doing a lecture on technical writing

At least they didn’t give me a look like I was speaking in tongues. And it was all I needed to make it through.

I recently got invited to do a lecture on technical writing as part of the workshop organized and facilitated by the Department of Interior and Local Government. Participated in by department heads from Surigao del Sur’s 18 towns and one city, my lecture was intended to make it easier for participants to write their respective comprehensive development plan, the workshop output.

That I got the job was a complete surprise. For one, I have no track record with DILG. Second, I didn’t know Provincial Director Pedrito P. Alacaba as he was assigned in Tandag for barely two months. But as it turned out, Taptap---PD Alacaba’s staff from Kitcharao and my first-time student in grad school---suggested getting me. Well, talk about Taptap’s clairvoyance (for how else did he know I was into that stuff?) and PD Alacaba’s leap of faith! But really I’m grateful; otherwise I wouldn’t have snagged a “racket” that netted me half of my Honda Jazz’s monthly amortization.

But what’s Jazz got to do with it?



My call slip said: 28 September, 8:30 AM; Kansilad Beach Resort, Lianga. I woke up ahead of my alarm clock, bathed, ate, and left at 6:45.

There was a promise of rain in the Tuesday skies. And as I drove, I felt a sense of unease: It was my first long drive and I was alone. But by the time I reached La Paz, I began to loosen up. And from then on, zipping past five towns was a breeze, though it helped that Christian Bautista bouyed me up with melodious thoughts about chasing rainbows, spinning dreams, and things that fade as swiftly as the ripples disappear.

I reached Kansilad while the participants were having breakfast. The room lit up with familiar faces: friends from way back, former graduate students, acquaintances whose names were already beyond the pale of short-term memory.

I fixed myself coffee while Taptap scanned my memory stick. Some participants came up to me and said things I’m sick and tired of hearing, you know, that they had the jitters when they knew I was coming. No, not to do a lecture but to critique their work.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it now: If hating mediocrity is a crime, then sue me! But don’t take it against me if I maintain a standard of excellence because that’s how I do my enterprise. It’s not about me and my ego, nor it is about you and your insecurities; it’s all about aspiring for excellence, no more, no less!

But I digress!


How do you cram a lecture about writing---technical communications at that---in just three hours? Customize it.

Because DILG had a template and the participants had already the data to flesh out their plans, I was left to focus on form. And I did that by hand-holding the participants as we waded through my PowerPoint presentation that included, among others, audience orientation, legibility, readability, comprehensibility, clarity of expression, simplicity of language, vocabulary, grammar and elements of style.

But beyond syntax and semantics, I talked about common writing pitfalls that make a development plan hefty and difficult to read. I also shared ways on how to do it with less flab.

While the participants enhanced the lecture with their questions and interaction, most of them declined to present a sample of their work for critiquing. And so it was early pack-up for me!

On my way home Nina was telling me about love moving in mysterious ways, but my mind was busy assessing the just concluded activity. And once again, it reinforced what I’ve known for so long: The best thing about giving a lecture is that you end up learning more. And when you get paid for it, it feels kinda obscene. Because if like me you enjoy talking before a crowd, it's like getting paid for eating your favorite ice cream.