"It's in the manual!" "They don't read what I write." I hear these complaints all the time. (I even say them.) Below are some things that you can do to make your technical or business writing more "readable."

1. I don't want paper documents.
Know your reader's environment. If they are in a shop or a factory, large paper manuals aren't the way to go. Try one-page quick reference guides that can be laminated. They last longer if the reader's hands are dirty. (I heard from another technical writer that her company worked on a huge online project for a Navy submarine group in the early days of the internet. The project required internet access that the audience didn't have when it was submerged. Big Ooops!)

2. I don't have a place to store an encyclopedic set of binders for user guides and other documentation.
Can the document be published in another media? Will another type of media work for the reader? If it's an online document, is it searchable?

3. I don't have time to read the manual.
Keep your writing concise and usable. Make sure that your users can find answers quickly. Know the business. The way that you organize the material may not make sense to the reader when he/she is searching for how to do something.

4. It's written by someone who doesn't do my job.
Be accurate. Make sure that your writing is as error free as possible. Make sure that you verify that your procedures work.

5. The document is fine for English speakers. What about non-English speakers?
If the work is going to be translated, make sure that the original is not full of jargon. Pictures or charts may be better for complex concepts.