3 posts tagged with "documentation workflow"

Let's talk about the interview. Unfortunately, I'm not talking about about that job interview, and I am not an expert at landing new jobs.

I'm talking about the subject matter expert (SME) interview. You know the one: you have a small window of time with someone you barely know to learn intricate details about a product you barely understand...and then you have to decide how much of that information belongs in your documentation. Put like that, it sounds like a nearly impossible task, doesnt it?

From an early age, I noticed how our senses shape what we remember. Think about your earliest memories. If you write them down, chances are the strongest details aren’t what happened, but how it felt: what you saw, heard, smelled, tasted, or touched.

Here’s mine: I remember drinking from a bright red cup of slightly spoiled milk. I can’t recall when or where it happened (or even who was with me), but I vividly remember the sour taste and that bold red color. Those sensory details have stayed with me long after the moment itself faded.

When I tell people that I work in Knowledge Management and Technical Writing, they usually nod and say something like, “Oh, we have technical writers at our company.”

That’s when I smile and say, “It’s not quite what you imagine.”