How do you teach grammar and punctuation to experienced technical professionals without seeming patronising? To follow that: how do you condense the skills and knowledge needed for technical communication into a single day of training? (more…)
Reflections on the European Academic Colloquium 2018
The European Academic Colloquium (EAC) is an annual event that focuses on scientific content with respect to technical communication. This year’s event took place on April 26th and 27th at the University of Limerick. The topic of EAC 2018 was “21st Century Skills for Technical Communicators”. In this post, we look at some of the […]
Information 4.0 – Making Content Intelligent
As the industrial revolution enters its fourth stage, technical communication is evolving in parallel. The challenge for technical communicators is to develop new methods of creating, managing, and storing content that are compatible with the latest delivery channels – to close the gap between the more traditional technical communication methods and the requirements that Industry […]
Enterprise Excellence 2018: A Look Ahead
We are excited to be exhibiting at Enterprise Excellence on the 23rd of May in Croke Park alongside experts in lean, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement. Building on the inaugural event in 2017, this year promises to be even better, with twice as many professionals attending to learn and interact with Ireland’s lean experts from […]
“Information Design: Research and Practice” – a Bible for Information Designers?
Information Design: Research and Practice, edited by Alison Black, Paul Luna, Ole Lund, and Sue Walker, is a compendium of theories and practical examples of information from leading researchers and practitioners. This is an excellent resource, comprehensively addressing multiple aspects of information design. Erik Speikerman, one of the contributors to the book, describes the volume […]
The New Medical Device Regulation (MDR) and the End User: Supporting Usability Through Documentation
The medtech industry is undergoing significant change, from the introduction of the new MDR and the update to ISO 13485, to the growth of home-based healthcare and the uncertainties of Brexit. This post was originally published in November 2017 and updated in March 2018. At some recent Irish medtech events, the major topics dominating conversation were: […]
Human Error Reduction in the Biopharmaceutical Industry: How Outsourcing Can Help
By Liadain O'Driscoll and Carmel Murphy on February 19, 2018 in Pharma and BioPharma, Technical Writing
Improving your Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) documentation is often a central aspect of a human error reduction project. Unclear or poorly written standard operating procedures (SOPs), work instructions, and batch manufacturing records contribute to increased human error and inefficient training. In this post, we outline how a managed service solution for documentation can support human […]
The Continued Relevance of Dekker’s “Field Guide to Understanding Human Error”: From Blame Culture to Safety Culture
When investigating a workplace accident, you might be inclined to believe that the employees involved should automatically be held responsible for the unfortunate incident. If so, you are taking what author Sidney Dekker describes as “the old view” of human error. Taking this old view, as the book reveals, will do little to prevent further […]
Current Practices and Trends in Technical and Professional Communication: Review of ISTC’s On-Target Collection
Writing style and voice, prominent software and tools, career and workplace issues – just some of the topics addressed by Current Practices and Trends in Technical and Professional Communication. Edited by Stephen Crabbe, and published by the Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators (ISTC), the book brings together academics and professionals from the field of […]
3 Copywriting Tips for (Confused) Technical Writers
Are you a technical writer looking for copywriting tips? We’re not surprised. The boundary between marketing communications and technical communications is fading. This isn’t news—people have been saying it for years. But it doesn’t make the transition any less confusing for technical writers who are suddenly asked to write marketing content. (more…)
