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

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…

by Clyde Parson

During my recent employment search, those items that I view as important were brought into full view by way of a personality profile that I was asked to complete. It was a very interesting “test” that only required me to choose a series of single words from among twenty-four groups of words. The result was astoundingly accurate. During the interview process, the results were covered and a statement was made that I’ve continued to think about each time the Admin Council’s discussion turns to the topic of membership value.

We don’t often come across technical writers who are as extroverted as you are.

Since I know that I’m recharged by my alone time, I understand that I’m actually an introvert but it is nice to receive the feedback that I do as good a job with my verbal communication as my written. I do genuinely enjoy people and I can see how this combination of factors would influence what I would want from an STC membership.

I also recall an interview with a different company during the same employment search where one former long-term technical communicator turned hiring manager shared with me his preferred work method.

I would love it if they would slide my work under the door in the morning and I could slide out the completed tasks that afternoon.

Differences like those between myself and this hiring manager have given me reasons to seriously consider exactly why I’m a member of STC and what I hope to gain from my membership. With that in mind, here the top reasons why I belong to STC (in no particular order):

• Social interaction
  I used to believe that I preferred the warm glow of a computer monitor but in recent years I’ve found that I would much rather talk to someone face-to-face (never mind the fact that LCD monitors just aren’t as cozy to snuggle up with as CRT’s once were!)
• Status associated with membership
  Several employers during my employment search, including the one that I ultimately selected, seemed quite impressed with the fact that I was a member and the chapter president. I think this speaks to one’s personal commitment to his or her chosen profession. It says that I view this as a career rather than just another job.
• Sense of belonging
  As a “lone writer,” it’s nice to know that there are others who share the same concerns and issues even if they happen to work for a different employer.
• Career related networking opportunities
  I’ve long held the belief that the sales function is significantly influenced by how good the salesperson is at building a relationship with a prospective client. In much the same manner, the hiring process can be significantly eased by the establishment of relationships outside the interview.
• Working toward a common goal
  In my Suncoast leadership position, I’ve been able to experience the synergy that can take place when multiple people are all pulling in the same direction to accomplish the same goals.
• Opportunities to express my creativity
  I tend to think in “big picture” terms but since I’m not running my own business I don’t always have an outlet for my ideas. Serving in a leadership position with our chapter has provided numerous opportunities to let my creative juices flow.

As the time for membership renewal has once again arrived, I would encourage all STC members to take a moment and reflect on exactly why they joined STC in the first place. Perhaps your list may include some of the items I mentioned. Maybe you came from a completely different angle and your list would be very different. Either way, there’s value in revisiting your original decision.

Further, I would encourage you to reaffirm that original decision by renewing your membership if you have not already done so. If you feel that you have not received all from your membership that you would have preferred, I would ask you to consider getting involved with your chapter (your *community*) at a deeper level. Remember, like many things in life, you can only get out as much as you put in.

Who Needs Starbucks?

by Sandi Harner
Not us. Not when the Cedarville University STC chapter is selling fresh-roasted, private-label coffee to raise funds for their spring trip to Indianapolis.

Each year the Technical and Professional Communication (TPC) students choose a city to visit where they can tour companies who hire technical writers and meet those who work there. In April 2010, the group will visit Indianapolis where recent grad, Adam Evans, works for ExactTarget, a company that provides software applications for on-demand email marketing.

Help us get there! You can purchase coffee directly online by going to http://www.scrfund.com, choose STC—Cedarville University in the dropdown “Choose Your Group.” Complete the order form and the coffee will be shipped to you.  Thanks for your support!

Life is too short to drink bad coffee.