Technical Writing and Science Communication

Description

Participants in this course will learn how to effectively communicate scientific and technical information to a general audience with diverse backgrounds. Participants will learn techniques for presenting complex ideas and information clearly, understandably, and accurately. This includes techniques for emphasizing the most important information and eliminating unnecessary information. The course also introduces the concept Science Communication, which uses the narrative (or storytelling) format to assist technical and scientific writers in producing not only clear and understandable documents, but also documents a general audience finds interesting and relevant. The course focuses on all technical and scientific writing, not only environmental writing or documents used for compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).  

Objectives

After completing this workshop you will be able to:

  • Determine the most important information; what they want readers to know and understand after reading the document.

  • Make the writing process more efficient and less stressful.

  • Write for the right purposes and the right audience.

  • Review documents for clarity and effectiveness.

  • Design a document to catch readers' interests and needs by "telling the story" using the narrative format.

Content

We tailor each workshop to meet the needs of the participants. The basic format of the interactive workshop includes the following components:

  • Understanding what effective communication is and what barriers technical and scientific writers may encounter when communicating with a diverse audience.

  • Knowing the audience to ensure information presented meets their needs and doesn’t alienate them.

  • Learning to create clear and readable documents, with accurate information relevant to the audience.

  • Identifying ways to emphasize important information in a way readers will understand and remember that information after reading the document.

  • Reviewing writing techniques that include traditional scientific and technical writing and an introduction to Science Communication or narrative writing (telling the story). Participants will be introduced to the And, But, Therefore narrative format through Randy Olsen’s Don’t Be Such a Scientist.

  • Remembering basic writing requirements for structuring paragraphs and sentences, grammar and punctuation rules, and removing unnecessary words (improving conciseness).

Audience

Workshop participants include people who write technical and scientific reports for diverse audiences with varying levels of knowledge on the subject of the report. It also includes professionals who need to write clear and readable documents in any situation, including emails, memos, and other avenues of written communication.

Process

This 3-day workshop consists of a carefully designed combination of the following:

• 25% Lecture

• 20% Discussion

• 55% Exercises

Materials

Participants receive the following:

• Don’t Be Such a Scientist: Talking substance in an Age of Style, Randy Olsen      (2018)

• Document Strategies for Environmental Writers (Shipley Group Style Guide)

• Workshop Resources Workbook that includes slides, exercises, and additional     reading materials.