September 8 – 29, 2016 (Thursdays) Instructional Design for Technical Communicators

Charged with developing a tutorial or similar instructional program? Or have you developed tutorials but are looking to do so more effectively

This 4-session, online certificate course provides you with the skills needed to successfully produce effective learning programs, including following the ADDIE approach, writing instructional objectives, developing criterion-referenced quizzes and tests, describing the dominant Kirkpatrick model of evaluation, choosing an instructional strategy then applying it, and creating engaging, supportive instructional programs.

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September 15, 2016: #TechComm Showcase: Editor as Collaborator with Lori Meyer and Lessons My Cat Taught Me About ID with Jamye Sagan

Join us for #TechComm Showcase: “Editor as Collaborator” with Lori Meyer and “Lessons My Cat Taught Me About ID” with Jamye Sagan.

10:30 am Pacific / 11:30 am Mountain / 12:30 pm Central / 1:30 pm Eastern
Thursday, September 15, 2016

UPDATE: This webinar was a huge success! See the recording and slides on our Free recordings of IDL SIG webinars for members page. (requires password. Contact programs@stcidlsig.org if you did not yet receive your password.)

Register on Eventbrite 
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We will be presenting two encore progressions from this year’s #STC16 Techncial Communication Summit:

  1. Editor as Collaborator with Lori Meyer and
  2. Lessons My Cat Taught Me About Instructional Design with Jamye Sagan

This is a joint event with the STC Technical Editing SIG and is free to members of either SIG.

The webinar will be recorded so feel free to watch with us online and then rewatch at your leisure. No need to take notes. If you cannot attend, sign up anyway so that you will get a link to the recording.

About the Audience

All levels will find these presentations engaging and informative.

About the Webinars and Speakers

Lori Meyer — The Editor as Collaborator: Communication Makes the Difference

Editing skills play an important role in quality technical communication. However, even the most skilled editors need to communicate professionally and effectively with writers. This session explores how effective communication with colleagues and clients helps editors enhance team communication, improve documentation, and provide writers with valuable insights to enhance their writing.

Lori is a technical communicator and curriculum developer in Northern California, where she develops and edits software documentation and training. Lori feels great excitement about the potential of social media and mobile technology to build on our work as technical communicators.

For some additional background about Lori, see her profile in the Carolina Communique, the STC Carolina Chapter newsletter: One Question Can Change Your Life.

Jamye Sagan — Lessons My Cat Taught Me About Instructional Design

Sometimes, technical communicators may be required to design training materials and programs for their subject matter–even if they have never formally studied instructional design. In this progression topic, the speaker will share photos and anecdotes of her beloved cat Gimli while discussing five lessons she has learned over the years about developing training courses and related materials.

Jamye manages communications between the corporate office and the store pharmacies. She also helps design training programs and reference materials for various pharmacy projects. When not “making sense out of the senseless” in the tech comm world, Jamye enjoys transforming yarn into pretty and useful objects and keeping her cats away from her yarn.

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August 18, 2016: “Lightning Talks” webinar with Kit Brown-Hoekstra, Viqui Dill, Jamye Sagan, Mellissa Ruryk and Robert Hershenow

UPDATE: This webinar was a huge success! See the recording and slides on our Free recordings of IDL SIG webinars for members page. (requires password. Contact programs@stcidlsig.org if you did not yet receive your password.)

Join us for “Lightning Talks” webinar with Kit Brown-Hoekstra, Viqui Dill, Jamye Sagan, Mellissa Ruryk and Robert Hershenow.

10:30 am Pacific / 11:30 am Mountain / 12:30 pm Central / 1:30 pm Eastern
Thursday, August 18, 2016

Register on Eventbrite 
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About the webinar

Lightning talks are fast and fun. Each speaker has 5 minutes to present the topic using a 20 slide PowerPoint set to automatically advance the slides at 15 second intervals. The atmosphere is light-hearted and fast-paced as each speaker tries to bring some valuable edutainment your way.

The webinar will be recorded so feel free to watch with us online and then rewatch at your leisure. No need to take notes. If you cannot attend, sign up anyway so that you will get a link to the recording.

Intended Audience

All Audiences. The content will be introductory (e.g., > “101 level”)

About the Speakers:

Kit Brown-Hoekstra — Everything I Needed to Know about Leadership, I Learned from Star Trek

A light-hearted look at what makes a good leader. From Kirk to Janeway, the Star Trek captains explored new worlds, developed their teams, and survived life-threatening situations, sometimes with sheer luck, sometimes with wit and charm, and sometimes with a clear head. Even their flaws teach us.

Viqui Dill — You stink at email

Your emails are getting ignored for a reason: you stink at it. Most of us get hundreds of messages a day. Why would anybody ever want to read that wall of text under your boring subject line?

Jamye Sagan — A Loopy Yarn: Knitting and Technical Communication

Although knitting and technical communication seem like two disparate disciplines, they share several things in common–from knowing one’s audience to paying attention to finishing details. This presentation will highlight these commonalities, from project conception to the finished deliverable, and help you think about how your own favorite hobbies relate to technical communication.

