ACM’s Computing Professionals Face New Challenges  

The ACM community is in a position to take a leadership role in responding to the challenges brought by last fall’s terror attacks. Some of us have already been contacted to contribute to designs for improving security at airports, verifying identity at check-in, or redesigning cockpits to give more options to pilots and ground controllers. Others will be asked to redesign systems that trace financial transactions across international borders or examine email patterns among loosely affiliated groups. These efforts win the broadest support when our decisions about how to pursue safety and security are coupled with a strong defense of civil liberties and privacy.

Shneiderman, Ben. University of Maryland (2001). Articles>TC>Professionalism

Approaches to Professionalism--A Codified Body of Knowledge      

Professionalism is a recurrent topic of discussion—formally and informally—among technical communication scholars and practitioners. In the diversity among our programs and approaches to technical communication, the difficult issues surrounding certification in technical communication is a professional goal that major stakeholders have typically considered too complex to be addressed. Increasingly, however, many of these stakeholders agree that we can no longer continue to ignore these complex issues. In an earlier article, I have described twelve issues that must be addressed and tasks that must be undertaken to move the profession towards meaningful certification. In that discussion, I also suggest approaches to begin the work on each of these steps. In this present discussion, I address the first of these steps—codification of the bodies of knowledge through the development of an encyclopedia of technical and professional communication. In order to accomplish this, I describe the categories of knowledge in the field and the editorial and organizational structure of the project.

Rainey, Kenneth T. IEEE PCS (2005). Articles>TC>Professionalism>Body of Knowledge

Attending an STC Conference on a Shoestring Budget

Companies are reducing their training budgets. During these austere times, the technical writer must get more creative than ever to participate in the annual conference. An informal survey of attendees at the 50th Annual Conference in Dallas showed that many people paid their own way to the conference. There are numerous ways to reduce the cost to attend the conference.

Bine, Katharyn. Usability Interface (2003). Articles>TC>Professionalism>STC

Code for Communicators

As a technical communicator, I am the bridge between those who create ideas and those who use them. Because I recognize that the quality of my services directly affects how well ideas are understood, I am committed to excellence in performance and the highest standards of ethical behavior.

STC Rocky Mountain Chapter (2004). Articles>TC>Professionalism

Core Competencies for Technical Communicators

There are core competencies and enabling competencies. The competency areas are Core Competencies, which distinguish a particular field from other fields. Enabling Competencies do not distinguish the field but are still required for its success.

Rainey, Kenneth T. TC-FORUM (2001). Articles>TC>Professionalism

Developing a Continuum to Describe Technical Communication  

The more integrated a discipline is, the greater the likelihood that the researchers are sharing ideas and the greater the chances are for developing theories and models to support the knowledge base. A fragmented discipline offers few connections between discussions and research. This study of technical communication literature reports and reflects upon the dialogue established among practitioners, researchers, and scholars as theories are built. A continuum--fragmented to integrated--places areas of study in technical communication and offers an interpretation of the field.

Smith, Elizabeth Overman 'Betsy'. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>TC>Research>Professionalism

Diverging Interests: Claims to Legitimacy in Technical Communication

As technical communication becomes more firmly established as a field, those in the discipline of technical communication and those in the profession are finding, sometimes to their surprise, that their interests differ. This difference is reflected in the varying claims to legitimacy made by those in professional practice and those in academia. These claims to legitimacy not only differ, but at times seem to be at odds with one another.

Anderson, Ginger. Michigan Tech University (1998). Articles>TC>Professionalism

INTECOM's Code of Good Practice

To improve the standards of technical communication throughout the world, INTECOM has approved this code of good practice as a guideline for the professional technical communicator in his or her daily, highly important task.

INTECOM (2003). Articles>TC>Standards>Professionalism

Moving In from the Periphery: Exploring the Disciplinary Labyrinth

Once you discover or identify work that you can be passionate about, use that as both a driving force and as a method of developing your place within the profession.

Eyman, Douglas. Michigan State University (2004). Articles>TC>Professionalism

Necessary Skills for Technical Communicators  

Under the direction of the U.S. Department of Labor, the Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) developed a list of key competencies. These competencies assure that students productively use resources, information, interpersonal skills, systems, and technology. The Commission also identified foundation skills focusing on basic skills, thinking skills, and personal qualities. Trends in labor, trends for technical communicators, and a description of skills set the stage for the development of the new Technical Communications curriculum at De Anza College, which now incorporates the skills industry demands.

Dowdney, Donna Lee. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>TC>Professionalism

On Advertising our Profession

All over the world professional organizations advertise the technical communication profession. My personal impression is this: Many of these activities address students of higher schools (which is basically fine), while others address professionals already working in the field (which only makes sense if the objective is to sell memberships or training). What I have not seen up to now are activities to address young people in the early process of planning their higher education and professional careers. The following thoughts contain some ideas for those trying to make our profession known to young people and to encourage them to consider a career in technical communication.

Schilliger, Reto. TC-FORUM (1999). Articles>TC>Professionalism

Personal Values and Professional Ethics  

We consider the effects of personal values systems on codes of ethics and how community and professional standards of behavior may reinforce professional codes. We suggest that a professional code of ethics is strengthened and reinforced as it more closely follows this rich history.

Stoner, Russell B. and Ann Marie LaBara. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>TC>Ethics>Professionalism

Professional Identities: What Is Professional about Professional Communication?    

