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<topic id="tc21239">
<title>As the Paradigm Shifts: Skills Technical Communications Will Need in the Coming Ice Age</title>
<shortdesc>Forces are converging in the mid-90&apos;s that threaten to change the shape of technical communication forever. This paper-attempts to examine a few important manifestations of the coming ICE age (Information, Communication, Entertainment): business pressures to shrink documentation; a manifesto to move from paper to online documentation; a growing emphasis on making the user successful; a convergence of documentation and training; and the explosion of multimedia/interactive media. This paper then predicts what new skills technical communicators must develop in order to remain marketable -- and grasp opportunity -- during this period of great change.</shortdesc>
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<p>Forces are converging in the mid-90&apos;s that threaten to change the shape of technical communication forever. This paper-attempts to examine a few important manifestations of the coming ICE age (Information, Communication, Entertainment): business pressures to shrink documentation; a manifesto to move from paper to online documentation; a growing emphasis on making the user successful; a convergence of documentation and training; and the explosion of multimedia/interactive media. This paper then predicts what new skills technical communicators must develop in order to remain marketable -- and grasp opportunity -- during this period of great change.</p>
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<li><a href="http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Careers/TC">All works in 'Careers &gt; TC'</a></li>
<li><a href="http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Careers">All works in 'Careers'</a>, <a href="http://tc.eserver.org/dir/TC">'TC'</a></li>
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 <link type="reference" href="http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Careers/TC" role="parent" scope="local"><linktext>All works in 'Careers &gt; TC'</linktext></link>
 <link type="reference" href="http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Careers" role="parent" scope="local"><linktext>All works in 'Careers'</linktext></link>
 <link type="reference" href="http://tc.eserver.org/dir/TC" role="parent" scope="local"><linktext>All works in 'TC'</linktext></link>
 <link type="reference" href="http://tc.eserver.org/publisher/STC_Proceedings" role="parent" scope="local"><linktext>All 2240 works published by STC Proceedings</linktext></link>

<link type="reference" href="http://tc.eserver.org/authors/Cheirrett,_Peg_A." role="parent" scope="local"><linktext>All four works by Cheirrett, Peg A.</linktext></link>
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