Mellissa Ruryk — Chinglish/Engrish/Spangrish

We who grew up speaking English as a first language know how exasperating it can be with all the “rules” for spelling that seem to be ignored as many times as they are applied; homonyms; and the kind of trouble you can get into by missing out just one letter (think “pubic” instead if “public”). Consider and sympathize, then, with people who don’t grow up learning the twists and idiosyncrasies of this amalgam of thousands of years of British imperialism. Join us as Mellissa Ruryk shares some amusing samples of signs gone wrong around the world with Engrish, Chinglish, Spanglish and… Mangle-ish?

Robert Hershenow — What Do You Think?

What’s going on inside your head? A lot more than you might think! Our conscious thought processes are only part of what our brains are up to at any moment. Find out what else is happening when you are asleep or awake, when you’re happy or stressed, and how you can make the most of all that brain power.

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July 21, 2016: My Career Reinvention: TW to IDL and Beyond by Dr. Jackie Damrau, BPMN

UPDATE: This webinar was a huge success! See the recording and handout on our Free recordings of IDL SIG webinars for members page. (requires password. Contact programs@stcidlsig.org if you did not yet receive your password.)

Join us for “My Career Reinvention: TW to IDL and Beyond” with Dr. Jackie Damrau, BPMN.

10:30 am Pacific / 11:30 am Mountain / 12:30 pm Central / 1:30 pm Eastern
Thursday, July 21, 2016

Register on Eventbrite 
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About the webinar

Learn how one of IDL SIG’s members came into the world from being a simple TW, stayed around in IDL for a while, and then stepped into a Business Analyst role where the TW and IDL skills are all useful. This is a brief glimpse into my journey. Your challenge is to ask enlightened questions of me to spur your own drive to get to your next golden opportunity.

Intended Audience

All Audiences. The content will be introductory (e.g., > “101 level”)

About the Speaker: Dr. Jackie Damrau

Dr. Jackie Damrau

Dr. Jackie Damrau is a Sr. Business Systems Analyst at CBRE. In her role, Jackie models business processes and other department workgroup processes using BPMN modeling notation to use in gathering requirements for automating existing paper-based workflows as well as to help in improving processes. Jackie has more than 25 years of technical communication experience. She is a Fellow of the Society for Technical Communication (STC), member of the STC North Texas Lone Star chapter and the Instructional Design & Learning SIG, and the Book Review Editor for Technical Communication. Jackie’s past international positions have been as a SIG manager for the Instructional Design & Learning SIG; assistant SIG manager of the Management SIG; elected member of the Nominations Committee; and general manager of the STC International Summit Awards (2010–2012). Jackie enjoys spending time raising her grandkids and reading “books” when time permits. Find her on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/jackiedamrau) or on Twitter (@damrauja).

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June 16, 2016: What I Would Have Liked to Know by John Hedtke

UPDATE: This webinar was a huge success! See the recording and handout on our Free recordings of IDL SIG webinars for members page. (requires password. Contact programs@stcidlsig.org if you did not yet receive your password.)

Join us for “What I Would Have Liked to Know When I Started Out” with John Hedtke.

10:30 am Pacific / 11:30 am Mountain / 12:30 pm Central / 1:30 pm Eastern
Thursday, June 16, 2016

Register on Eventbrite 
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About the webinar

Being a good technical communicator is a lot more than knowing how to write a good sentence and use a word processor. John Hedtke, the presenter, says “When I was starting out 30 years ago, I would have benefited strongly from having someone sit me down and say ‘Here are things you should know that will save you time, money, and pain if you learn them now.’ ”

The presentation groups these ideas in four categories:

  • Who are you?
  • Career development
  • People skills
  • The Really Important stuff

There will be a handout of the slides available as well.

Intended Audience

Although aimed at people starting on their careers, this is also helpful for seasoned professionals.

About the Speaker: John Hedtke

John Hedtke

John Hedtke is the award-winning author of 27 books. He has over 30 years in the software business and technical writing, and over a decade in technical publications management. John has developed and written documentation and books for many leading software products, and has received 26 writing awards to date. A complete list of books, articles, projects, and awards can be found online at his website, www.hedtke.com.

John owns Double Tall Consulting, a company that offers writing and business consulting services for a variety of private, public, and governmental clients. He also does numerous radio and magazine interviews and frequently travels to do lectures and guest appearances at conferences and seminars. John was the last Region 7 Director on the Society for Technical Communication’s Board of Directors and is a Fellow of the Society. When not otherwise occupied, John writes magazine articles and sleeps late as much as possible. He lives near Tacoma, WA.

Other Cool Stuff Worth Knowing:

  • John has donated 85 pints of blood.
  • John writes and sells buttons to a button company in California. Some of the clean examples are “I’ve suffered for my art; now it’s your turn,” “Stop me before I log on again,” “Death is nature’s way of telling you to turn off the computer,” “My spirit animal is the gummy bear,” “Failure is not an option—it already comes bundled with the software,” and “How’d you like to curl up in bed with the author of a good book?” It doesn’t pay the rent, but it’s a lot of fun.
  • John has been playing banjo and guitar and singing for over 40 years. He says he gets a lot of requests when he plays the banjo, but he goes ahead and plays it anyhow.

Register on Eventbrite 

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