This portion of my site is dedicated to instruction writing. Many people think that writing instructions is a simple process that virtually anyone can do. Anyone can write instructions but it takes a technical writer to develop instructions that assure than any reader can complete the task being described. Just as most people would hire a professional to do their taxes or configure their computer network, wise business people hire professionals to do their technical writing. To help illustrate why this is important I have used this page to do the following:       1. Show key aspects of writing good instruction sets       2. Illustrate how to apply instruction writing concepts       3. Provide links to some of my instruction sets that have been published online         Believe it or not the process for writing instructions is more elaborate than explaining what to do. Of course, that is part of it but when you write instructions you want to employ techniques that make the instructions easy to follow, meaningful and precise. Some key elements to remember for building useful and clear instructions include:       Always use a number system to organize your instructions. This enables users to complete a step and then easily find the next step.       Use whitespace to prevent instructions steps from seeming crammed together.       Assume that your instructions are being written for the novice unless you are writing instructions for a specific audience   Use visual elements to enhance your instructions. This is particularly important for software instructions or other types of technical instructions. In the case of software the use of visual elements provides useful feedback for the user.       Be precise with the instructions. If you are writing instructions that explain how to save a document, don't include background on this history of saving, additional functionality, steps for opening the software or other information. These points are valuable but don't belong in the instructions.       Use the INSTRUCTION/SUPPORT system for writing your instructions. This system involves writing a short, clear, specific instruction and following up that instruction with support information as necessary. For example: Step 3: Click the Edit button on the menu line at the top of the screen. NOTE: You may get a prompt to apply a filter. If a dialogue box appears Click Cancel on the dialog box. In this example the user gets a specific instruction and has useful support information provided.		I am a contributor to an online site called eHow. My role as a contributing writer involves writing articles on a number of topics. One of the types of articles I write is instructions. I have attached links to a number of my published articles. How to Record Audio Files with Adobe Soundbooth   How to Create Web Page Visio Projects   How to Create a Map Outline   SUMMARY: Instructions explain how to perform a specific task through a step-by-step explanation. Instructions fill an important role by enabling users to accomplish goals that they would otherwise be unable to complete. Instructions rely on an order sequence that must be followed with precision. Instruction titles should be short, clear and generally state the end goal of the instructions. For example, the title “Creating an Organizational Chart with Microsoft Visio.” implies that the user will be able to accomplish a specific objective by following the steps in the document.