by Judith Harper

When (or if) you tell somebody that you’re a technical writer, do their eyes glaze over? Do they look at you quizzically and say, “So, what does that mean? Do you actually write ’Click here and press Enter’ all day long? What do you actually do?”

You can answer questions like that by articulating what STC Executive Director Susan Burton calls “your powerful story” about technical communication.

Believe it or not, you do have a powerful story. Your past and present professional activities have made and continue to make a difference. Your communication skills improve your company’s bottom line. Your manuals make the company’s products easier to use. Your safety guidelines save lives. Your procedures keep company officers out of jail. You have an impact.

Making a Difference

We all have stories. Here’s one:

To help us fix a not-very-good website, [this writer] came up with a website that is well organized, comprehensive and easy to use… much better. It can now be used by customers to research and understand the service offering AND it can used as an online “manual” for our service personnel. This site is the best example of this type of technical documentation resource that I’ve ever seen.

The story behind the story? Hours spent trying to:

• Unravel the convoluted workflow procedures that were kinda sorta in place
• Locate authoritative versions of forms and approval documents that had to be completed and filed
• Find answers to the unanswered questions that came up every time a customer tried to work with the service, and
• Organize all the customer-required information online in a clean, uncluttered, easily accessible format.

Having Unanticipated Consequences

At the STC-NEO (Northeast Ohio) regional conference held in Cleveland last month, Susan told a story of unanticipated consequences–a story about a 23-year-old beggar  whom she met on a trip to Africa. He regularly stationed himself on a rolling stool–his legs were useless as the result of a childhood bout with polio–on the street outside her hotel.

After striking up conversations with this young man, Susan discovered that his disabilities had not prevented him from finishing high school with the help of a sponsor and enrolling in college. He had  become a self-taught computer-literate student and soon-to-be college graduate. How? Simple. Contrary to popular wisdom, he DID read computer manuals and thereby opened previously closed doors. Technical communication enables people to improve themselves and the quaity of their lives.

What’s Your Story?

So what do I do? … in thirty seconds or less, I verify and streamline company procedures to make sure that employees can execute them and customers can understand them.

What about you? What are your powerful stories? Dredge them up, distill them into a paragraph or two, and send them to newsletter@stc-swo.org. We’ll publish them; they’re bound to be fascinating.

by Judy Harper  This year’s edition of Between the Lines has a new look that serves up several new benefits for members.

• Our new publication schedule–every month between September and May–will give you timely info about upcoming meetings and community activities, all in one place.
• Our new blog-like format makes it easy for you to express your opinions about any article in the newsletter, about community activities, about any techcomm-related topic you choose. Scroll to the bottom of any article and click the e-mail link at the bottom of each article, or complete the fields in the Leave a Comment area at the bottom of each article.
• If you want a printed copy of any newsletter article, click the Print link just below the article to display a print-ready page.

So you’ll know whom to thank (or complain to) regarding the newsletter, this is your introduction to this year’s Between the Lines staff.

Managing Editor

Judith Harper is an engineer and technical communicator who has spent the past 25 years writing about business, information technology, and engineering topics. She has also worked as an instructional designer and writing instructor. Her mission is to help technology-based organizations communicate effectively with their employees and customers by providing technical information that is targeted, clear, easy to read, and easy to understand.

Columnists

	Harold Fox (Calling all Verbivores) is a senior member and Associate Fellow of STC. He recommends retirement most heartily, and he is sorry you have missed the 18 community theater productions in which he has performed since retiring from the world of employment. Harold also logged many years of distinguished service as STC-SWO treasurer.
	Jean Fudge (President’s Message), president and interim webmaster of the SWO chapter of STC, works at Premier Health Partners (PHP) in Dayton, Ohio. Her team is implementing electronic medical record software at PHP’s hospitals and auxiliary locations. She has more than 20 years of experience in a wide variety of technical communication positions.

Contributing Editor

Lisa Carbaugh is the facilities manager for Universal 1 Credit Union in Dayton, Ohio. She has a varied technical research and publishing background, and it was not until 2004 that she was introduced to STC by a very enthusiastic STC-SWO member. Lisa is pursuing a BS degree in Management and Logistics from Park University.

