Here is a list of what I would consider represents the real core skills of a technical writer:
- Be an excellent communicator. One must have excellent interpersonal communication skills to work with subject matter experts. This means treading lightly on their time, and doing your homework.
- Be an excellent investigator. One must be able to dig up information, rather than rely on being fed information. Often this means putting yourself in the position of asking "dumb" questions of smart people, but the better tech writers know what's required in order to ask "smart" questions. (hint: it has to do with homework!)
- Be a quick learner. This is usually indicated by being well-connected and up-to-date in their broad field of study. For example, to be useful in the computer industry, a technical writer must not only understand computer technology, but be abreast of current trends
- Be well organized. One must know how to arrange and convert a body of knowledge into a useful context and flow. In another sense, one manage the workflow of producing content.
- Be customer-oriented. This is not just a catch phrase. Most people inside an organization are organization-oriented. The technical writer has the end-user in mind. This is partly why a good technical writer has the makings of a human factors engineer (HFE) or consultant. A good user interface is more than a pretty face or a big preferences panel.
A technical writer makes technological concepts accessible to readers.
The value generated by technical writers is most often the translation and access of information into a tool to get real work accomplished, such as understanding and using a complex software program. It's a method of conveying a product's value to your intended audience. Thus, the measure of a technical writer's work is not volumes of information, how well he or she has enabled an end-user (or the intended audience).
