The Cherryleaf Podcast

Cherryleaf

Cherryleaf’s podcast on technical writing and becoming a better business communicator. www.cherryleaf.com

  1. 11/12/2025

    164. Trends in technical writing careers for 2026 and beyond

    In this episode, we explore how AI is reshaping the technical writing profession and what skills will matter most in the coming years. While AI dominates the conversation about the future, we dig deeper into what this means for technical writers, documentation strategy, and career development. Summary:  The role of technical communicator is evolving from document creator to strategic orchestrator of complex information ecosystems. Success requires: Proactivity: Identify problems and initiate solutions rather than waiting for direction Strategic thinking: Design information experiences, not just documents Technical depth: Level varies by organization and documentation type Data literacy: Evaluate success through analytics Persuasion: Influence stakeholders and gain buy-in for your vision The person filling this role might come from technical writing, UX/UI, content strategy, or training backgrounds, whoever can demonstrate the necessary skills first. Links: Nano Banana Pro is the “ChatGPT Moment” for Visual Communication Generative UI The “Engineering” of the Technical Writer Documentation Product Management: Does the AI Era Demand a New Discipline? Managing and mastering documentation projects with AI course Cherryleaf

    22 min

  2. 28/11/2025

    163. Discovering what different users think of your documentation

    High-quality documentation reduces support costs and drives product adoption, but traditional feedback methods often fail to capture the full user experience. This episode explores how modern documentation teams are combining AI simulation with human research to understand how different users interact with their docs. Key topics The problem with traditional feedback Understanding your user archetypes Traditional testing methods that still work AI user simulation: The new frontier AI limitations to remember The winning strategy: Hybrid approach Resources mentioned Reader-simulator by Casey Smith (open-source): github.com/caseyrfsmith/reader-simulator Impersonaid by Fabrizio Ferri: github.com/theletterf/impersonaid Cherryleaf course: Managing and Mastering Documentation Projects with AI

    30 min

  3. 13/10/2025

    162. Time sinks in technical writing

    This episode explores common time sinks in technical writing and practical solutions to streamline documentation workflows, with a focus on automation and AI tools. Key topics covered Common time sinks identified: Chasing reviewers and SMEs for feedback Constantly shifting priorities and expectations Version control and format conversions (especially markdown/Word) Unproductive meetings Documenting features too early (before testing is complete) Tracking requests and managing follow-ups Time zone coordination challenges Working with poor or incomplete requirements Solutions and strategies: Content operations approach - Strategic framework examining people, processes, and technology in content production Four solution categories: Remove bottlenecks from processes Reduce friction for collaborators Delegate and spread workload Automate repetitive manual tasks AI and Intelligent Agents - Moving beyond traditional automation to tools that can adapt and make decisions Implementation tips: Focus on high-impact, repetitive tasks first Track metrics to measure real-world impact Use phased rollout approach Maintain human oversight and accountability Remember: augment, don't replace Upcoming events TCUK Conference (Nov 24-25) - Presentation on automation in technical writing New course launch: "Managing and Mastering Documentation Projects with AI" (pilot: Nov 3-4) About Cherryleaf Cherryleaf is a technical writing services and training company.  Cherryleaf Cherryleaf Newsletter

    19 min

  4. 11/08/2025

    161. How learning and teaching are changing

    In this episode of the Cherryleaf podcast, we look at how learning and how teaching is changing. We're going to see a change, and probably a rapid change in what content, staff, and users are given. We'll post a transcript of this episode to the Cherryleaf blog.  About Cherryleaf Cherryleaf is a technical writing services and training company.  Cherryleaf Cherryleaf Newsletter

    25 min

  5. 11/07/2025

    160. Technical writing news roundup July 2025

    In this special episode of the Cherryleaf Podcast, we're doing something a little different - a curated roundup of recent news, tools, research, and resources especially relevant to technical communicators. 🔔 Highlights & Topics Covered: 🆕 TechSmith Launches Camtasia Online 🛠 Vale Linter Introduces “Views” Feature 📄 Netflix’s Documentation Approach We review “Documentation that Developers Actually Read: The Netflix Approach” by Pratjem Naik. ♿ Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 Card Deck Johannes Lehner’s printable & digital card deck for WCAG 2.2 helps with accessibility workshops and planning. 🤖 The Impact of Generative AI on Work Tasks Stanford & World Bank research shows how AI dramatically reduces time needed for tasks like repair and installation. 🔗 Microsoft Learn Docs & MCP (Model Context Protocol) New tool allows GitHub Copilot and other AI tools to retrieve contextually accurate, real-time Microsoft documentation. 📹 Includes highlights from Peter de Bruyne’s YouTube demo 📊 Google Adds AI-Powered Features to Google Sheets Google Sheets now supports Gemini-powered prompts to analyse and generate personalised content based on spreadsheet data. We'll also publish a transcript of this podcast on the Cherryleaf blog. About Cherryleaf Cherryleaf is a technical writing services and training company.  Cherryleaf Cherryleaf Newsletter

