Applying Technical Communication Theory in the Workplace: Can Theoretical Frameworks Survive in the World of e-Business?  

Technical communication is usually seen as a practical profession -- one that emphasizes products, process and results -- rather than one that emphasizes theory and broad, generalized application of research results.

Grice, Roger A. STC Proceedings (2001). Presentations>TC>Workplace>Theory

As Simple As Possible...And No Simpler  

A PowerPoint presentation about the difficulties of categorizing technical communication. It's not an easy thing to do, if the journals and textbooks in our own field don't consistently agree as to the major and minor categories. This PDF version of a PowerPoint presentation outlines the issues confronted by the EServer TC Library as it attempts to create a system of categories for its index of thousands of works in the fields of technical, scientific and professional communication.

Sauer, Geoffrey. ATTW (2005). Presentations>TC>Taxonomy

Bridging Cultures: Working Overseas  

Working in another country can be a rewarding, exciting experience. Preparing for an overseas job, however, involves more than sorting out visas, work permits, inoculations, and currency exchanges. You must also learn as much as possible about the host culture in order to avoid some of the more unpleasant “cultural pitfalls” discussed in this session. Once you are aware of these issues, you can reasonably assess whether an overseas project is right for you.

Guren, Leah. STC Proceedings (1998). Presentations>TC>International

The Career Survey Scope, Design, and Implications for Training and Education  

How do technical writers develop professionally after they graduate from college? To find the answer we developed a technical communication career survey between March and July, 1992, and polled members of STC. This panel discusses career development theory, the results of our survey and the reactions of actual technical writers who completed the survey.

Philbin, Alice I. STC Proceedings (1993). Presentations>TC>Statistics

Cases in International Technical Communication  

Solve complex and real cases in international technical communication with your peers. Have fun, learn a lot, and meet interesting people while you’re at it!

Hoft, Nancy L. STC Proceedings (1998). Presentations>TC>International

The Changing Face of Technical Communication: New Directions for the Field in a New Millennium    

Identifies four different factors shaping the future of technical communication: user-centered design, corporate universities, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and knowledge management. The authors each address how factors once considered external to the field of technical communication are now becoming thoroughly integrated with it. These four studies, in conjunction, suggest how the field of technical communication is becoming increasingly complex and how participants (practitioners, researchers, and educators) will need to adapt to this new terrain.

Zachry, Mark, Kelli Cargile Cook, Brenton D. Faber and David Clark. ACM SIGDOC (2001). Presentations>TC>History

Changing to Outwit Change: Staying Motivated in the '90s  

Keeping motivation high and steady has never been easy; the changes of the 1990’s have made self-motivation even more difficult. We are expected to do more, faster, and better--with less structure and supervision. Simultaneously, other demands upon our time and energy have built, not lessened. Although the seriousness of these challenges cannot be denied, they can be met by the development of a motivational strategy requiring self-knowledge, self-discipline, and the willingness to change, as well as offering concrete ways of coping with the 90’s and making them productive, even happy. This Workshop will be a team presentation, alternating motivational theory/practice with supporting theories of brain functioning.

Weis, Monica and Alec Sutherland. STC Proceedings (1996). Presentations>TC>History

Changing to Outwit Change: Staying Motivated in the '90s  

Keeping motivation high and steady has never been easy; the changes of the 1990’s have made self-motivation even more difficult. We are expected to do more, faster, and better--with less structure and supervision. Simultaneously, other demands upon our time and energy have built, not lessened. Although the seriousness of these challenges cannot be denied, they can be met by the development of a motivational strategy requiring self-knowledge, self-discipline, and the willingness to change, as well as offering concrete ways of coping with the 90’s and making them productive, even happy. This Workshop will be a team presentation, alternating motivational theory/practice with supporting theories of brain functioning.

Weis, Monica and Alec Sutherland. STC Proceedings (1996). Presentations>TC>History

Defining Today’s Workplace: Employment Options for Technical Communicators  

A document about employment options for technical communication students.

Bommarito, Julie. Mercer University. Careers>TC>Presentations

Designing for People: Human Factors for Technical Communicators  

What are human factors? Why do technical communicators care?

Ames, Andrea L. STC Region 7 Proceedings (2002). Presentations>Human Computer Interaction>TC>Asia

Developing Products and Their Rhetoric from a Single Hierarchical Model  

Goal hierarchies are models that represent a set of problems or goals. Goal hierarchies can also represent the goals of a product, and the information that should be provided to explain the product. A single goal hierarchy can direct the design of both the product and all rhetoric about the product. Goal hierarchies can direct the design and ordering of the tasks required to build the product. They can also define the structure and order of its accompanying text, online help, hypertext, training, and customer support heuristic. Goal hierarchies were used to enhance development of a specific Department of Veterans Affairs information product and its accompanying rhetoric.

White, Basil J. STC Proceedings (1996). Presentations>Rhetoric>TC

Do A Presentation At The STC 42nd Annual Conference!  

Both old hands and newcomers can create a plan to do a presentation at the next STC Annual Conference. Simply follow this 5-step process: (1) Understand the call for proposals. (2) Discover possible topics to develop. (3) Identify gifts--something of value--to give your audience in your presentation and in your paper (if you do one). (4) Think of appealing gift wraps to attract your hearers and readers. (5) Prepare a thorough proposal for the Program Committee. This process works best in a workshop where the participants can form a critical mass for creative excitement, help one another generate ideas--and have fun!

Dean, Morris. STC Proceedings (1994). Presentations>TC>Research>STC

Do a Presentation for the 41st STC Annual Conference!  

