The Society for Technical Communication (STC) is an international professional society for the advancement of the theory and practice of technical communication. It has hundreds of local chapters (also known as 'communities.'
#30480
This scholarship is for those who are interested in studying for a degree or attending a continuing education or training course in one of these areas. Applicants must be female. Applicants must be working full- or part-time for the U.S. federal government as a secretary or administrative assistant. Applicants should be interested in enrolling in a training or academic class related to technical communication.
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Marketing Communication and Technical Communication: Not So Strange Bedfellows 
What is the difference between marketing communication and technical communication? What are the purposes of each, and how different are those purposes? What results do you look for to evaluate the effectiveness of marketing communication? Of technical communication? Is one more 'creative' than the other? In various guises over the years, I’ve handled marketing communications for technical products, services, and subjects as part of whatever income-generating position I’ve held. I’ve learned it really doesn’t matter what marketing communication materials we’re talking about. Everything from brochures to direct mail to e-commerce Websites can and should be approached the same way.
Teich, Thea. STC Central Iowa (2000). Articles>TC>Marketing
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Marketing Technical Communication Services Effectively 
During 1993 and 1994, three Western Canadian chapters of the STC collaborated on a research project, funded by Western Economic Diversification and the STC, to discover how clients and practitioners view technical communication. As one of the final products, we commissioned a half-hour presentation designed to market technical communication services. At this session, we describe the project and deliver the half-hour presentation. We invite the audience to evaluate the presentation as a marketing tool.
Conklin, John James and Sheila C. Jones. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>TC>Marketing>Canada
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Marketing the Wily Technical Writer
If the world really is run by C students, then you have to ask yourself a question: How do I market myself in an ocean of average? Today's competitive job market can be a hard nut to crack. How do you stand out in that crowd?
Knowles, Michael. Write Thinking (2002). Careers>TC
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Marketing Yourself as a Technical Communicator
No matter what your current status—employee, looking for a job, or independent consultant—marketing yourself is necessary. Marketing is determining what your customers need and then showing how whatever you are selling meets those needs, i.e., provides benefits, and does it better than the competition. When you market yourself, you are basically doing the same thing. If you are an employee, how are you developing your skills so they continue to meet the changing needs of your employer? If you are looking for a job, how does what you bring to the table make you a better candidate than everyone else? If you are an independent, how do you benefit your clients so they turn to you over and over again?
Teich, Thea. STC Proceedings (2002). Careers>TC>Collaboration
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As a technical communicator you know that the work you do adds value to the final product, but how do you demonstrate this to management? Research that I have undertaken recently focused on how technical communicators add value to the development of software, particularly information systems. What is presented here are some examples of how I found technical communicators added value and how I measured the value.
Fisher, Julie L. TC-FORUM (2000). Articles>TC>Assessment
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Measuring the Value Added by Professional Technical Communicators 
Many organizations underestimate what technical communicators do for them. This article studies how to quantify the measure of return on investment in TC.
Ramey, Judith A. and Janice C. 'Ginny' Redish. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (1993). Articles>TC>Assessment
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Measuring the Value Added by Professional Technical Communicators: Results of a Study
For the past year, we have been studying how to measure the value that technical communicators add to organizations. We have been investigating questions like these: How can technical communicators show that they add value? How much difference do technical communicators make in specific cases? In this panel, we report on results.
Blackwell, C. Al, Reva F. Daniel, Denise D. Pieratti, Judith A. Ramey, Janice C. 'Ginny' Redish and Cathy J. Spencer. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>TC>Assessment
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Measuring the Value Added by Technical Documentation: A Review of Research and Practice 
Like any business activity, technical documentation must add value to a company’s product or service. This article reviews the principles by which the value of technical documentation can be measured, as shown by recent research in technical communication and other fields. Documentation value is the relationship of the cost of documentation to the total monetary value returned. Cost can be established through careful benchmarking. Monetary value can be returned in one or more of three fundamental ways: reducing internal investment; directly improving return on investment through increased sales; and reducing after-sales costs, such as support. While studies exist showing value added in all three categories, the second category, direct translation of increased documentation investment into increased sales, deserves the closest attention. Further, increased research in this area will lead to an improved understanding of information as the product itself, rather than simply a supporting component. Finally, doc
Mead, Jay. Technical Communication Online (1998). Articles>TC>Assessment
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In this interactive session, we will lead technical communicators through a process of setting up and conducting a study to find out how much support is costing their organization or their clients’ organizations. We will also help technical communicators cost-justify their work by estimating reductions in support costs. We will help them plan case studies to show how highquality technical communications can reduce support calls and costs.
Ramey, Judith A. and Janice C. 'Ginny' Redish. STC Proceedings (1995). Careers>TC>Quality
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Measuring Value Added: Rationale and Approaches
This panel will present case studies on the value added by technical communicators and their information products to the products and services they support. Many of us practitioners would like to do more value-adding assessments, but don’t know how to adapt the measures to our real-world situations of limited budget and often limited interest among our customers. The panel will focus on practical approaches for applying some of the metrics used to calculate the value of our products and services (1,2). We will also discuss the benefits of this exercise for ourselves and our customers. With the current economic clime, waiting for others to determine the value of their work often means waiting in unemployment lines.
