#30100
Calm tension, communicate more easily, and run your projects more efficiently by applying the right relationship management techniques.
LaFerriere, Keith. List Apart, A (2007). Articles>Management>Collaboration
#25368
Have Women Websters Achieved Equality On the Internet?
Will cyberspace fulfill our dreams of creating a new work environment where not only women but men can choose to work remotely at home, rocking babies with one hand while pushing pixels with the other? There are no easy answers.
Bucqueroux, Bonnie. Wise-Women (2004). Careers>Web Design>Collaboration>Gender
#37072
James’ teaching style is clear, and approachable and in just under three hours of training viewers get a complete overview of what to expect when expecting to become a Web designer. He keeps the concepts simple and uncluttered, and encourages people to mimic that approach in their designs. While this training course doesn’t necessarily teach the step-by-steps of how to build an entire hand-coded site with drop down navigation and fancy rollovers, think of it as the Lonely Planet guide for Web design.
Read, Megan O. UX Magazine (2010). Articles>Reviews>Web Design>Collaboration
#14755
Helping New Writers Through Their First Year 
Von Haas examines techniques for helping new technical writers achieve success in the profession.
Von Haas, Elaina E. Intercom (2002). Careers>Collaboration>Mentoring
#34780
HelpScribe: Technical Communicators Cannot be Provoked
Have you ever received a review comment that totally ticked you off? Perhaps a sarcastic comment with no practical suggestion for improving the content? Maybe even one that questioned your abilities as a writer and the value of your contribution to the product? The dangerous thing about being a writer is that you're well equipped for unleashing scathing replies. If your buttons have been pushed, chances are your retaliation will bite deep and leave no room for misinterpretation. After all, you sling words for a living, right? Like the hands of Kwai Chang Caine, your words are deadly weapons. Hold that thought.
HelpScribe (2009). Articles>Collaboration>Advice
#29336
The Hidden Relationship Between Project Managers and Technical Writers 
Want to know the secret to better quality documentation and improved software design? Will Kelly outlines how the key is an effective relationship between project managers and technical writers.
Kelly, William T. TechRepublic (2003). Articles>Collaboration>Project Management>Technical Writing
#35693
At the time I’m writing this column, it’s that “happy” time in the United States between the Thanksgiving holiday in late November (the fourth Thursday of the month) and the impending Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year’s holidays. Well, the “happy” part is debatable, as this period has become characterized by the absolute chaos of shopping, the challenges of winter travel and the “holiday crunch” in the workplace to complete as much as possible before most everyone disappears for a week or two.
Edwards, Tom. TC World (2008). Articles>Collaboration>International
#37816
The Holy Grail of Innovation: It Takes an Ensemble to Achieve Inspired Creativity
Have you ever seen really good improv? Did you walk out of the experience willing to swear that the actors had rehearsed it ahead of time or it was some kind of magic? I’ll let you in on an actor’s secret: chances are the work was neither rehearsed nor magic! What’s more likely is that the group performing the improv was a true ensemble of actors who had trained and practiced the principles of improv and were accustomed to working together. When it comes to knowing how to achieve innovative design, you may be just as mystified as you were watching that improv. Everywhere around us today, we feel the desire and drive to build innovative products and find creative solutions to design problems. I’m sure you have, at times, thought those were impossible goals to achieve. But if we take some lessons from the practice of theatrical improvisation, we’ll discover it isn’t really that hard at all.
Lepore, Traci. UXmatters (2010). Articles>Collaboration
#14051
Hot Politics: The Changing Places of Political Participation in the Age of the Internet
Among the many complexities of power, economics, interests, personality, passions, social interaction, ideology, culture, and religion that keep politics both more and less than rational deliberation are those that arise from the dynamics of literate interchange, the historical formation of forums, and the generic shaping of utterances within those forums. Recent research on genre and discursive systems, along with situated cognition and action, suggests that the character of the local activity space is extremely important for what happens, what people think and learn, and what social consequences emerge. While the shape of politics to emerge in the cyber world is still somewhat obscure, by considering the forums of political interchange that are emerging on the internet, how they draw on previous forums and genres of political interchange, and the pressures that seem to be encouraging the heightening of certain elements within those genres, we may gain a first reading of some choices in front of us.
Bazerman, Charles. UCSB (2000). Articles>Collaboration>Online>Politics
#18377
How Can We Assist Clients in Becoming More Successful at Conflict Resolution?
A void exists in our social skill set that leaves us incapable of successfully resolving the conflicts we face in our personal and professional lives. Conflict and dispute resolution is a skill we all must learn. Practitioners need to assist clients to reach beyond just settling their current conflict. We should include the skill building, coaching and support necessary for disputants to make the paradigm shift from disputing parties to conflict resolution advocates with a positive perspective on conflict and its resolution.
Odidison, Joyce. Mediate.com (2002). Articles>Communication>Collaboration
#35870
How Can We Better Educate Our Clients?
"I'm going away on vacation now. Will you please get this thing localized while I'm gone?" Do you recognize this scenario? Two minutes before your own vacation starts, one of your key clients kicks off the localization of a software suite into 14 languages for what he claims is his company's most important release ever. One minute before your vacation, you receive a poorly prepared file hand-off kit comprising software for translation, documentation, help systems, marketing material, etc. To top it off, your client contact forgot to appoint a replacement contact during his vacation - so you're on your own.
Deibjerg, Thomas. GALAxy Newsletter (2007). Articles>Language>Localization>Collaboration
#34860
Even a newspaper like The Times, with layers of editing to ensure accuracy, can go off the rails when communication is poor, individuals do not bear down hard enough, and they make assumptions about what others have done.
