atw: 'Writers' or 'communicators'? (WAS: Re: Apart from using Word 2002, what else am I doing wrong?)

I seem to have stirred up some controversy by questioning the term
'technical communicator' - and I'm a little to reluctant to stir further. I
notice people are often very attached to their job descriptions and get put
out when they're questioned. However, I suppose it's probably too late to
chicken out of the discussion now ... 

Steve's really expressed my own views on this pretty well - especially with
his unfortunately plausible imaginary (I hope) examples of the use of
'communication'. Of course, we all know that one meaning of 'writing' is
what's taught to kids in kindergarten, but surely the wider use of 'writer'
to mean someone with a talent to convey meanings, emotions, understandings,
fantasies, etc, through the written word is now *very* well established.
Michael G's description of what he characterises as 'Conceptualizer' or
'Professional Dreamer' in fact, I think, comes pretty close to spelling out
what I imagine many writers (in this sense) do much of the time. (But please
leave out the bit about 'with which they [the audience] felt comfortable' -
it's too close to John Howard's 'relaxed and comfortable' for my liking!).
Putting pen to paper, or finger to key, is surely understood to be only part
of what a 'writer' does. So I think it's reasonable to regard technical
writing as a specialised branch of writing - and I'm happy if some of the
associations people may make with novelists and poets to rub off on us
(well, I can dream too). 

On the other hand, 'communication', to me, is one of those words that refer
to mysterious entities that lie close to the heart of what it means to be
human but can't really be pinned down scientifically. (Yes, I know about
Shannon's theories, but as with so many scientific theories, he is dealing
with a much simplified concept that really only has a faint connection to
the everyday concept.) We all know communication is the key to many of our
problems as human beings, and I suspect that's why the word has such an aura
attached to it. That's probably also why marketing types want to lay claim
to the word and appropriate it for the disciplines they represent - to give
them an aura too. So now, instead of IT, we hear about ICT, for example. But
in reality communication is something we all do, or try our best to do, in
our various ways, day in and day out, by speaking, gesturing, writing,
ignoring, ... whatever. And for that reason I think 'technical communicator'
has a bizarre feel to it - it ought to apply to anyone at all who deals in
any way with technical matters but isn't working alone in a cave or an ivory
tower. Besides, could you imagine Creative Writing courses being relabelled
Creative Communication courses? (Actually, when I think about it, I bet
there are such courses nowadays. What a thought! Mills and Boon by
PowerPoint, anyone?)

Yes, I accept that the term 'technical communication' may now be well
established in our profession. But I'm afraid I accept it in much the same
way as I accept 'strategic framework plan', 'lifestyle choices' and 'asset
footprints' (examples from Don Watson's Dictionary of Weasel Words). That
is, I accept that they're used - but nobody consulted me, and I don't like
them. But I'm open to being convinced - and please don't think, anyone, that
I'm belittling you by criticising your job label, even if you chose it
yourself.

Howard


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