Both old hands and newcomers can create a plan to do a presentation at the next STC Annual Conference. Simply follow this 5-step process: (1) Understand the call for papers. (2) Discover possible topics to develop. (3) Identify gifts—something of value—to give your audience in your presentation and in your paper (if you do one). (4) Think of interesting gift wraps to attract your hearers and readers. (5) Prepare a complete proposal for the Program Committee. This process works best in a workshop where the participants can form a critical muss for creative excitement, help one another generate ideas—and have fun!

Dean, Morris. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>TC>Presentations>STC

The Dynamics of Collaborative Design  

The University of Colorado at Denver’s Internet Task Force designed a home page on the World Wide Web (WWW) for the School of Education, while simultaneously studying the group dynamics of the collaborative learning/design process. We developed a 4-point model which is appropriate for technically sophisticated adult learners, instructional designers, software developers, and information technologists. Critical features are reflection-in-action, building a common knowledge base, taking ownership of an authentic task, and generating research questions.

Sherry, Lorraine C. and Karen Madsen Myers. STC Proceedings (1996). Presentations>Collaboration>TC

Education and Training Stem Overview  

The field of technical communication is transforming at a rapid rate, responding to scientific and technological advancements, economic pressures, and social changes. This makes our field exciting and challenging. The excitement and challenge is intensified for educators and trainers, because we must stay high on the learning curve in order to help prepare others to meet the challenges and prosper by the changes. At the same time, we must be sure to integrate new knowledge, technologies, and skills with what is valuable in the old rather than simply letting the new displace the old.

Hirst, Russel. STC Proceedings (1996). Presentations>Education>TC

Ethics du Jour: A Model for Ethical Decision Making in Technical Communication  

The purpose of this presentation is to introduce general guidelines or rules that technical communicators can use to deal with their specific ethical situations.

Slaughter, George. STC Proceedings (2001). Presentations>TC>Ethics

Ethics in the 20th Century and the 21st  

Ten to twenty Fellows of the Society share their stories of ethical dilemmas from their collective storehouse of experience. Their experiences come from virtually every major industry, many minor industries, the military and academia. In just two minutes, each speaker will tell of his or her most poignant ethical challenge. Subjects vary from business ethics to communication ethics—see Code for Communicators.

Malcolm, Andrew. STC Proceedings (1999). Presentations>TC>Ethics

Forming a Policies and Procedures Professional Interest Committe  

This session offers participants an opportunity to learn and contribute ideas about forming a policies and procedures professional interest committee (PIC) within STC. The presenter defines 'policies and procedures' and its growing importance in industry. Represents STC’s requirements for forming a PIC. He proposes a mission statement, goals, objectives, and activities for having this PIC. Participants comment on and volunteer for making this PIC a success.

Urgo, Raymond E. STC Proceedings (1994). Presentations>Collaboration>TC>STC

FORUM ’95 Conference Demonstrates International Cooperation  

The unusual mix of participants and formats in the FORUM 95 conference supported international cooperation and demonstrated new approaches for professional conferences. The FORUM 95 conference, held November 13-15, 1995, in Dortmund, Germany, supported international cooperation through its themes and organization. Using English as the operating language, FORUM 95 attracted widespread international participation. With the theme of “Disappearing Borders,” the conference demonstrated how limitations in political boundaries, media, and employment locations have shifted during the last five years. For example, registrants from the former East Germany, South Africa, and Estonia brought new perspectives on technical communication. Among more than 320 attendees, 41% were German, 13% Dutch, 12% Swedish, 10% US, 6% British, 4% Danish, 3% Norwegian, 8% all other European, 3% all other.

Reilly, Annette D. STC Proceedings (1996). Presentations>TC>International

Full-Employment Legislation for Technical Writers  

Most of us view government regulations negatively. Yet they provide a multitude of opportunities for technical writers. What are these opportunities? Where are they? How can you take advantage of them? A chance opportunity knocked on the author's door. Her experience can guide you to find and knock on opportunity's door.

Dean, Carolyn. STC Proceedings (1993). Presentations>TC>Legislation>Technical Writing

GRAYSCALE: A Workshop in Ethics and Technical Communication  

Increasingly, technical communicators are confronting ethical issues in the workplace. Conflicts arise that appear to defy black-and-white solutions. To render every verdict as “gray,” however, begs the question. This workshop exposes participants to the use of value analysis to clarify ethical conflicts in technical communication. The presenters use a framework of 10 common values, based on the initial work of the STC Ethics Committee, to support objective analysis and resolution of such ethical conflicts. The workshop gives participants the opportunity to explore ethical dilemmas “hands-on” through small-group discussions and a series of role-playing vignettes on selected conflict scenarios.

Allen, Lori A. and Daniel W. Voss. STC Proceedings (1996). Presentations>TC>Ethics

How Did the Special Needs Committee Get Started?  

A member of STC’s Special Needs Committee describes the history and goals of the Committee.

Hanigan, Mark. STC Proceedings (2000). Presentations>TC>History

The Impact of Current Trends on TCOM Curricula  

Rapidly changing processes in internationalization, in emerging technologies, and in instructional delivery systems require program directors and faculty to constantly evaluate and re-evaluate the extent to which they consider these changes in curricula development. This evaluation should not necessarily result in curricula molded in the image of industry, for many changes in technological processes are ephemeral.

Rainey, Kenneth T. CPTSC Proceedings (2003). Presentations>Education>TC

Information as Commodity: The State of Technical Communication in the New Millenium  

With the information revolution, technical communicators need to problematize the definition of information, re-evaluate our role in the information food chain as both information producers and consumers, and re-examine how and why we produce information.

Chu, Steve W. STC Proceedings (2000). Presentations>TC>Information Design