4 The record articles

Technical Writing 101: ALL4’s Ongoing Commitment to Education on the Job

Posted: June 25th, 2012

Author: All4 Staff 

On June 18, 2012, a select group of ALL4 staff members had the pleasure of attending a Technical Writing Seminary held at ALL4’s Kimberton, PA office.  Conducted by the efficient and extremely well organized Sandra Nutting of The Writing Center in West Chester, Pennsylvania, the course focused on the proper approach to writing clearly and concisely in a professional field littered with scientific jargon and acronyms, such as environmental consulting.  Sandra’s students were treated to a fast-paced, lecture style tutorial, kept interesting with frequent exercises and lively banter. 

Spanning an action packed six hours, the seminar covered topics ranging from how to correctly write an office memo to how to outline a technical report.  Specifically, participants were introduced to:

  • the application of strategies for clear, direct wording; the selection of an appropriate level of technical detail;
  • the application of controlled, precise instructions and specifications; the creation of flexible outlines and reusable templates;
  • the logical organization of documents;
  • the proper presentation of results and recommendations; and
  • the emphasis of important information and document readability.

Seminar participants were kept on their toes and engaged with habitual and often sporadic group exercises aimed toward enforcing key points and helpful tips.

Frequently using examples from her work with high level professional organizations such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Sandra effectively presented an easy to follow methodology for sound, succinct writing that was not only interesting but immediately rewarding.  For instance, by incorporating excerpts from current ALL4 projects, Sandra was able to teach each ALL4 staff member in a personal and relevant manner that immediately impacted their current project work.  An extremely beneficial experience for every participant, Sandra Nutting’s Technical Writing Seminar has provided ALL4’s staff with several powerful tools for producing high quality, readable, and accurate documents in a field full of complex ideas and circuitous language and will surely help to further distinguish ALL4 as a premier environmental consulting firm.

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