Technical writing

This 2-day training course is for people who develop or maintain large amounts of written information such as manuals, user guides, standard operating procedures, training materials or knowledge bases.

What will I learn?

You will learn the principles of Structured Writing, a proven set of tools and techniques for:

  • analysing the purpose of your documentation and the needs of your audience
  • organising information to meet audience needs, including different information needs of different users
  • presenting content based on information type
  • creating modular content for efficient reuse and ease of maintenance, and
  • structuring content so that it is easy to navigate and information is easy to find.
Best course I’ve been on in a while. Tactics provided an in-depth look at how to structure process and procedure documents.- Workshop participant, Genesis Energy
After the first day, I felt that the penny had dropped for me, and I realised that now I have a method and techniques at my disposal in the most challenging of projects. I can now see the wood for the trees!- Luke Pivac, Genesis Energy
An extremely stimulating and interesting training workshop — the information learned will be very useful in my and my colleagues' work.- Dee Hogenes, MAF

What is Structured Writing?

Structured Writing is a modular, topic-based approach to developing documents that are easy to write, read and use. It speeds up writing time, improves reader comprehension and enables content reuse. More about Structured Writing

Benefits

This course enables you to:

  • tackle your documentation project with confidence
  • analyse requirements and plan your approach
  • organise large amounts of content so users can navigate easily and find information quickly
  • write more and better content in less time, and
  • develop modular, reusable content that is easy to maintain.

What does it cover?

Topic Description
Analysing and planning
  • Identifying your audience and purpose
  • Analysing content
  • Writing a needs analysis
  • Outlining and planning
Effective writing principles Proven, research-based tools and techniques for clear and effective writing
Organising content
  • About Structured Writing
  • Types of information
  • Structuring and sequencing
  • Typical document structures
Presenting content Best practices for presenting your content so that it is easy to read and understand
Editing and testing Tips for editing and testing your content
Speeding up your writing Using shortcut keys and templates
Case study Applying your knowledge

Who teaches it?

Rhiannon Herrick is highly regarded as a writer and trainer. She has extensive experience in designing, developing and delivering written material and training writers in a variety of contexts nationally and internationally. Rhiannon is able to develop usable, reader-focussed documentation on any subject quickly and competently. She is a knowledge management specialist and qualified and experienced in analysis, design and development of high quality documentation for specific purposes for targeted audiences.

What do I get?

The course materials include:

  • Structured Writing manual
  • Follow-up support including a free document review, and
  • Certificate.

How is it delivered?

Inhouse and customised training

We can hold an inhouse training course or customise one for your group. Talk to us about your needs.

Online training

We can also deliver this course online via Zoom. Contact us for more information or to discuss your requirements.

Public course dates and registration

We offer public training courses in Wellington and Auckland. Click the button below to see what date best suits you.

Check for available dates
Book Online
Request Inhouse Training

Course details

Duration: 2 days

Participants: Maximum of 9

Locations: Auckland, Wellington, or customised inhouse

Price: $1,595 + GST per person

Workshop Terms and Conditions
Workshop Brochure PDF (201 kb)

Have a question?

Get in touch using the contact details below and we will be happy to answer any questions you might have.