Teachers and Writers: The Communication Experts
I was recently with a group of public school teachers and listened as they discussed the new school year. As the conversation became more detailed and nuanced, I realized that teachers and tech writers have much in common, both positive and negative.
Overall Purpose
Both teachers and tech writers exist to explain complex concepts in simple terms, adapting the messaging for the large and various levels of their audience.
You might think a teacher, particularly in the younger grades, would have a pretty known and static group, but you'd be wrong. The classroom is made up of students who do not speak English (requiring the teacher to provide translated materials for every communication), those with learning disabilities, and those who are coming from homes in which basic societal functioning has been learned (not potty trained, no concept of sharing, verbally abusive, etc.).
And that doesn’t account for the parents, who represent every spectrum from a political, economic, and religious perspective. These perspectives form parents’ views on public education and the role of a teacher, which then influences the child’s acceptance of the environment.
Tech writers have the same broad spectrum reading their documentation that must be considered.
Communication Skills
Teachers and tech writers need to communicate effectively with clear and concise communication skills, capturing and maintaining audience attention through material that, while we know it is necessary, may not be of interest to the audience at that time.
Both groups deal with low attention spans, readers skipping ahead, and distractions from technology.
Support and Value
The average starting salary for a teacher in the US is $42k, and almost a third of all school districts pay less than $40k. Teachers are called out when their children perform poorly, but successful career people rarely return and thank their kindergarten teacher.
Tech writers are paid far less than developers and PMs with significantly less education and experience, and they often don’t get recognition when a project or feature succeeds and users (and potential customers) leverage documentation about the feature. Content ratings receive negative feedback that is often more about the product, but rarely does anyone leave a note when the documentation helps them solve their problem.
Teachers and tech writers are like referees and umpires in sports; they are ignored when successful and only noticed when you feel they have erred.
Anyone Can Do It
Both professions suffer from a standard narrative that the skills required are a commodity rather than a craft that requires training and experience to perfect, partly because everyone teaches and writes in their own lives.
However, there's a vast difference between explaining a concept to your child and effectively educating 25 diverse students with varying backgrounds and learning styles. Similarly, casual blogging bears little resemblance to creating clear, comprehensive documentation that serves thousands of users with different technical abilities.
Despite this reality, the perception persists. It manifests in the educational sphere through advocacy for homeschooling and voucher programs that place teaching responsibilities in the hands of individuals who lack formal certification or training in education. These movements often downplay the specialized knowledge and expertise that professional educators develop through years of study and practice.
In the corporate world, we see companies increasingly replacing seasoned technical writers with AI tools or reassigning documentation tasks to call center employees with limited writing expertise.
Breaking the Narrative
It's time to challenge the notion that teaching and technical writing are commodities rather than crafts. These roles demand not only a deep understanding of their subject matter but also the ability to adapt to diverse audiences and environments. Whether it's a classroom filled with students from different backgrounds or a global audience reading technical documentation, the skill to engage and inform is paramount.