can She Lead? Are Women Better Technical Writing Managers Than Men? | I Heart Technical Writing, Tips, Tools and Templates for Technical Writers

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 05:02:36 +0000

By: Weekly links roundup by Communications from DMN

Weekly links roundup by Communications from DMN — Fri, 21 May 2010 10:46:30 +0000

[...] Ivan Walsh explains how to set up a technical writing department [...]

By: Ivan Walsh

Ivan Walsh — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 05:41:57 +0000

That’s it. At some point, you have to ‘sell’ what you're delivering. Maybe ‘sell’ is not the right word, but if you don’t show the value add, others may not see it and will take your efforts for granted.

I took over the newsletter at a company and would ever so (quietly) remind others of the good work we were
doing.

These things all add up at the end of year review.

By: ginablednyh

ginablednyh — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 00:31:11 +0000

Hi Ivan,
This is great. Thank you! The wisdom of encouraging people to see how their departments could benefit from a technical documentation department is vital. The truth is, our work helps many groups in organizations, but people can easily forget this. As technical writers, we must also be advocates and PR people. Passivity isn't really a good option.

By: Ivan Walsh

Ivan Walsh — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:54:43 +0000

It’s so true. If you have to persuade people why the need specialists for specialist roles, then you're starting from a very weak position.

When I first entered this business, I did so much cold calling trying to drum up business and show people why they needed high quality documents. Most didn’t get it.

But, when I turned the conversation and showed how it would reduce costs, e.g. lower # of calls to customer support and/or reduce refund requests, then they wanted to meet.

By: Debbie

Debbie — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 16:48:38 +0000

I liked what you said and I would also like to add that before going to work for a company it is important to see how much the management is invested in providing quality documentation otherwise it's not worth your time going to work for them.