See you at the Summit?

gijdgihaWhere to find your IDL SIG colleagues at the #STC16 Summit (pdf)

Hello, I am happy to communicate with you ahead of the STC 2016 Summit next month, where I hope Robert Hershenow and I can meet you in person (if we haven’t before). We are the co-managers of the Instructional Design and Learning SIG, and sometimes it’s lonely volunteering for a virtual community such as the SIG. We do have this one opportunity each year to meet our members and we really look forward to it.

Attend our IDL SIG Business Breakfast on Wednesday, May 18th at 7 am Pacific in the Marquis Ballroom of the Anaheim Marriott. Join us for breakfast and an entertaining, informative State-of-the-SIG discussion! Open to all IDL SIG members. Wear your Disney swag to be eligible for door prizes.

Here is a quick overview of where you can find us, how you will recognize us, and ways to network with us – and each other, of course.

2016 Summit Email to Members

You know, if you haven’t registered for the Summit yet… there is still time. They are taking registrations up until May 15th. Register at summit.stc.org right now: it’s not too late!

Thank you.MellissaRuryk300
Mellissa Ruryk 
IDL SIG co-manager

PS:  If you are a student IDL SIG member and you are participating in any of the Student activities or volunteering at the Summit, please send me an email at manager@stcidlsig.org.

 

Thursday, April 21, 2016 Mary Whalen (Sojoodi) presents “Getting Started With Video Training”

“Getting Started With Video Training” webinar with Mary Whalen (Sojoodi).

10:30 am Pacific / 11:30 am Mountain / 12:30 pm Central / 1:30 pm Eastern

Thank you for attending our STC IDL SIG webinar on April 21, 2016.

adobe-connect-bwLink to the recording:
http://stc.adobeconnect.com/p9lo5c6qfqk/

pdfLink to the slides as pdf:
Slides from “Getting Started With Video Training” webinar with Mary Whalen (Sojoodi)

GoogleFormsPlease take a moment to share your thoughts in this short survey.
http://goo.gl/forms/M4vGhxWsEh

 

Register on Eventbrite 
eventbrite-142

 

Thursday, April 21, 2016

About the webinar

More and more companies are looking to use videos as a training and support solution. Mary will share her lessons learned through a case study of developing over 70 demo-style training videos for two software systems using Camtasia Studio. Mary will give advice for scripting videos, strategies for conducting reviews, guidelines for setting up a recording area, and tips and tricks for producing video.

Intended Audience

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

About the Speaker: Mary Whalen (Sojoodi)

Mary Whalen (Sojoodi)

For over 20 years, Mary has been helping companies use training and documentation solutions to improve employee performance, increase customer satisfaction, and ensure regulatory compliance. Mary has designed and developed live and online training programs, technical and user manuals, and online help for a wide range of companies in various industries, from start-ups to Fortune 500 clients. Mary has taught through the Society for Technical Communication Institute at Northern Illinois University, and her work has received awards from the Society for Technical Communication.

Mary Whalen

Award Winning Instructional Designer & Technical Writer
Improving employee performance and customer satisfaction through documentation and training solutions.
eLearning | Online Training | Classroom Training | Train-the-Trainer | User Guides | Reference Guides | Policies & Procedures | Online Help

Register on Eventbrite 
eventbrite-142

 

You’re invited to attend your IDL SIG monthly meeting

The team leads and co-managers invite you to attend your IDL SIG monthly meeting and hear what goes into running the SIG.

The meeting info doesn’t change from month to month, so why not set up a recurring item in your calendar on the last Wednesday of each month, cut and paste the information below, and join us?

Meeting time:  4:30 PM Pacific, 5:30 PM Mountain, 6:30 PM Central, 7:30 PM Eastern.

To avoid connection delays, please plan to log on 5 to 8 minutes before the scheduled start time as given above.

Click this URL to log on:  https://stc.adobeconnect.com/idl

  1. Select ENTER AS A GUEST and type in the name you’d like us to know you by.
  2. Click ENTER ROOM. Set up Audio/Phone Connection (this is the preferred method and it is toll-free): when the JOIN AUDIO CONFERENCE dialog box displays, select the DIAL OUT option.
  3. Type in your phone number and click JOIN. You will receive a call from Adobe Connect confirming the audio connection. Turn off your computer speakers to avoid feedback.

IDL SIG General Meeting Theme Contest (deadline 16 March 2016, 11:59 pm EST)

SIG members,
During the annual STC Summit, our SIG conducts an annual general meeting during which  members learn about what we did the past year, and what we plan to do the following year. Since we are a virtual community, the Summit is the only formal time when we can see each other in person.

To encourage as many current and potential members as possible to attend, we started building our meetings around a creative theme. For instance, last year’s theme was the Teddy Bear Breakfast in which (almost) everyone arrived in their pajamas. Co-manager Mellissa Ruryk even conducted the meeting in a teddy bear costume!! At the end of the meeting, all attendees received a goody bag with fun teddy-bear themed items including a teddy bear and stickers!

This year, we’d like to get ideas from you! We are hosting a contest where we invite you to share a cool theme/idea for our meeting. This year’s Summit is May 15-18 in Anaheim, CA.

If we select your idea, you will win one registration for any one (1) STC Live Web Seminar (generally priced at around $60 for STC members) in 2016. Find out more about the live web seminars http://www.stc.org/education/online-education/live-seminars  that STC offers (link opens in a new window).

SURVEY LINK & DETAILS: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DK58DYL

DEADLINE: 11:59 pm EST on Wednesday 16 March 2016.

We will review all submissions and announce our theme by late March/early April.

Even if you are not attending the Summit this year, you are still welcome to complete the survey as long as you are a current IDL SIG member.

–Jamye

Jamye Sagan
IDL SIG Surveys & Social Media Committees

March 2, 2016 – STC Multi-Community Techcomm Showcase Round 2

Recording

The event recording is available free at
http://stc.adobeconnect.com/p65lsf93in3/

 

Wednesday, March 2, 2016 from 6:45 PM to 8:45 PM (EST)

Register on Eventbrite
eventbrite-142

 

Join the IDL SIG, STC Twin Cities chapter, and Greater Pittsburg STC chapter for another Virtual Chapter Techcomm Showcase.

This multi-community STC educational event is offered virtually to IDL SIG members. We encourage you to host a viewing party to provide opportunities for networking. Note that all times are Eastern Standard.

Each hosting community is providing a speaker for the event who will provide a brief presentation and a question and answer period.

About the programs and speakers 

STC Certification: Why, and Where are we Now? presented by Alan Houser

STC re-launched its certification program in 2016. Alan will discuss the design of the STC certification program, lessons learned from the original certification program, who might consider certification and why, and steps to become a Certified Professional Technical Communicator.

Alan Houser is a technical publishing consultant and trainer with Group Wellesley, Inc., a Pittsburgh, PA-based company that provides authoring, content management, and workflow services to technology-oriented businesses. Alan is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, where he earned an MA in Professional Writing and a BS in Electrical Engineering.

Alan is a Fellow, former member of the Board of Directors (2011-2014), and a past international President (2012-2013) of the Society for Technical Communication.

Audio Editing Tips: 3 Easy Steps to Improved Voice Recording presented by Robert Hershenow

Robert Hershenow’s affinity for audio recording spans not only decades but also diverse technologies, and over the years he has developed efficient methods for producing high-quality recordings on the cheap. This session explores the editing steps that are critical to professional-sounding recordings. Examples will focus on voiceover and will use Audacity (the free, open-source audio recorder and editor), but the concepts are applicable to any recorded content and any editing software.

Robert Hershenow is an independent technical communicator, recording engineer, and musician who has years of experience in sharing knowledge with others.

He is Co-Manager of the STC’s Instructional Design and Learning SIG and resides in Berkeley, California.

The Science and Psychology of Persuasion presented by Barbara Beresford

A successful technical communicator not only manages deadlines and deliverables, but also manages his or her influence with coworkers and superiors. If you have strong writing and editing skills, but are not as schooled in the soft skills needed to understand and positively influence the people with whom you work, attend this presentation on psychology and persuasion:

Learn about recent research on the conscious/unconscious minds that affect our behavior and decision-making

Identify how well people know themselves and what they want

Learn to use this information to understand and influence others

Barbara has been a technical writer and editor for 23 years, the last 12+ at MorphoTrust USA, Inc., where she writes user documentation for finger, face, and iris biometric technologies. Her minimalist writing style reflects her preferred approach to helping users quickly identify why a specific software system is used, what tasks are performed with the system, and how the tasks are successfully completed. She also advocates for the end user by working with developers to improve GUI design and usability.

Outside of work, she enjoys the arts community in the twin cities, especially the theater, and plays the violin in a community orchestra. In the warmer months, she tends a large garden, featuring native plants and boulders.

Register today and then join us online on March 2nd. 

About the in-person meeting: (register on the Rochester STC chapter’s site)

  • 6-7 PM Networking
  • 7-8:30 PM Presentations
  • 8:30 PM Wrap-up

Light refreshments will be provided.

Rochester Location Barnes & Noble at RIT (upstairs in the community room) 100 Park Point Rochester NY 14623

Walk-ins are welcome.