Professional communication is a growing component of English departments and other communication programs. Yet, in most cases, the term professional communication is used as a catchall term for various types of workplace and occupational writing. As such,professional communication, as it is currently framed, seems to have little to do with professionalsor the process of professionalization. This article calls for a more thoroughexamination of the concept of professional communication by reviewing (1) the ways inwhich researchers have used this term to describe the rhetoric of professionals who communicate,(2) the democratic and knowledge-based contradictions between rhetoricalscholarship and professional powers, and (3) the current challenges facing professionalworkers, including deprofessionalization and proletarianization. The author argues thatif professional communication research and teaching are to remain prominent parts ofacademic programs, researchers, theorists, teachers, and students must become moreaware of conceptual issues that inform and define professional work.

Faber, Brenton D. STC Proceedings (2002). Articles>TC>Professionalism

Professional versus Practitioner: Making the Case for Theory

To the ongoing question over whether the status or role of the technical communicator is to be considered as that of a 'professional' versus a 'practitioner'. If the answer to this question is an unequivocal 'yes' then how do we as aspiring technical communicators position ourselves in the field to overcome this kind of prejudice and narrow-mindedness? Are there skills and theories that are important to learn or at least be aware of that will not only help foster respect for the field of technical communication as a recognized profession but also aid in distancing ourselves from being labeled mere practitioners?

Hubbard, Susan. Orange Journal, The (2002). Articles>TC>Professionalism

The Role of the Professional Technical Communicator

To meet the challenge of addressing the needs of subject matter experts (SME) and non-experts, alleviating fears, and keeping the public informed requires knowledge of communication theory, subject-matter expertise, and adherence to a code of ethics. A model illustrating the professional technical communicator's knowledge base and relationship with the SME and non-expert is presented.

Gilliland, Gail. Orange Journal, The (2002). Articles>TC>Professionalism>SMEs

Shaping the Future of Our Profession    

This article examines the implications of greater professionalism for the future directions of technical communication and the role of academic programs and professional societies in shaping the future of the profession.

Davis, Marjorie T. Technical Communication Online (2001). Articles>TC>Professionalism

STC Quality PIC Progression  

This progression is sponsored by the STC Quality Professional Interest Committee. Each subgroup within the Quality PIC is sponsoring a discussion table, with additional topics of special interest to technical communicators. These topics have been selected based on their timeliness and practical value to practicing technical communicators.

Fisher, Lori H., Donald S., Lenk, Jr, Ted Dennison, David Robbins, Richard D. Colvin, Connie 'C.J.' Bibus and Ralph E. Robinson. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>TC>Quality>Professionalism

Teaching Professionalism in the Classroom    

Looks at what it means to be professional as a technical writer, as a teacher, and as a student and explains how to teach professionalism in the classroom.

Campbell, Alexa. Intercom (2008). Articles>Education>TC>Professionalism

Technical Communicators - the Need for Categorisation

We all know that products are designed and developed by a variety of experts, such as engineers, programmers, scientists, and designers. And each of these experts belongs to a particular category. For example, engineers are divided into such categories as Mechanical Engineer, Electrical Engineer, or Aeronautical Engineer. Without that categorisation, there is no way that we can possibly know in what field a particular expert specialises. But who creates product documentation?

Curwen, Chris. TC-FORUM (2001). Articles>TC>Professionalism

Technically, It's All Communication: Defining the Field of Technical Communication

There is a certain need to define the field of technical communication: a definition that we as practicioners and scholars can adapt for different audiences in order to create a clear image. The reasons to create a definition are stronger than the reasoning behind letting our field remain perpetually undefined.

Metz Bemer, Amanda. Orange Journal, The (2005). Articles>TC>Professionalism

Usability: Lighting the Path to the Future of Technical Communication

The future of Technical Communication is something that we are all, as either practitioners, academics or students, keenly interested in. What is the future of our chosen discipline? What exactly is it that a practitioner in the field does today? This paper will explain that through examining one sub-discipline of Technical Communication, Usability, we may see an example of the beginnings of a pattern of professional development.

Torrence, Anthony. Orange Journal, The (2003). Articles>TC>Professionalism>Usability

Winning the Trust of the Researchers We Work With  

Technical communicators serve as bridges between researchers and a variety of audiences that include other researchers, the news media, and the public. The latter group includes potential funders, such as agency administrators and legislators, as well as scientists/engineers in other fields. Most professional discussions seem to center on how well we meet the needs of our various publics, but this discussion will look into the steps that we need to take to meet the needs of the researchers we work with and to win and maintain their trust. This discussion should emphasize the different “cultures” that are sometimes in conflict: for example, the standards and aims of the scientific and journalistic professions are quite different and sometimes contradictory.

Armbruster, David L., Judith Gunn Bronson, E. Charles Crume, Jr., Nancy E. Davis and Margaret Boone Nester. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>TC>Professionalism

A Worldwide Phenomenon  

The movement toward a global standard definition for our profession will be a long process, but it is already underway. STC is playing an important role in ensuring that the process benefits its members and contributes to the competitiveness of the firms that employ them.

Burton, Susan. Intercom (2007). Articles>TC>Professionalism>International

The Economics of Membership

Members often ask what advantages they receive for their membership dollars. The answer is so obvious we sometimes fail to see it. With apologies to the kind souls at MasterCard, a few thoughts on the value of your STC membership.

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. STC Phoenix (2006). Articles>TC>Professionalism>STC

So, Why Should You Be a Member of STC, Anyway?

As a former Board member, I was often buttonholed by members to discuss what the Board was doing and our plans for STC's future. One of the most common topics of discussion was, "What am I getting for my membership and why should I renew?" Why should you renew? Beats the heck outta me. But I can tell you why I renew, year after year after year.

Hedtke, John. Tieline (2008). Articles>TC>Professionalism>STC