Effective communication is an important skill all technical writers should possess. If you have to write to a general audience and do not do it right, they may not be able to understand what message you are passing to them. It may seem difficult or even boring to them. When you plan what you want to write according to your non-technical audience, they will learn what you are trying to push to them and give you kudos to your effort. If the audience you are writing to are non-technical, here some steps to guide you:
1. Don't assume anything.
Assumptions don't work when you are writing to a non-technical audience, don't assume that they have basic tech knowledge. While tech subjects can be like a second skin to you, it will seem strange to the non-technical audience. Minimize use of acronyms, jargons and unnecessary details. What makes perfect sense to you might seem strange to someone else. Keep everything simple, understandable and as detailed as possible.
2. Make them understand how your article can help them.
If you explain how your information can help them do their job better and easier, they will be very responsive. Research and understand what their problem is and explain in their own words how you can help them solve it. That way, they will be more comfortable to hear you out.
3. Organize your content.
Your content structure is very vital to the user. Use headings for the important info. Don't crowd a paragraph with over one point. Use visuals or graphs.
4. Have a non-technical person test your work.
Allow someone that doesn't have technical knowledge read through your work before you publish; it will help you make corrections, adjustments and let you know if you have passed your message across.
5. Ask for Feedbacks
Sometimes, you also need to hear from your audience to note how you did and what you could have done better. Request them to ask questions and give feedback cause they may be too shy or just feel like their questions might be too dumb.
Finally, the finished product should be able to speak to your audience with clear communication. So you can also take courses in communications with your audience. As long as you understand your audience language and understand what problems they need to solve, you are good to go!