    21 min

  6. 12/06/2025

    159. Towards a Question and Answer world

    The way users want to access information may be undergoing a seismic shift. Some have suggested technical communication is rapidly moving towards a question-and-answer (Q&A) paradigm. As user behaviour moves away from reading and towards asking, we discuss how chatbots, AI, and Q&A-driven interfaces are reshaping the expectations and responsibilities of technical communicators. Takeaway quote: "It’s not about crafting a list of 20 questions. It’s about building a robust knowledge system that can handle any question and deliver meaningful answers." Resources Michael Andrews and Ardis Ramey on Q&A communication paradigms UK Government Digital Service post: FAQs: why we don’t have them Cherryleaf Newsletter We'll also publish a transcript of this podcast on the Cherryleaf blog. About Cherryleaf Cherryleaf is a technical writing services and training company.  Cherryleaf

    22 min

  7. 12/05/2025

    158. The Changing Marketing Landscape

    In this episode, we dive into responses to the evolving digital landscape shaped by AI in search engines and changes in social media. We explain how Cherryleaf took inspiration from the viral success of the Museum of English Rural Life (Merl) and used AI chatbots to analyse Merl's approach. We share the key lessons learned - such as embracing an authentic voice, leveraging unique content, blending education with entertainment, and encouraging engagement - and details how Cherryleaf adapted these for a technical writing services company. Discover the creative content pieces we've launched, including "Technical Writer Superpowers," "Technical Writing Bingo," and "Dungeons and Documents," and hear about the initial results in terms of engagement and reach. We also discuss future plans and how other organisations can adopt similar strategies. Technical Writer Superpowers Technical Writing Bingo Dungeons and Documents Technical writing jargon explained: 📦 Single-sourcing Cherryleaf Newsletter

    29 min

  8. 13/04/2025

    157. The Rise of Autonomous AI Agents and What It Means for Technical Writers

    🔍 Episode Overview In this episode, Ellis explores how AI agents, especially autonomous AI agents, are reshaping the landscape of technical communication. What are they? How do they differ from traditional AI tools? And crucially, what does their rise mean for technical writers? Blending two recent blog posts, Ellis walks us through emerging tools like Manus, Opera's browser AI, and AgentQL, and what these changes mean for how we create, structure, and deliver documentation. 🧠 What You'll Learn What AI agents and autonomous AI agents are — and how they're evolving The four key traits of autonomous agents: Insights from new AI tools 🧰 Impact on Technical Writers Ellis explores three main ways AI agents could change the role of technical authors: Content for Autonomous AI Consumption Structuring content for AI readability Multimodal delivery (text, audio, UI elements) Built-in accessibility for dynamic adaptation Documentation as Agent-Ready Data Writing docs as if they were APIs Emphasis on semantic structure, metadata, and clarity AI Agents as Co-Creators Personalised content generation Agent-driven feedback loops Enhanced content curation and adaptation tools 🗨️ Key Quotes "Autonomous is the key word. It signifies something that’s self-governing, that can operate independently, with little human oversight." "The real transformative potential of AI lies in autonomous AI agents." "Rather than being replaced, technical writers could become the architects of AI understanding." 🔗 Resources & Links 📄 Blog post: The Rise of Autonomous AI Agents 📄 Blog post: Meet Your Future Co-Worker – AI Agents 🌐 Manus AI 🌐 Opera’s AI-Powered Browser Agent 🎤 Rachel Lee Nabors on AgentQL The Race Is On to Redesign Everything for AI Agents 📧 Contact: info@cherryleaf.com A transcript will be posted to our blog. 📢 Stay Connected For more insights into the future of tech comms, AI tools, and professional development for technical writers, visit cherryleaf.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

    37 min
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About

Cherryleaf’s podcast on technical writing and becoming a better business communicator. www.cherryleaf.com

Information

  • Creator
    Cherryleaf
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2025
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2017-2023 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Cherryleaf Podcast