Google Technical Writing Course consist of beginner-friendly technical writing lessons and exercises provided by Google. This course is a good starting point for anyone who wants to learn or teach technical writing. For learners, you can take this course for free and in a self-paced manner.

I took Google Technical Writing Course a week ago. It was a good refresher and it also made me realize my mistakes in my writing, which is a lot. I know I wont be good at technical writing instantly just by taking this course. Because just like any other skills, it will take a lot of practice and mistakes before we became good at it. But taking this course is a good start.

The following list identifies my takeaways from taking Google Technical Writing Course:

  • Prefer active voice rather than passive voice. Active voice is more concise compared to passive voice. This can be done by using this pattern:  actor + verb + target
  • Adopt an editorial style guide. As defined at Doc Resources of Google Technical Writing Course: An editorial style guide defines an editorial group’s guidelines for communication. Style guides promotes consistency, which creates a cohesive experience for the stakeholders (writers, peer reviewers, consumers) of the document. Google Technical Writing Course recommends: Google developer documentation style guide and Microsoft Writing Style Guide.
  • Be consistent. As stated on the second bullet: consistency creates a cohesive experience for the stakeholders (writers, peer reviewers, consumers) of the document. Among others, it can be achieved by using acronyms properly, focusing each sentence on a single idea, focusing each paragraph on a single topic, and keeping list in parallel.
  • Write with empathy. As discussed in 3 Ways to Master the Power of Empathy by Grammarly: When you write with empathy, you’re putting yourself in the place of the person you’re communicating with, and that helps your writing resonate with them. By knowing your audience and thinking like them, you can write in a way that are convenient for them. Among others, this can be achieved by using using simple terms and examples that your target audience are familiar with.
  • Keep your paragraph simple and short. As stated in Paragraph section of Google Technical Writing Course: Readers generally welcome paragraphs containing three to five sentences, but will avoid paragraphs containing more than about seven sentences. Also according to the course, a good paragraphs answer these following questions:
    1. What are you trying to tell your reader?
    2. Why is it important for the reader to know this? 
    3. How should the reader use this.
  • Use bullet and numbered list appropriately. According to Google Technical Writing Course: Bulleted list for unordered items and use a numbered list for ordered items. At most cases, we use numbered list for sets of instructions or procedures. Hence, use imperative verbs at the start of each numbered list item.
  • State the document’s prerequisites, scope, and limitations of the at the start of the document. This can help both the readers and the writers of the document. It sets the reader’s expectations regarding the document. It help the writers to have a clear view on the direction or guidance for writing the document.
  • Plan the document. Structuring the document can help visualize the flow of information and discussion. The course provides a good practical approach for planning your document.

Aside from the items listed above. There’s much more you can learn from taking Google Technical Writing Course. I highly recommend this course to anyone.

Conclusion

In technical writing our goal as a writer is to write technical documents in a manner that can be easily understood. Google Technical Writing Course comprises of concise lessons and examples which can guide us attain that goal. The course can be taken for free and in a self-paced manner. Taking this course does not mean we’ll be great technical writer instantly. Just like any other skills, it takes time and effort to be good at it. But this course is a good starting point.

Further Reading