Gain the edge and get results with certification! This year’s preconference sessions include a two-day CPTC exam prep class that will look at the requirements for CPTC Foundation Certification and cover the nine core skill areas of technical communication. The class will also address topics included in the certification exam, exam format, and sample questions. Students will be able to sit for the exam at the end of the two-day period.
Registration for this class is an additional fee and is managed independently by Red Desk Studio.
Chris Hester, an accredited CPTC trainer, will teach the class. Visit CPTC Foundation Exam Prep Class to learn more and register today!
This is a two-day Preconference workshop held on Saturday and Sunday.
Leadership Program Agenda
7:30-8:00
Registration & Coffee
8:00-8:30
Comments, Welcome from STC Leadership
Adriane Hunt, Cindy Pao, Liz Pohland
8:30-9:15:
Keynote Address: Flow-Based Leadership
Judy Glick-Smith
9:15-9:30
Networking Break
9:30-10:15
Succession Planning Panel
Carolyn Kelley Klinger and Ben Woelk
10:15-10:30
Networking Break
10:30-11:30
Breakout Sessions
Sessions Presented Twice:
Resources on the STC web site; tour of new site: Kobla Fiagbedzi
New Leader Table:The Basics of Running a Community; Resources available to leaders from the STC & CAC Community Handbook- Jamye Sagan and Cindy Pao
Mentoring: groups of leaders talking with each other about different topic: James Bousquet
10:30-11:00
Pacesetter award winner projects: Viqui Dill
Student Outreach Program; Article Writing Competition, IDL SIG-Sylvia Miller and Viqui Dill
Sponsorship/scholarship for students, Philadelphia Metro Chapter-Timothy Esposito
Multi-Community Virtual Techcomm Showcase, Rochester Chapter-Ben Woelk
Volunteer Incentive Program (VIP), Chicago Chapter, and Community Achievement Award Application: MaryKay Grueneberg
Tech Support Table: Adobe Connect, other technology: Roger Renteria
Have a question about using Adobe Connect for your community? Are you considering to use a webinar format for your meetings? Do you know how to record and download your webinars? Learn about the basics on how to use Adobe Connect for STC Communities and bring in more participants for your community! Roger will be available to help you out and answer any questions you have and best practices for webinars.
11:00-11:30
Manager’s Handbook: Mellissa Ruryk
Every year (or every other year), SIG volunteers come and go. How do you preserve the knowledge of the ones who leave? How do you get newcomers up to speed quickly and doing things the way your chapter/community has worked out as a best practice? A Community manual goes a long way to providing continuity and consistency in making these transitions smooth and efficient. Mellissa will show off the IDL SIG’s Community manual’s Table of Contents and lead a discussion of which items should be “written in stone” and where it’s better to just “wing it.”
Present CAA Awards
11:30-12:00
Closing Remarks
Gain the edge and get results with certification! This year’s preconference sessions include a two-day CPTC exam prep class that will look at the requirements for CPTC Foundation Certification and cover the nine core skill areas of technical communication. The class will also address topics included in the certification exam, exam format, and sample questions. Students will be able to sit for the exam at the end of the two-day period.
Registration for this class is an additional fee and is managed independently by Red Desk Studio.
Chris Hester, an accredited CPTC trainer, will teach the class. Visit CPTC Foundation Exam Prep Class to learn more and register today!
This is a two-day Preconference workshop held on Saturday and Sunday.
http://adobetechcommworkshopatstcsummit2017.campaignsandevents.com/.
The workshop is free, but registration is required.
Do you work in a multi-product environment and struggle to keep content experiences consistent and delightful for your customers across the enterprise? Do you feel that your style and design guidance is necessary, but not sufficient, to address the task of ensuring your content is delivered to the right person, in the right place, and at the right time? If so, join Andrea for this deep-dive into modeling the content experience. You will dive into a real-world example and work in a group to follow Andrea's process for creating the framework of several models. You will complete enough of each model to continue the process back on the job, and you will take away actionable advice, tips, and tricks to make the work as efficient and successful as possible. Bring your questions and plan to get your hands dirty and have fun!
In this hands-on workshop, you will learn
Relationship Revolution: Elevating Your Impact and Influence in the Connected Age
We are entering the greatest period of business transformation the world has ever known. The rigid models and long-standing rules we’ve come to count upon for centuries are no longer reliable. The constant state of disruption we are experiencing mandates a new level of courage and influence in order to effectively impact our organizations and those around us.
