In this episode, we reflect on 2024's trends and explore what may be coming in the world of technical writing and content development in 2025. From the impact of AI to evolving policy requirements and shifting market dynamics, we look into the key factors shaping the field.

Reflections on 2024

AI and Technical Writing

Policy and Procedure Writing

Training and Development

Future Trends and Predictions

Get Involved

Thank you for tuning in! We wish all our listeners a joyful holiday season and a prosperous New Year. Stay tuned for more insights in our upcoming episodes.

In this episode, Ellis discusses the importance of networking and meeting other technical communicators, especially for those who work solo or in small teams. He explores various avenues for connecting with industry peers, from conferences and meetups to virtual groups and informal gatherings.

Key Topics Discussed:

Challenges of Solo Technical Communicators

Conferences & Meetups

• Ellis mentions conferences like TCUK and Tekom and describes the more casual atmosphere of meetups, such as those organised by ISTC and Write The Docs London.

Benefits of Attending Events

Navigating Networking for Introverts

• Tips on starting conversations, showing empathy, and practicing conversational balance to ease networking anxiety.

Write The Docs London Event Recap

• Highlights from recent presentations by Neo4j’s David Oliver on building a documentation team and Mark Woulfe on using dashboards to analyze documentation performance.

Alternative Networking Ideas

Tips for Speaking at Meetups

Final Thoughts

Connect with Ellis Pratt:

• Website: Cherryleaf.com

We explore an intriguing development in content creation: AI-generated audio from technical documentation.

We’ve prepared two examples to showcase this technology, and we discuss its potential impact and applications.

We used the user guide for Audacity, the popular audio editing application, to generate an AI-narrated overview:

https://youtu.be/yPlfAPpqGuw?si=cCJeZ-hfvg_o--fg

We also created an audio overview of Transport for London’s API using only their OpenAPI (Swagger) file as the source:

https://youtu.be/-j1yiFz8-Tc?si=WaRHpn0mgID8J4qX 

We'll also publish a transcript of this podcast on the Cherryleaf blog.

About Cherryleaf:

Cherryleaf

In this episode of the Cherryleaf podcast, we explore the latest trends in technical communication as revealed by an in-depth analysis of conference themes from 2024.

By examining data from leading events such as Tekom, TC World, LavaCon, and the STC Summit, we identify eight major themes shaping the industry, with a surprising dominance of AI and generative technologies.

Listen in to understand how these trends are influencing content strategy, user experience, compliance, and more, and learn how to position yourself at the forefront of these developments in technical communication.

We'll also publish a transcript of this podcast on the Cherryleaf blog.

About Cherryleaf:

Cherryleaf

Remember the excitement when ChatGPT burst onto the scene? Suddenly, it seemed like AI was going to revolutionise everything, including our field of technical communication.

But now, 18 months and six Cherryleaf AI podcast episodes later, we're asking the big question: Was it all just hype?

You've probably heard some folks saying AI isn't delivering the promised return on investment. And others swearing it's changing the game. So, what's the real story?

In this episode, we'll examine these claims through the lens of technical writing. We'll:

1. Examining recent claims about AI's lack of ROI

Whether you're an AI enthusiast or a sceptic, stick around. Let’s figure out where AI really stands in the world of technical documentation.

We'll also publish a transcript of this podcast on the Cherryleaf blog.

About Cherryleaf:

Cherryleaf

Goldman Sachs

https://www.goldmansachs.com/intelligence/pages/gs-research/gen-ai-too-much-spend-too-little-benefit/report.pdf?

Ed Zitron

https://www.wheresyoured.at/pop-culture/

Ethan Mollick: 

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d35e72fcff15f0001b48fc2/t/668d08608a0d4574b039bdea/1720518756159/chatgpt-full.pdf

https://x.com/emollick/status/1815563452640854093

MadCap Software

https://www.madcapsoftware.com/blog/madcap-ixaccms-ai-positron/

We've created some YouTube Shorts on promoting the value of techcomm. We talk about the process of creating the videos and the content in the videos.

See also:

Cherryleaf's YouTube Shorts

Uncovering and communicating the value of your tech comm teams' work, with Keren Brown 

We'll also publish a transcript of this podcast on the Cherryleaf blog.

About Cherryleaf:

Cherryleaf

In April 2023, we conducted a survey into the use of AI and ChatGPT in technical communications. We thought it would be interesting to carry out a similar survey again. 

In this podcast, we talk about the results from the survey and describe what has changed over the last 12 months.

We'll post a transcript on the Cherryleaf blog.

About Cherryleaf:

Cherryleaf

This month's podcast looks at the language of persuasion and how technical authors can use it.

What do we mean by persuasive language? What is nudging and are we as technical authors able to use this type of language?

As part of the research for this podcast I watched some public information films and read articles which are mentioned in the podcast. Many thanks to those organisations, authors and their expertise. Here are the links to the ones mentioned in the podcast:

• The British Film Institute (BFI) has a comprehensive catalogue of public information films as well as much other entertaining and informative material. You can watch the ones mentioned in the podcast by following the links below:

We'll also publish a transcript of this podcast on the Cherryleaf blog.

About Cherryleaf:

Cherryleaf

In this episode, we look at the current demand for contract Technical Authors in the UK, using statistics from ITJobsWatch.net. We look at the the number of vacancies and whether this has affected the rates offered.

We'll also publish a transcript of this podcast on the Cherryleaf blog.

About Cherryleaf:

Cherryleaf

This month's podcast looks at how large organisations create useful, informative content which is accessible to a wide, often global, audience.

As part of the research for this podcast I looked at various websites which are mentioned in the podcast. Many thanks to those organisations and their expertise. Here are the links to the ones mentioned in the podcast:

• Panasonic

We'll also publish a transcript of this podcast on the Cherryleaf blog.

About Cherryleaf:

Cherryleaf