Knodel, Elinor L., Sandra M. Gallagher, Judith Leetham, Theresa Marchwinski, Amy E. Smith and Emily A. Sopensky. STC Proceedings (1996). Presentations>TC>Assessment
#23575
Meet the Editors of the Technical Communication Journals
Description of each journal in the field, written by its editor or editors, then edited for length by Mike Markel.
Carson, David L., Thomas Kent, Mary Lay Mike Markel, Frank R. Smith and Billie Wahlstrom. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>TC>Publishing
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Meeting The Challenge Of Change, Sharing Ideas For The STC 42nd Annual Conference
In this panel discussion, the program manager and stem managers for the 42nd STC Annual Conference (scheduled for April 23 through 26,1995, in Washington, D. C.) will be available to share their ideas for the upcoming conference program and to hear your suggestions and ideas for meeting the challenge of change. Only issues related to the program will be discussed.
Armbruster, David L., Deborah L. Baxley Cynthia J. Brock, Steven M. Cascone, Constance L. Kiernan, Deirdre A. Murr, Linda L. Oestreich, Tom Wall and Carolyn L. Watt. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>TC>Presentations>STC
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Many chapters have membership drives in the Fall. Not a big deal, something we’ve always done. However, today membership drives can play an important role in sustaining STC.
Baker, Jonathan W. MetroVoice (2002). Articles>TC>Community Building>STC
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Methods of Providing Employment Information
STC Employment Information Committees provide information to employers and job seekers in a variety of ways. They help job seekers with job hunting skills and resume writing. They enable job seekers to register their names with job banks and to receive job postings. They enable employers to list job postings and to receive names of job seekers. Many different methods are used to provide this information: newsletter articles, resume seminars, job fairs and workshops, job-seeking counseling, networking at meetings, resume banks, job listings, job phone lines, electronic bulletin boards, and e-mail listings.
Masse, Roger E. STC Proceedings (1995). Careers>TC>Community Building>STC
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Le Métier de Rédacteur Technique
Le rôle du rédacteur technique est de permettre une compréhension et une utilisation simple d'un produit ou d'un service. Pour cela, il utilise un langage clair et pertinent, adapté au public concerné. Le rédacteur se met à la portée de l'utilisateur. Il connaît son public et l'usage qu'il fera du produit. Le niveau de vulgarisation varie donc en fonction de l'utilisateur. Le rédacteur technique est capable d'exécuter une grande variété de tâches.
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Metodi di Comunicazione Tecnica
Il modulo si propone di fornire allo studente la conoscenza e gli strumenti per la gestione e lo sviluppo dell'informazione tecnica, soprattutto nel settore meccanico.
Paolo, Chiabert. Politecnico di Torino (2000). (Italian) Academic>Courses>TC
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MetroVoice is the official newsletter of the New York Metro Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication.
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This update shares the organizational model developed in five key areas to determine what the 'ideal state' of STC might look like in the future.
STC Transformation (2004). Articles>TC>Planning
#10044
Models, Processes, and Techniques of Information Design
Although graphic design and document design are important aspects of it, information design has a much broader focus than just the appearance of information. Its ultimate focus is on the effectiveness of that information.
Carliner, Saul. Saul Carliner Studio. Design>Information Design>TC
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Momma, Don't Let Your Babies be Tech Writers
If you have the stomach for it, technical writing can be the path to a full-time writing career. I did it for three years before switching to general business writing, which offers more variety. If you decide to go technical, be sure to keep reading the work of authors you admire so your day job doesn't make you forget everything you ever knew about 'real' writing.
Wormald, Karen. Absolute Write (2001). Careers>TC>Writing>Technical Writing
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The Monaco Group invigorates communication research and practice in commercial and non-profit environments by developing new approaches and new solutions to communication problems.
EServer (2002). Organizations>TC>Online
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More Results on Measuring the Value Added by Professional Technical Communicators
Measuring value added is a topic of great concern to technical communicators. At the 1994 conference, represented results from a year-long project that included a questionnaire and several case studies. STC then funded a second, smaller project in which we are following up with some of the people who responded to the questionnaire and in which we are collecting new case studies.
Ramey, Judith A. and Janice C. 'Ginny' Redish. STC Proceedings (1995). Presentations>TC>Assessment
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This article first reviews the current literature that addresses the value of the technical communicator. Whereas those discussions focus on what is delivered to the user (reader), this article examines the value the technical communicator adds by creating organization (internal) knowledge. The article then examines the philosophical underpinnings that support any discussion of knowledge and defines the role of technical communicators as creators of knowledge. Finally, it offers an expanded value proposition for technical communicators and examines its practical implications.
Hughes, Michael A. Technical Communication Online (2002). Articles>TC>Assessment
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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
