The 2010 Society election will begin 9 March and end 8 April 2010 at noon EDT. The current election slate  reflects the following changes to the composition of the Society Board of Directors:

• The Second Vice President position and one Director position have  been eliminated.
• The Director term is now two years.
• Directors may now serve two consecutive terms.

Please remember that all STC members must have paid their dues by 28 February 2010 to vote in the election!

• For President: Mike Hughes will automatically succeed from First Vice President.
• For First Vice President: Hillary Hart will automatically succeed from Second Vice President.

Candidates on the slate for the 2010 STC election are:

• For Secretary:
  • Rachel Houghton
  • Steven Jong
• For Director (three positions are to be elected; Lisa Pappas resigned from the STC Board effective 23 November 2009, which creates an additional position for someone to serve the one year remaining in her term. For the 2010 election, STC members will elect three directors-at-large, with the top two winners serving the two-year terms and the third winner serving the remaining year of Lisa’s term.):
  • Nicky Bleiel
  • Al Hood
  • Tricia Spayer
  • Makarand (Mak) Pandit
  • W.C. Wiese
• For Nominating Committee (two positions to be elected):
  • Lory Hawkes
  • Nathaniel Lim
  • Linda Mikkelsen
  • Preeti Mathur

Lory Hawkes

This is the candidate’s answer to the following question (reprinted from Lory Hawkes: Questions & Answers) :
Provide an example of a time when you had to keep from speaking or making a decision because you did not have enough information.

I use more deliberation than speedy calculation when determining a fair grade for good students who suddenly miss classes. By listening to why the students have missed class rather than rushing to record a poor grade, I gain a better understanding of why they are not performing to their full potential. In cases of extenuating circumstances, I can allow them to make up the work.

Nathaniel Lim

This is the candidate’s answer to the following question (reprinted from Nathaniel Lim: Questions & Answers) :
Provide an example of a time when you had to keep from speaking or making a decision because you did not have enough information.

I live in a townhouse with three other units. One homeowner found evidence of termites. After a few meetings and a few bids from exterminators, we decided to fumigate the building, but could not decide on an exterminator. The bids all seemed about the same. I suggested we hold off until we got references, so the other homeowners left it to me to get them. When I contacted them, only one responded with strong references. Thus, we accepted that bid. The other homeowners “patted me on the back” for waiting and getting more information.

Read Nathaniel’s BTL article…

Preeti Mathur

This is the candidate’s answer to the following question (reprinted from Preeti Mathur:  Questions & Answers:
Provide an example of a time when you had to keep from speaking or making a decision because you did not have enough information.

When I was a board member of another association, there was an instance when an organization with religious affiliation tried to have my association sponsor a talk that they were organizing. We learned rather late from another board member that the speaker was known to create controversy, and it was not in the best interest of a secular organization like ours to be associated with him or the event. As the event was on the following day and I had not checked out the facts for myself, I abstained from casting my vote.

Although this is not easy for me to do because I trust too easily, this incident taught me not to expect anything on face value—some people have hidden agendas.

Linda Mikkelson

This is the candidate’s answer to the following question (reprinted from Linda Mikkelsen: Questions & Answers:
Provide an example of a time when you had to keep from speaking or making a decision because you did not have enough information.

Throughout my tenure as president of STC Twin Cities, I chose to defer decisions or not speak whenever I felt that I did not have complete information. I created a “next meeting issues” list that required research prior to our next council meeting. Each meeting, we chose to address those issues first and then move to other business. This strategy serves me well even now, especially when answering member questions about Society direction and recent decisions. If I don’t know the specific answer to a question, I feel free to say, “Let me gather some more information and get back to you about that.” People respect that and know they will get an answer that is correct and reasoned.

