The future *is* technical communication – tcworld India 2016

This week I’m attending tcworld India 2016 in Bangalore. I was honoured to be invited to present the  keynote address on day one. People seem to have enjoyed it. This post is a short summary of the session.

The presentation is called The future *is* technical communication. It’s a look at the fast-moving world of technology, the ways people interact with technology, and in particular how technology affects the way we communicate. I’m proposing that communication via technology is core to our experience of the world. We, as technical communicators, are in a very good position to grab the opportunities offered by this technology-rich world.

The slides are available on SlideShare: The future *is* technical communication.

An overview of the topics covered in the presentation

Technology is fast-moving and confusing.
It’s hard to keep up – blink, and you’ve missed something.
People suffer from cognitive overhead.
Sometimes they’re even bamboozled by technology.

But
Technology is not a lost cause.
People love technology.
People have a relationship with their tech.
People use technology for communication in weird and wonderful ways.

The way people absorb information has changed. It’s now fluid and asynchronous.
Immersive technology offers enhanced, full-on experiences.
In our weird and wonderful world, even inanimate things communicate with each other. We call this the Internet of Things, or IoT.
Some people are doing things that seem way out there. Until they become the norm.

I proposed a technical communicator’s mission statement, based on the new ways people are communicating and experiencing information.
And we looked at some things we can do right now to grab the opportunities this technology-rich world is making for us as tech communicators.

One of the slides from the presentation: