Secretary’s Column

By: Marcia Shannon

This is my last secretary’s column; I am both happy and sad to write that. I am transitioning from assistant co-manager to co-manager in January 2019. Being secretary was a very satisfying, interesting, empowering experience. Answering, “I can do that,” when the secretary spot opened transformed me. I stopped lurking in the background; I discovered what I could do. Without that first step and the experiences that followed, I would not be ready to tackle the co-manager job. What looked too complicated a few years ago now seems like a manageable challenge. As with every role in the SIG, there are experienced members ready to help me succeed.

According to the STC charter, we need a secretary to help keep track of our SIG’s activities. It is an easy way to get involved with the SIG. It gives you a front-row seat to all SIG activity just by attending the monthly meetings and posting the minutes. I learned Google Docs and a good bit about the ins and outs of STC community activities. Writing the secretary columns and other articles for the newsletter helped me develop my personal style.  

The Instructional Design and Learning SIG is a dynamic collection of people with varied tech comm experience. We enjoy sharing what we know and helping one another solve those pesky TC issues that crop up at work. Seize this opportunity to test yourself, expand your skills, and keep our SIG a pace-setting community by stepping up and saying “I can do that”. If secretary isn’t your cup of tea, there are several other open positions you have the skill to fill. Involvement in the SIG will expand your STC experience and let you stretch past the everyday work world. 

Secretary’s Column

By Marcia Shannon

Second quarter was enlivened with the Summit. If, like me, you could not attend, read on for feedback from those who were there. I am sorry that I could not meet those who attended our SIG Business Lunch. I heard that there was a good turn out and it was enlightening, and encouraging, to meet members face to face.

I am writing this during my favorite part of the TV season: dance competitions. Between So You Think You Can Dance and World of Dance, there are so many artists doing breathtaking things, to evoke emotions, engage the audience, and tell a story. Where we technical communicators use words and images, they communicate through music and movement. That common ground fascinates me and sparks my imagination.

Taking a break from writing to watch these dancers reminded me that dancers take classes to polish their core moves, acquire new skills, and stay current with techniques and trends. Those are shared goals among all sorts of communication professionals. Whether you opt for a refresher in proofing and formatting, learn a new software tool, or expand your skills into a different industry, technical communicators are always in learning mode. Experience is vital, but we all need to refresh our skills every so often. I hope you are getting the full benefit of your STC and SIG memberships by attending the free-to-members webinars that are available regularly. Most continuing ed and technical colleges offer online, inexpensive single-topic classes, which are an easy way to brush up your skills.

To have the full SIG experience, volunteer for a SIG leadership role. The SIG thrives when there is high participation. None of the leadership roles is a full time job and there are always other volunteers who jump in to help with the big projects. The monthly meetings are open to all members. Drop in, check it out, perhaps spot where you can help. Don’t be a stranger.