ET10: Core Competencies for Technical Communicators

3-01 (September 2001)

Education and Training

by Kenneth T. Rainey

ET10: Core Competencies for Technical Communicators

Preliminary Findings

Editor's Preface
Prof Rainey presents several lists of competencies. These lists were based on a series of 17 focus groups (involving both professional technical communicators and technical communication managers) held in 1995 and 1996 in the states of Arizona, California, Washington in the USA and in Canada.
Maybe you, dear reader agree or not. Send me your comments and, if appropriate, suggest competencies you would prefer to delete or might like to insert.
What you send me by 1st November can be published in the December printed issue of TC-Forum.
Editor.

There are core competencies and enabling competencies. The competency areas are Core Competencies distinguish a particular field from other fields

professional (core)

Enabling Competencies do not distinguish the field but are still required for its success

analytical, conceptual, and reasoning,
interpersonal,
product development and management,
self-management, and
career management.

Each competency is defined below.

Professional (Core) Competencies (P)

Advocacy: Ability and willingness to be an advocate for the user.
Design: Knowledge of information design, presentation of data, language conventions, communication principles and theory.
Execution: Ability and willingness to apply information design, language, and communication models, theories, rules, and standards.
Innovation: Ability and willingness to be open to new ideas without sacrificing usability or accuracy.
Use of Media: Ability and willingness to understand the requirements and uses of different media and to apply them appropriately.
Research Skills: Ability and willingness to gather relevant and accurate information and analyze it for appropriateness.
Use of support Tools: Ability and willingness to use appropriate support tools, including computer application software.
Usability: Understanding of usability, skill in user and task analysis, and the ability and willingness to provide value to the user of the information.

Analytical and Conceptual Competencies (A)

Analysis: Ability to recognize patterns and relationships.
Logic: Ability to identify logical fallacies.
Editorial Memory: Ability to remember the use of words and visual symbols and their meanings and to identify inconsistencies in their use.
Relevance: Ability to ascertain relevance and usefulness.
Synthesis: Ability to integrate relevant discrete pieces of data to form concepts and extract procedures and rules.

Interpersonal Competencies (I)

Inter-personal Communication: Ability and willingness to establish collaborative relationships with people of different backgrounds, status, education, and expectations.
Team: Skill in working with groups and willingness to be a contributing member of a team.

Self Management Competencies (S)

Detail Orientation: Appreciation of the importance of attending to details that affect quality, timeliness, and goal achievement.
Organizational Ability: Ability and willingness to be efficient and not waste time or resources.
Priority Setting: Ability and willingness to set priorities that are more likely to meet goals.
Reliability: Ability and willingness to produce consistently.
Time Management: Ability and willingness to focus attention on tasks that are more likely to meet goals.

Information Product Development and Management Competencies (M)

Project Management: Ability to coordinate and schedule activities, control resources, and manage and mitigate risk.
Process Management: Ability to define or design the processes required to manage and measure the life cycle of an information product.

Career Management Competencies (C)

Staying Current: Willingness to stay up to date with tools, media, subject areas, content; willingness to invest in continuous learning.
Goal Setting: Willingness to set career goals and manage personal risk.
Investment: Willingness to invest time and other resources in one’s career.
Technical Knowledge: Ability and willingness to understand the technical content and user's context for applying the content.
Leadership: Willingness to provide leadership about professional issues and promote the profession; having the skill to be politically astute.
Professional Involvement: Willingness to stay involved in professional issues and contribute to the promotion and development of the profession.
Keeping up with Trends: Willingness to stay aware of industry, social, and global trends.

© TC Forum 1998-2001 - http://www.tc-forum.org - file last updated 06 Oct 2001
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