Copyeditors

	Elizabeth Evans Fryer works as a science editor for a contractor for the US EPA. Her travel, health and fitness, and business writing has been published nationally. In 2005, she published her first book: My Lost Summer, a memoir about her recovery from a coma as a teen.
	Karen Stille has been employed for the past 12½ years at Communicating Arts Credit Union and also working a part-time job for the past 17 years in the concession stands or commissary at the stadiums and coliseum. She enjoys triathlons, tennis, and scrapbooking, as well as volunteering for Girl Scouts, hospital and KIDZ Character Club.

Thriving as a Technical Communicator: Knowledge, Skills, and Tools

The program committee developed this schedule based on the member preferences indicated in the early-summer Member Survey. The programs focus on expanding your knowledge, improving your skills, and introducing you to useful tools that will contribute to your growth as a technical communicator. Here’s the preliminary schedule:

What Do Members Want?

As part of the Administrative Council’s ongoing effort to schedule community activities that are relevant, constructive, and engaging, PR Lead Marce Epstein conducted an online survey of SWO members in June. The 13-question survey probed member preferences for meetings (speakers, locations, and timing) and annual SWO-sponsored techcomm competitions, and looked at member motivation. Here’s a discussion of the results.

Meeting Attendance

Why do SWO members attend monthly meetings? Respondents gave these reasons:

• Professional development and networking (tied for first place at 39% each)
• Moral support from others in the field (20%)

Amazingly, 2% of the members who responded indicated they hadn’t attended yet because the meetings weren’t on their personal radar; they simply didn’t know SWO had monthly meetings. (Do we need to increase community visibility, even among members?)

Why don’t members attend monthly meetings? Respondents cited three main reasons:

• The topics don’t interest me (33%).
• They occur on the wrong day of the week for me (17%).
• The location is inconvenient (13%).

Meeting Topics

There’s considerable divergence of opinion about preferred meeting topics. But a survey is all about the numbers, so here they are. Five percent (or more) of members responding to the survey selected the following subjects as meeting topics they “are most interested in.” (Topics are listed in descending order, by popularity.)

1. What Technical Communicators Need to Know to Succeed in the Real World
2. Cool Tools for Tech Writers for $100 or Less
3. A three-way tie for third place:
   - Myths and Trends in the Changing English Language
   - Writing for the Web
   - Designing Usable and Accessible Web Sites
4. E-Learning
5. A two-way tie for fifth place:
   - How to Write an Effective White Paper
   - Understanding Web 2.0 and its Impact on TechComm

Articulating what seemed to be the general desire for more specific, career-enhancing topics, one member gave this opinion:

I’d prefer to see some tools-based meetings where an expert gives in-depth advice and examples on using specific tools. The chapter has not provided many of these types of meetings over the past few years.

Meeting Location and Time

Northern Cincinnati was the preferred meeting location, getting the nod almost twice as often (54%) as South Dayton (29%), and almost six times as often as Middletown (8%).

The preferred meeting day of the week was Wednesday, getting twice as many votes (52%) as runner up Thursday (26%). Nobody voted for the weekend (Friday, Saturday, or Sunday). The preferred meeting time was evenly split (43% for each) between 6 and 6:30 p.m.

Annual TechComm Competition

For a number of years, SWO sponsored a technical communication competition that was open to members and non-members alike. For a specified entry fee, technical communicators submitted copies of their print publications, online systems, or technical artwork for competitive evaluation and judging. When asked “Would you be likely to submit at least one entry to an SWO-sponsored competition?” 22% would enter, 52% would not, and 26% weren’t sure.

There was more agreement about willingness (or the lack thereof) to help judge a competition. Two-thirds of those taking the poll skipped the question, and another 1/6 said “No.” That said, the remaining 1/6 left e-mail and phone contact information to indicate their willingness to serve.

Motivation

When asked “Is there anything we can do that would increase your interest in attending meetings?” more than half the respondents skipped the question. You can read these suggestions from those who did respond.

In response to the survey’s request for suggestions about helping SWO do a better job of meeting the members’ professional needs, 2/3 of survey respondents  chose not to respond. You can check out some of the comments from those who did offer suggestions.

The Southwestern Ohio community’s Administrative Council (hereinafter known as Team SWO) is responsible for the heavy lifting involved in keeping STC-SWO alive. Let’s look at some of what Team SWO does, focusing this month on two of the community’s most visible activities–planning and conducting monthly meetings and managing the STC-SWO Web site.