This program is designed to help individual contributors and leaders understand the forces impacting the new state of work today and arm them with the practical tools and techniques to deepen their connection to those around them and amplify their capacity to positively effect change and influence outcomes.
Attendees gain:
Deep insights into the macro drivers of change impacting the new world of work.
Insights on the roadblocks preventing us from forming meaning relationships in the connected age.
New perspectives on the power of empathy, authenticity, and vulnerability to foster lasting bonds and ultimately influence change.
Strategies for navigating the connected age’s forces of distraction.
Location: Bond 45 Restaurant, 149 Waterfront Street
Leave at 11:15 AM from in front of Belevedere Lobby Bar of the Gaylord to walk to restaurant
Contact: Li-At (Ruttenberg) Rathbun, Li-At.Ruttenberg@stc-techedit.org
With the emergence of social media in the last decade or so, there has been a paradigm shift in consumers. They no longer rely on conventional advertisements or marketing/technical literature to make a purchase. They would rather rely on a trusted source within the online or social community who can influence their purchasing decision by providing a true, holistic view of the product or its features. Brands also realize the true reach and engagement of social media influencers, and thus want to work with them in order to create authentic content about their offering, drive engagement around their brand, and push traffic to their websites or landing pages.
Technical communicators all over the world are known to have a range of skills or abilities that make them successful in the workplace. By being the best communicators within the organization, they can leverage third-party social media tools like blogs, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. to create a communication channel with customers, potentially influencing their purchasing decisions in the process.
My presentation will focus on how social media can be part of your set of technical communication skills.
The shortage of qualified engineers combined with the increasing complexity of products and higher demands on information provision are creating complex challenges. In the near future, numerous industries are likely to see service costs soar, margins shrink, service quality plummet, and customer satisfaction decline. This presentation will demonstrate how augmented reality (AR), in combination with intelligent information structures, offer a cost effective and practical solution to this problem. Benefits of an AR approach for technical communications are well documented and have been measured and published in recent studies.
This is a Summit+ Theater session.
STC will host a “meet the editors” session at the 2017 Summit. The editor-in-chief of Technical Communication, Dr. Sam Dragga, and the editor of Intercom magazine, Liz Pohland, will host a face-to-face session with conference participants and STC’s contributing editors. They will explain the publication missions, editorial processes, recent submission trends, and other topics of interest for scholars and writers looking to publish their work. The aim of the session is to help prospective authors understand how to be published in STC venues and what content is needed. Participants will have an opportunity to speak and pose questions to the editorial teams.
Is your organization looking to implement structured content solutions using XML DITA? Do you need to understand how to convert your existing content to XML DITA from source formats including FrameMaker and Word? Are you worried that collecting and reviewing contributions from subject matter experts may suddenly become a difficult problem to manage?
Join us for a combined demonstration of the Migrate cloud XML content conversion service and AuthorBridge, a new low-cost, web-based authoring tool that has been developed for use by SMEs with no knowledge of XML. AuthorBridge provides authors with a Word-like interface, along with a guided and fluid authoring experience, free from the usual constraints of traditional XML authoring tools.
With Migrate, you will learn how to make a simple DITA structure, configure basic conversion rules and witness a real-time conversion to DITA. We will then review the DITA output in AuthorBridge and learn how to edit and review existing DITA topics and to quickly create new ones without requiring any knowledge of DITA or XML.
This is a Summit+ Theater session.
Make time for the annual business meeting where the 2017-2018 Board of Directors will be installed, a variety of association-related topics will be discussed, and members put forth motions. This meeting is open to everyone. Only members in good standing may vote. Dowlonad a motion form in advance.
Join leaders from your host chapter, STC Washington, DC - Baltimore (WDCB) for a dine around dinner event on Monday, May 8. This dine around event is a great way to meet new friends, network with peers, and enjoy great dining at the National Harbor.
Register for a free ticket for one of the dinner events. A ticket includes you in the dinner reservation, though you are responsible for the cost of your own meal and drinks. Each dinner can accommodate a limited number of participants, so be sure to sign up soon!
Your dining options for Monday evening follow.
Join Liz Herman at Rosa Mexicano at 153 Waterfront Street for networking, merriment, and margaritas.