Hoyt, Clark. New York Times, The (2009). Articles>Editing>Collaboration>Case Studies
#23385
How Do You Believe You Add Value to the Development of an Information System?
In recent months, as part of my doctoral research, I have been interviewing technical communicators, users and developers of information systems to try and find out if in fact the work of a technical communicator is of value to those developing and using information systems. The interviews demonstrated clearly that technical communicators do add value. This was further confirmed in Paris where I discussed my work with technical communicators at the Comtec '97 conference. The following discussion encapsulates some of the comments from participants at Comtec '97 and the interviews I conducted.
Fisher, Julie L. TC-FORUM (2003). Articles>Collaboration>TC
#29341
How Do You Deal With a CEO Who Wants to Run the IT Department?
A CEO is enamored with technology but doesn't understand the issues involved in implementing his time- and money-hungry IT ideas. What would you do to solve this problem?
Roberts, Becky. TechRepublic (2003). Careers>Management>Technology>Collaboration
#28631
How Employees Fight Back Against Workplace Bullying
Adult bullying at work is a shocking, terrifying, and at times shattering experience. What's more, bullying appears to be quite common, as one in ten U.S. workers report feeling bullied at work, and one in four report working in extremely hostile environments. Workplace bullying is repetitive, enduring abuse that escalates over time and results in serious harm to those targeted, to witnessing coworkers, and to the organizations that allow it to persist. Bullying runs the gamut of hostile communication and behavior and can consist of excluding and ignoring certain workers, throwing things and destroying work, public humiliation and embarrassment, screaming and swearing, and occasionally even physical assault. What makes workplace bullying so harmful is its persistent nature. Exposed workers report that bullying goes on and on, lasting for months and--in many cases--even years.
Lutgen-Sandvik, Pamela. Communication Currents (2007). Articles>Business Communication>Collaboration
#29546
How Important Is It To Streamline Communication
Today's organizations must contend with increasingly complex communications environments that feature a wide array of communications methods. Employees, business partners, and customers communicate with one another through infinite combinations of phones, voice messaging, e-mail, fax, mobile clients, rich-media conferencing and other communication gadgets. One thing that is very important is proper communication. Whether you use the age-old snail mail or an email, the key to success lies in effective communication. One should get clear message as to what exactly is required or told by you. It is very important to streamline communication whether you are conversing in person or through an age-old snail mail, email or over the phone.
ArticleMuse (2007). Articles>Communication>Collaboration>Minimalism
#24496
During scientific researchers' collaborations, authors draw on many extratextual resources (social, intellectual and empirical) which are deployed in their texts.
Bazerman, Charles. WAC Clearinghouse (1991). Articles>Scientific Communication>Collaboration
#26996
How Product Teams Benefit from Usability
Product teams can leverage usability in three simple ways. First, usability can disambiguate requirements. Second, it can push a product closer to perfection with a small investment. Finally, usability helps product teams inform the organization about potential and expected support issues.
Rhodes, John S. Apogee (2006). Articles>Usability>Collaboration
#37241
How Sharing Increases Innovation
I believe there is a strong tie between sharing and the ability to innovate. This post will walk you through the logic.
Chase, Robin. Shareable (2010). Articles>Collaboration
#35586
One common complaint a lot of technical writers have is that they aren’t included early enough in lifecycle of a project. The downsides are that by the time work hits your desk you don’t have a full picture of who the customer is, why they want whatever it is you are building, and how they want it provided to them. All of which directly impacts the information being created.
McLean, Donna. One Man Writes (2009). Articles>Project Management>Technical Writing>Collaboration
#31526
How to Avoid Networking Faux Pas
It's no secret that networking is a key factor in career success. And failing to keep an active network can hinder your employment prospects if you suddenly find yourself in the job market with no contacts or references. As a professional communicator, you already know how important connections are. But a network must be continually nurtured, and you may be neglecting yours unintentionally. Here are 10 common networking mistakes and tips to avoid them
McDonald, Paul. Communication World Bulletin (2003). Articles>Collaboration>Community Building
#22837
How to Become a Value-Add Technical Communicator to Scientists, Engineers, and Technical Staff
At one time or another most technical communicators have had to work with scientific/technical professionals who were the authors of their own research projects or product documentation. As a group, engineers more so than scientists do not view writing documentation as a critical (though perhaps important) part of the product or their job description. The technical publications team in Motorola’s RISC Systems Engineering Division has adopted seven strategies developed by the author that will help get engineers, programmers, and other technical professionals clamoring for the services of technical communicators. This paper addresses these seven strategies.
LeVie, Donald S., Jr. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>Collaboration>Engineering
#30808
How to Convince Others of the Importance of Documentation
If you've been a technical writer for long, chances are you've had to convince someone of the importance of documentation. It just comes with the territory. People often don't see the value of writing technical manuals. So how do you convince them?
HelpScribe (2008). Articles>Documentation>Collaboration
#38309
How to Convince Someone that You're Right
Can you change someone's mind about something? Really, this is important. To create almost anything significant, you've got to change someone's mind along the way. Convince the boss to sign off on a decision. Convince the team to adopt a new process. Convince the developer to implement a new design. And so on. There are two ways of convincing someone of something.
Hurst, Mark. Good Experience (2011). Articles>Rhetoric>Collaboration
#29254
How to Deliver Bad News to Customers
In order to be effective in the usability business, you have to face the fact that you'll have to deliver bad news. You have to talk about what's not working. You might have to bruise egos and make your client uncomfortable.
Rhodes, John S. Apogee. Careers>Consulting>Usability>Collaboration