Monthly Meetings

Every year, somebody has to plan, schedule, find speakers, publish announcements, and handle meeting place arrangement for nine monthly meetings–from September through May. For the past two years (2005-2007) that somebody has been Wonder Woman Kayte Rudolph-Griffo, with capable assistance from Jeff Stevenson and mostly moral support from the rest of the Admin Council. Kayte has earned her varsity letter, and we’ve retired her Program Lead jersey in gratitude for her years of service. This year’s programs are in the capable hands of a Trilateral Committee: Sylvia Miller, Kathy Reynolds, and Thea Teich. They have reviewed the results of the early-summer Members’ Survey and translated your wish list into an impressive program schedule. Your ideas and suggestions for program topics and venues are always welcome. You can even volunteer your services to help with calling, scheduling, and publicizing a program that dovetails with your areas of professional interest.

STC-SWO Website

Chris Schapman has served tirelessly as Webmaster for the past two years (2005-2007). What does the Webmaster do? Here’s a short list:

• Maintains the bulletin board and forum. Thanks to inventive, tireless spammers of every ilk, the bulletin board accumulates daily stacks of unwanted mail. The webmaster weeds out the illegitimate stuff.
• Updates changeable areas of the Website. including changes in Admin Council contact info and in Society and SWO officers.
• Updates meeting announcements and makes sure that reservations are processed.
• Posts important announcements.

Chris is bowing out after a very productive stint with Team SWO. We’re looking for a replacement successor (who will not replace Chris, but simply continue his good work). President Jean Fudge is performing interim Webmaster duties, but she needs to focus on playing her primary position. So, please volunteer if you

• Are a member or student member of STC.
• Have the experience, desire, and time availability to manage an organization’s Website and e-mail.
• Know HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
• Are familiar with PHP (or a similar scripting language) and MySQL (or other relational database).
• Can handle FTP file transfers.

Team SWO is signing up walk-ons; no agent necessary. We want you!

The Rest of the Team

Here’s the complete 2007-08 roster:

• President: Jean Fudge
• Vice-President: Open
• Secretary: Karen Stille
• Treasurer: Mindy Hoffbauer
• Affiliate Societies Council Representative: Harold Fox
• Employment: Louise Tincher
• Hospitality: Elizabeth Evans Fryer
• Membership: Open
• Newsletter: Judy Harper
• Programs: Sylvia Miller, Kathryn Reynolds, Thea Teich
• Public Relations: Marce Epstein
• Webmaster: Open

We’ll take a closer look at all the positions in future issues of BTL.

Awards and Honors

The final meeting of 2006-2007 was a year-end celebration and volunteer recognition at J. Alexanders in Centerville. Attendees enjoyed the opportunity to reconnect with colleagues and participate in the year-end recognition and awards program.

Active Member Awards

For the third year in a row, the community presented tokens of appreciation to Active Members. To earn the Active Member distinction, SWO-STC members attend meetings, write for the newsletter, or otherwise participate in chapter activities. Members who accumulate eight points from September through April earn a prize. In previous years, the prize was a polo shirt or a long-sleeved T-shirt with special embroidery denoting active membership in SWO-STC. This year, the prize was a distinctive coaster set with the STC-SWO name and logo.

The active members recognized that night were Marce Epstein, Harold Fox, Elizabeth Fryer, Jean Fudge (Active Member Program Lead), Judy Harper, Kayte Rudolph-Griffo, Thea Teich, and Louise Tincher.

High School Technical Writing Competition

In 2006-07, STC-SWO participated for the first time in the International Student Technical Communication Competition (ISTCC). The ISTCC encourages students to develop and demonstrate the technical communication skills they need to enter scientific, technical, and business careers by recognizing excellence in technical communication at the high school level.

The community’s first high school competition produced an INTERNATIONAL competition winner: Connie Estep, a Springfield Shawnee High School co-valedictorian poised to enter a pharmacy program at Ohio Northern University in Ada, OH. Connie wrote her winning entry as part of the Wright Scholar Program at Avetec (the Advanced Virtual Engine Test Cell, Inc., also in Springfield).

Avetec and its partners conduct modeling and simulation research aimed at reducing the time and money required to design, develop, and test new jet turbine engines. Connie’s paper (Power Sensitivity Modeling and Analysis in Gas Turbine Engine Compressor Design) earned $250 and an Award of Distinction from SWO. Even better, Connie won an additional $500 as the second-place ISTCC winner.

“Writing this paper showed me how much research can be beneficial and that there are a lot of possibilities in the fields of tech writing and research,” Connie told BTL. “I love writing papers, and not only about engines.”