Assumptions engage our human emotions.

  • Some assumptions are embarrassing. CBC Radio “Morningside” host (the late) Peter Gzowski, long in a job that paid more than a living wage, once made the assumption that retirement tax breaks were available to all… when they require a minimum income.
  • Some assumptions are infuriating. In the “Doonebury” comic strip, cartoonist Garry Trudeau once did a masterful job of deflating privlege rather than ranting about it. In the daily strip for Wednesday, 19 June 1985, Trudeau has Congresswoman Lacey Davenport attempt to raise awareness of homelessness among rich constituents in Palm Beach, Florida. The heart-cry of one distressed-looking lady is “That’s awful! Why don’t they just move to their country homes?”
  • Some assumptions are surprising. I grew up in one of the majority of Canadian provinces that celebrate Veteran’s Day, November 11, as a public holiday. When I moved to Ontario, the province that does most of the posturing about honouring our servicemen and servicewomen in the so-called national media, I was taken aback to learn that Ontario does not recognize the holiday. (It merely “observes” it.)

Because assumptions are so closely connected to emotions, you as a technical writer need to be aware that people can get defensive about their assumptions. Part of the defensiveness arises because everyone is unaware of all their assumptions. Being made aware that you have made an assumption can unsettle the ego, regardless of what the assumption was, and unrelated to whether the assumption was valid.

Given that the people you are speaking with may be feeling unsettled, you would do well to choose your words carefully as you ask about assumptions.

  • Threatening: Are you assuming…?
  • Inclusive: Are we assuming…?
  • Distancing: At some point, did someone assume…?

All these are examples of when you need to confirm that an assumption exists. You can learn other language once you know that assumption has been. For example, you can start to ask about why an assumption was made. But asking why an assumption was made before you have checked whether any assumption has been made… is falling prey to your own assumptions.

Technical writers need to learn how to recognize the assumptions behind products and documentation, whether the writer was party to the assumption or not. I’m sorry to say that I can’t offer any practical advice that will help with that. My only approach is to remain engaged if an assumption occurs to me, even if no one else seems to be considering it. Going along with the crowd is a poor way to uncover assumptions. If you have any other methods or tips, I hope you’ll share them with me so that I can share them with others.