I had the pleasure of visiting three STC chapters in Florida during October. We talked about the technical communication opportunities in the area and where we see future opportunities. We also discussed how the Society for Technical Communication (STC) can work with the chapters.
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Management Workshop with STC Carolina
On August 18, 2012, I had the opportunity to lead a 4-hour Building and Managing Successful Teams workshop. I was impressed by the large number of attendees on a Saturday morning. The discussion was lively as we shared our leadership ideas and approaches. Through this discussion, we were able to learn from each other and identify new ways to help our teams work more effectively.
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Ninja Talk at STC Summit 2012
I had the opportunity to explore giving the first ninja talk at the STC Summit in Chicago. This creative adventure was a great way to wrap up the lightning talks on Wednesday and show how well prepared the other presenters were. The rules for the ninja talk were the same as the lightning talks (20 slides, each automatically advancing every 15 seconds), but the one big difference was that I had never seen the slides.
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Technical Communication: Design or Content?
How is the role of technical communicators changing? What skills should we be focused on for future success?
With content coming from many sources and contributors throughout the community, technical communicators can feel threatened. For many years, we were the sole developers of content, carefully crafting each phrase to deliver information clearly and concisely. As social media expands, our skills for crafting the message may become less important and less valued.
Building a Valuable Conference
I am currently part of the program team for the 2010 STC Summit in Dallas, Texas. We are working together to make sure we create a quality conference program for all attendees. The real question is…what makes a great conference?
I have attended many conferences over the years, and I have helped to organize the programs for several in the past. I hear many comments about whether a conference was good or bad, but often those comments include few details. Many aspects of a conference, such as networking times, social events, and vendor opportunities, affect the overall experience. However, I’m interested in the part the program sessions play in the overall experience and conference rating.