Difference Between Business and technical writing

What is the difference between technical writing and business writing?

Technical writing is generally aimed at an audience with a base knowledge of the technical subject you are writing about, or at least a desire to understand the subject in depth. As a result, technical writing can go deeper into detail and introduce and use jargon specific to the function you are writing for. You're also typically aiming to provide a comprehensive reference in the subject matter.

Business writing is a much broader church. Generally you need to assume that you are writing for an audience who understand the industry or function at a management level but will be more interested in the broader impact of the topic (strategic, financial, regulatory, competitive, customer) than the detail of the topic itself. As a result you will generally use much less jargon, choose details with care and aim to provide clarity on the topic and on why it is important in a commercial context.

What’s the difference? The simple answer is that we define technical and business writing by their subject matter.

Technical writing deals with science, engineering and technology. Typical documents include specifications, manuals, data sheets, research papers, field reports and release notes.

Business writing is just about any other kind of writing people do at work, except journalism and creative writing. It includes reports, emails, proposals, minutes, letters, copy writing, bids and tenders.

However, there is some crossover. Many bids and proposals contain technical data and specifications. So business writers may find themselves editing technical content, and technical writers may be called upon to write persuasive documents for a non-technical audience.

A different language?

The main objective for both business and technical writing is to be useful – to inform, help make a purchase decision, build something or operate equipment.

Mistakes can be costly, even dangerous, so the language for both needs to be clear, concise, unambiguous and accurate. Wordiness, repetition and unfamiliar words that the audience may not understand do not belong in either business or technical writing.

Of course, you can use technical jargon in documents where the audience all have the same technical background. You probably don’t need to explain what a capacitor is to an audience of electrical engineers, any more than you need to explain return on investment to finance professionals.

However, in both technical and business documents, too much jargon tends to be a much bigger problem than too little. If in doubt, avoid jargon or explain it.

Style and structure

It goes without saying that correct grammar, spelling and punctuation are just as important in technical as in business writing. Errors damage the writer’s credibility, as well as causing confusion for readers.

However, some business documents need to be persuasive in style, whereas technical documents tend to be neutral and objective.

This doesn’t mean that bids and proposals aren’t clear, factual or accurate. Their structure focuses the readers’ attention on business benefits, such as cost savings or increased revenue, rather than on technical features. The technical detail supports and validates these benefits.

Author: Shahzaib Naz