Read more about all of the Nominating Committee candidates…

Help Me Enhance the Technical Communication Profession

by Nathaniel Lim
When you tell your friends and family that you are a technical writer, what is their reaction? To me, they say that it sounds like an important job and probably isn’t easy. When I tell them I write online help as part of my job, they often tell me that Help does not help. Unfortunately, this is sad but true. People get frustrated when they read poorly written documents and cannot find the information they need.
This is why I am running for STC Nominating Committee. I want to make a difference. From here, I could tell you my interesting biography, awards I’ve received, impressive accomplishments, extensive work history, decision-making process, and reasons for running. But, that is all in my candidate statement on the STC website. Here is the stuff I could not include:

• Reliable: I strongly believe in accountability and follow through. If I say I will do something, I make sure it gets done (or tell people early enough in the process if I cannot do it, so we can go to plan B). I also believe in following directions and meeting deadlines. At the same time, if I don’t understand the process or don’t believe that the rule applies, I will ask questions until I am satisfied that this is the best way to go about it.

• Critical Thinker: When I was a lead judge for the STC international tech pubs competition, a new procedure came into effect that required writing at least 24 comments on the judging form. Thinking that this would be too numerous, I inquired to find that this was not a hard and fast rule. The spirit of the procedure was to ensure that submitters received sufficient written comments and not just numbered ratings. Thus, I wrote critiques to help the submitters, not always conforming to the rule.

• Innovator: My company recently started translating documents into several foreign languages. My manager gave me the task of creating a new procedure for labeling them, putting them through the approval process, and posting them on our website for customers to download. Tracking and classifying over a hundred documents with different versions and languages could potentially fall into disarray. I was careful to think things through before taking action. I asked appropriate personnel for their input and drafted a formal procedure. Management approved. Although the procedure continues to get revised even to this day, I am proud that I was part of the first effort to formalize it.

You can also get to know me at LinkedIn and Facebook (search nathaniel lim impac).
Starting March 9, please take a minute to cast your vote for Nathaniel Lim. I would be grateful for your vote for Nominating Committee.

Read more about Nathniel Lim…

Continuing the Momentum

by Nicky Bleiel

I am currently serving on the Society for Technical Communication Board of Directors and am running for another two-year term as a Director-At-Large.

My past two years on the Board have been interesting, challenging, and important. Interesting because I have learned a great deal, challenging because of the hurdles we faced, and important because the Society is at a critical juncture.

“Change” has been a hallmark of the last year, and STC has been no different. We have made many changes to the way we have always done things. We made difficult decisions and took difficult actions, all with the intent to strengthen the Society. We made no decisions without careful deliberation and research. So far, those choices have had the intended effect. But there is still work to be done.

I would like to continue to serve as a Director so that I can see a number of initiatives through and continue the momentum. Specifically, I want to continue work on creating additional revenue sources for the Society (such as Summit@aClick, new educational opportunities, Amazon and Café Press merchandise sales), helping members in need (for example, Job Seeker Bootcamp and Member Recovery Packages), adding more member value (for example, STC’s Notebook blog, the new Member Logo program), and further enhancing the Recognitions program.

In addition to my Board experience, my STC experience includes five years as a chapter leader (including President of the Pittsburgh Chapter), a competitions judge, a conference and webinar speaker, and a regional conference planner. I have 15 years of experience as a technical communicator in the software industry. I am heavily involved in the profession, and am a frequent speaker at many conferences, including STC, WritersUA, tcworld, LavaCon, and DocTrain. I have written articles for Intercom, tcworld, TechCom Manager, and more.  My areas of expertise include embedded help, tools and technologies, user assistance design, single sourcing, wikis, Web 2.0, and convergence technical communication.

To learn more about me, please see my website: http://www.nickybleiel.com/. It includes my biography; a list of recommendations from members; a list of my presentations, articles, and podcasts; and a rundown of my service to STC over the years.

