The Alberta Writer
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Why Technical Writers Make Great Communications Coordinators I am a trained and certified technical communicator (A.K.A technical writer) – I almost wrote trained and papered, but visions of my dog as a puppy immediately came to mind. Lately, there have been quite a few job postings popping up that read communications coordinator, assistant communications coordinator, marketing communications coordinator, and the like. Being a technical communicator, I noticed that most to all of the requirements cited for communications coordinator positions are skills that technical communicators possess in spades. It prompted me to write this article. It explains why technical writers make great communications coordinators. Let me identify the role of a communications coordinator.
The Role of a Communications Coordinator I am a trained and certified technical communicator (A.K.A technical writer) – I almost wrote trained and papered, but visions of my dog as a puppy immediately came to mind. Lately, there have been quite a few job postings popping up that read communications coordinator, assistant communications coordinator, marketing communications coordinator, and the like. Being a technical communicator, I noticed that most to all of the requirements cited for communications coordinator positions are skills that technical communicators possess in spades. It prompted me to write this article. It explains why technical writers make great communications coordinators. Let me identify the role of a communications coordinator. Communication coordinators must also create great content. This requires knowledge of desktop publishing software (such as the Adobe Creative Suite), a sound understanding of their target audience, and an ability to write. They use tools and information to create press materials and to plan events. They create materials by adhering to style guides and brand identity guides that engage their audience and positively reflect on the organization they represent.
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The Alberta Writer
Why Technical Communicators Make Great Communications Coordinators Before starting any project, a technical communicator is trained to perform an audience analysis. This allows them to understand who the audience is and what information they want. They use this analysis to target their deliverables directly to the type of audience they want to reach. Technical communicators are trained to use a variety of desktop publishing software and double as graphic artists. They also create videos and any other deliverable that will best provide the information to their target audience. Technical writers are adept at working with a variety of stakeholders, using style guides, and adhering to brand identity guides to create their deliverables. They work with sales and marketing teams to create brochures, catalogues, product descriptions, company overviews, and other sales and marketing materials. They blog, use social media, update websites, and constantly interact with clients to provide information and nurture public relations.
Technical Communicators as Communications Coordinators The more that I research the job description of communication coordinator, the more I realize that it is a hat that I’ve worn throughout my career as much as I have that of a technical communicator. The social media posts; conversing with clients; creating artful prose, video, and graphics; reporting my analytic findings to management; these are all aspects of the communication coordinator job that I love. Technical communicators have most to all of the skills required to excel as communication coordinators.
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