Re: "How to Help Anyone Understand How to Do Anything"

Subject: Re: "How to Help Anyone Understand How to Do Anything"
From: Lin Sims <ljsims -dot- ml -at- gmail -dot- com>
To: "TechWhirl (techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com)" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2018 10:08:38 -0400

I'd have to say no, it doesn't.

Like so many other questions in the technical writing world, I suspect the
answer here is, "it depends". For instance, I have to disagree when the
author says,

"Yes, our audience is smart, but we must pretend that they've just been
beamed onto the planet and have never seen a knitting needle, or an Allen
wrench, or an IRS agent who can explain exactly what adjusted gross income
means."

"Know thy audience" is a dictum for a reason. If you're writing for another
IRS agent, for example, or for a CPA, then explaining what an adjusted
gross income is or how to calculate it isn't necessary, or at least not to
the extent that most of us poor taxpayer require. Your audience is not
always, or even not often, ignorant.

Further, while the list of 6 components is certainly useful, which of them
are appropriate or even needed again depends on your audience and also your
field.

On Mon, Apr 30, 2018 at 9:29 AM, Cardimon, Craig <ccardimon -at- m-s-g -dot- com>
wrote:

> Greetings Whirlers,
>
> I came across this article today and wondered what you all might think of
> it. The subhead reads: "Instructions made easy." Has the author succeeded
> in making instructions easy?
>
> https://www.inc.com/alison-davis/how-to-help-anyone-
> understand-how-to-do-anything.html
>
>
> Cordially,
> Craig Cardimon
> Senior Technical Writer
>
>
>
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--
Lin Sims
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References:
"How to Help Anyone Understand How to Do Anything": From: Cardimon, Craig

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