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Abstract
This article reports the results of semi-structured interviews with 19 technical communication professionals in New Zealand and Australia. Findings show that many of these workers are self-taught, and their most important skills are making ethical considerations, adapting to work environments, explaining and expanding their value in workplaces, creating writing communities, and developing TPC work techniques. Technical communicators in New Zealand and Australia face many challenges, which might be addressed through more opportunities for formal education and training.
Introduction
As the field of technical communication becomes increasingly globalized, the need for further understanding among cultures and regions engaged in the field increases. As a class of undergraduate technical and professional communication (TPC) students, we engaged in research to increase knowledge of TPC methods and technical communicator experiences in Australia and New Zealand through qualitative interviews. Babcock and Du-Babcock argue for the importance of such research, writing, “[i]n an increasingly fast-paced, interrelated, and expanding globalized business communication environment ... differing cultural exposures (direct and indirect), information exchange possibilities, and communication dynamics are activated in an ever-widening variety of communication situations” (p. 373).
Based on our research of TPC workplace situations in New Zealand and Australia, we found that Kiwi (New Zealand) and Aussie (Australian) technical communicators come from diverse educational backgrounds and therefore become experienced through self-teaching to produce documents, all while following ethical, moral, and professional paths to creating their own niche. The technical communicators we interviewed have expertise based on their self-directed professional development in the workplace. They develop their skills through engaging in ethical considerations, adapting to work environments, advocating for their value, creating and finding communities of writers, and developing a variety of work techniques relevant to TPC.