What is the field?

The name of the specialization is “Technical Writing,” but the preferred term for the field as a whole is “professional communication” because that includes audiovisual design as well as writing and also includes business and managerial communication, not just communication relating to technology. Much of professional communication can be thought of as organizational communication—the communication that happens laterally and vertically within organizations and also between an organization and the other organizations or individuals with which it does business. The classic example of an organization would be a corporation: Thiokol, for instance, has lateral internal communication between departments and between members of a team, and it has vertical communication up and down its chain of command. It also has external communication with its suppliers, with its clients, with local and national government agencies, and with the public. Organizations are not limited to corporations, however. They can also be government entity, a non-profit, a school district, etc. Professional communication is what an organization needs to do in order to operate and meet its goals.