Best Plain English Technical Communicator 2011
Judges' comments
Note that this category is co-sponsored by the Technical Communicators Association of New Zealand.
Winner: Sarah Grundy, Department of Conservation
We felt that this publishing guidelines package was the most approachable and reader-friendly of all entries, enabling the reader to dip in and out easily, rather than having to read through dense content.
Written for an audience ranging from in-house authors to graphic designers using specific software tools, this entry meets all of the requirements of effective written and visual communication, applying them to technical communication.
What tipped the balance for this entry was the author’s excellent use of different 'voices' in the document to highlight different types of information.
Finalist: Jon Hertzig, Electric Ink Limited
This entry was outstanding for its clear explanations of exceptionally technical material in a range of formats, for its uniformly excellent instructional writing, and for its quality online help examples. This was a well-rounded portfolio from a communicator with both exceptional writing talent and technical understanding.
Finalist: Meredith Evans, Streamliners New Zealand Limited
This portfolio had several marked strengths. Crystal-clear language on topics including medical knowledge, online process instruction, and emergency engineering; thoughtful use of graphics and flow charts to illuminate important points; and particularly good use of headings and list formats to help the readers to navigate.
2011 Awards winners and finalists