Here are just a few of the recommendations I’ve received from members:

I wholeheartedly endorse Nicky for a second term as member of the STC Board of Directors. In addition to being an effective technical communicator, Nicky understands the challenges that the profession and the Society need to address. STC membership will benefit greatly from her contributions.”
Sarah O’Keefe
President, Scriptorium Publishing Services
STC Associate Fellow

“Over the past three years, I have witnessed Nicky’s strength and excellence on the STC Board of Directors. She cares about STC, knows when to make the hard decisions, and always looks at problems from as many perspectives as possible to find the “truth” of the matter.  I’m convinced that the STC BoD is stronger and more successful because of Nicky’s presence.”
Linda Oestreich
Manager, SSM Documentation, Hewlett-Packard
STC Fellow and Past President

Please vote for me when you receive your ballot. Polls open March 9. (Reminder: you must renew your membership by Feb. 28th to be eligible to vote.)
Thank you.

Read more about Nicky Bleiel…

This is the candidate’s answer to the following question (reprinted from Al Hood: Questions & Answers): Describe your governance or leadership philosophy, skills, and experience. Provide an example of a situation where you applied your philosophy to address a challenge, and the result.

My leadership philosophy is to gain consensus on an issue, and then respond quickly. I am able to gain consensus and ultimately make a decision by keeping discussions focused on the issues at hand. I will bring that knowledge and experience to the Board.

I have used my leadership philosophy and skills to resolve many issues. One such example was with a member who believed they had been wronged by the chapter. I had discussions with all involved and was able to discern the root cause. Once the cause was determined, I was able to help with resolution.

I have a strong belief in the mission of STC. Since joining STC and the Atlanta Chapter I have held many positions on the Atlanta Chapter Admin Council. These positions have afforded me untold experience and knowledge, which have allowed me to help further the mission of the Atlanta Chapter and the Society.

In 2008, I became assistant chair of the LCR and the chair in June 2009. I served on the zero-based budget review committee for the Society and as a result, gained knowledge and experience regarding the interworking of chapters, how they go about achieving their goals, and how the LCR can assist them.

As LCR chair, I have encountered misunderstandings about the responsibilities of the LCR and how we help communities. Communication and interaction with the communities are key to making the LCR and the Society successful.

Read more about Al Hood …

This is the candidate’s answer to the following question (reprinted from Makarand (Mak) Pandit: Questions & Answers): Describe your governance or leadership philosophy, skills, and experience. Provide an example of a situation where you applied your philosophy to address a challenge, and the result.

I live my life by commitments. The recent recession was a testing time for all of us. It pushed us to the limit of our tolerance and commitment. We had to take the load of the worsening financial situation of the market and develop a long-term solution.

We brainstormed and came up with many creative ideas. The most important one was to pay more attention to our training courses. We developed new and innovative solutions to our day-to-day teaching-related issues. We hired the best vendor in the market to redesign our website on the condition that the new website would give us at least 200 percent more hits per day.

Realizing that value is what keeps the customer interested in our services, we worked hard to find means of adding value to our services and deliverables for literally every project. The customers reciprocated with contracts of lesser profit margin but longer time duration.

With the changes in the business model, we should be in a strong position again within the next six months.

Read more about Mak Pandit …

Using My Experience to Benefit the Whole Society

by Tricia Spayer

I’m Tricia Spayer, candidate for STC Director-at-Large. I would appreciate your vote in the 2010 STC elections.

Why vote for me?

• I’ve been an active member in the Northeast Ohio chapter of STC (NEO STC) for almost ten years, six of which I served on the Executive Committee. I’ve gained experience as an adept leader in the positions of President, Vice President, Immediate Past President, Secretary, and Membership Chair. I’m currently serving as the Bylaws Committee Chair. During my year as President, we achieved the Chapter of Excellence award and received an Award of Distinction for PR from STC International. Through this leadership experience, I’ve learned to motivate others through respect, trustworthiness, and tenacity.

• I served as a member of the Planning Committee for the 2007 STC Regional Conference in Cleveland, OH, which was a highly acclaimed, profitable, and professionally-run conference.
• I received the President’s Achievement Award from NEO STC in 2009 for my leadership and contributions to the chapter’s Pacesetter and Chapter of Distinction awards.
• At the Society level, I’ve presented at the 2009 STC International conference, reviewed program proposals for the International conference, and have volunteered for the LCR.
• For my professional work, I achieved Best of Show and an Award of Excellence for an STC Online competition, along with an Award of Merit for an STC Technical Publications competition.
• When I promise to do a job, I do it.
• I am very detail-oriented, and weigh all facts before making an important decision.
• I bring my creativity and enthusiasm to projects.
• I give credit where credit is due. That is, most jobs or activities are the work of committees – I make a point to thank the contributors. Volunteers need to be recognized, rewarded, and thanked.
• It’s time to use my experience to benefit the whole Society.

What future enhancements would I like to see in the Society?

The basic description of STC states that “STC is an individual membership organization dedicated to advancing the arts and sciences of technical communication.” The key word I see is “individual.” I would love to see a program like I have observed in Toastmasters, where people complete a defined number of projects to achieve a certain level of recognition. They complete that level, and move on to more advanced projects to attain the next level, then the next. Toastmasters has a Communication track, as well as a Leadership track, so people can focus on different skills. Achievement is at an individual level, so the faster people work, the faster they reach their goals. Toastmasters has mentors and experienced leaders, just as we already have in STC – it would be great to use these resources to expand our knowledge. I feel that STC members would benefit by learning specific skills and receiving accreditation for these skills.
The work that has already been done to capture the STC Body of Knowledge is a fantastic resource. I hope that project continues to grow and that STC can soon provide certification.

I would like to see STC expand its membership base by advertising and sponsoring through educational institutions, engineering societies, and related professional organizations.

Most of us are aware that STC has been through a difficult period.  I am not afraid of challenges. I’ve been a part of huge projects, such as the 2007 STC Regional Conference in Cleveland, and my company’s implementation of a content management software package, with excellent results. I know that change does not happen overnight. It takes determination and dedication to see a project through. I am ready for this challenge.

To see my experience and list of achievements, visit http://triciaspayer.com.

Please vote for me in the STC 2010 elections. Thank you!

Read more about Tricia Spayer…

Strengthening STC

by W.C. Wiese

Because of the economic issues and their unparalleled impact on STC, this year’s elections are especially important. 2010 becomes another year of course correction for the society, with a disproportionately high impact on technical communicators.

Will this Board of Directors be asked to close down STC? Let’s hope not. But economic pressures and STC’s ongoing membership declines mandate change:

• STC must become an organization for the future. We can remain a Baby Boomer organization and dwindle. Or, to survive, we must meet the needs of young professionals and students. That means STC must engage them sooner, learn to speak in new ways, use different communication channels, and address early-career professional needs.
• STC must be about jobs. We must do more to help members find the opportunities they seek, raise perception of STC’s value, and research and share economic metrics that quantify the impact of what we do.
• We must strengthen STC’s financial foundation. We’ll need to match the cost of services to demand for them, reexamine the educational products we offer, and offer value that professionals agree is worth the cost of membership.
• STC should partner. We have much to learn and much to gain from partnerships with smaller professional organizations, such as the Association of Teachers of Technical Writing (ATTW) and American Society for Indexing (ASI). They generally support our interests but have not been as severely impacted by the current economy.
• STC must mend ties to chapters and SIGs. These valued groups have always been most effective in promoting STC and generating the leaders who will carry STC forward.

As a former chapter president and treasurer, I recognize that chapter and SIG membership issues are really STC’s membership issues – we must work together to solve them. Community health is ultimately STC’s health because chapters and SIGs attract members, encourage risk-taking and individual growth, and generate future leaders.

As STC treasurer, I worked with 3 STC Executive Directors in 4 years, contributing to financial stability during the change process. During my term, I implemented the chapter treasurers’ discussion group to enhance mentorship and communication, supported infrastructure investment, made chapter and STC financial concerns visible to the Board of Directors, and fought to strengthen STC’s financial footing.

I now need your vote to help strengthen STC’s capacity to serve a new generation of members and ensure its future.

Please send your suggestions and concerns to the campaign website.

Read more about W.C. Wiese…