Join Sean Stevenson at Grace's Mandarin at 188 Waterfront Street for world-class Asian flavors from the highest-rated restaurant in National Harbor.
Join Greta Boller Buskirk at Granite City at 200 American Way for a polished take on casual American cuisine with an on-site brewery.
Join Carolyn Klinger at The Walrus Oyster and Ale House at 152 Waterfront Street for fresh oysters, craft beers, and Chesapeake Bay inspired seafood.
Microsoft Word letting you down? 36Software is pleased to present SmartDocs – the only completely collaborative content reuse and management solution for your MS Word content. Optimize what your company already has and relies on. Get more than you ever thought possible out of Word and SharePoint with SmartDocs as your solution. Don’t leave anybody out – SmartDocs is for everyone, no matter where they work.
DITA isn't for everyone; SmartDocs is. SmartDocs is just a fraction of the cost, training, and set-up time to XML or DITA-based CMS solutions. Proven. And, unlike other solutions, SmartDocs is scalable and affordable for teams of 5 to 5000. Join Lisa Pietrangeli and Bryan Lynn to experience everything that SmartDocs can do, without ever leaving your Word environment. Bring your questions and Word content challenges. SmartDocs will solve them!
This is a Summit+ Theater session.
There’s a tension between creativity and productivity--between fostering a creative work environment and an efficient one. This session will discuss approaches and practices to help a creative champion lead a team or organization using visual communication. It will also show practical examples of how creative visuals can save you time and help you reclaim your work day.
This is a Summit+ Theater session.
THIS SESSION HAS MOVED TO ANNAPOLIS 1/2.
What is plain language, and how can it help you? What do you need to know to write or edit the clearest, most comprehensible copy so your message makes maximum impact? This session will introduce you to the concepts of plain language and help change your thinking about word choices, structure, and writing in general. Whether you are a plain language expert or have never heard of the concept, this session will challenge you to question your word choices and whether technical jargon is really necessary and to reduce or eliminate the alphabet soup of acronyms that clog technical communications.
Writing a book gives you an opportunity to provide tangible value. It can establish your brand and increase your professional standing. Information professionals are uniquely positioned to take advantage of self-publishing because we already know how to transform source material to online and print materials and because we have editors, designers, and talented peer reviewers in our networks. While self-publishing is easier than ever, reaching your audience and making money from your book is harder for self-publishers; we must master marketing and distribution so the audience can find our book.
https://www.slideshare.net/lizfraley/advance-your-career-through-selfpublishing
This is a Summit+ Theater session.
Starting the content conversation across departmental teams can seem tricky. In fact, it can seem impossible.
Whether you work independently, or are part of larger project team, this presentation will share some ways to better plan for content projects, reduce conflict, and improve internal communication.
Like any conversation, understanding your audience, creating a shared vision for content, and using the right approach can not only align departments, but also improve engagement for content across your organization.
This session will uncover how you can:
Chances are you’re already measuring analytics (hopefully like a boss). But ... do you know what your users feel when they read your content? Is your help documentation building customer loyalty? How can you make your company’s next marketing piece more viral? Not only do tools exist to measure your user’s emotions, but intelligent software is becoming better at emoting back to humans. Are you ready to write help and documentation for your artificially intelligent agent?Join Allie as she shares the basics of emotive analytics, how it works (and how to avoid facial recognition), current uses in industry and academia, and ideas to start laying the groundwork for the future.
This session will focus on the role of “play” in online learning by exploring design-thinking methods and tools that you can use to engage your learning communities in “play.” Participants will be able to experiment with these methods and tools, and actualize “play” using Learning Battle Cards—a deck of playing cards designed to inspire and facilitate a variety of instructional design and development methods.
The Washington, DC - Baltimore chapter invites you to a special event at #STC17: The Rough Drafts are back! As the host chapter for this year’s STC Summit technical communication conference, the WDCB chapter wants you to join us at the party of the year featuring STC’s own rock band, the Rough Drafts.
The party will be on Tuesday, May 9th at 7 pm, immediately following the Honors Reception in the Cherry Blossom ballroom at the Gaylord Hotel.
The Rough Drafts are a rock band made up of technical communicators and friends who perform your favorite dance tunes old and new. The band has performed at summits throughout the years and has featured performers from all across the world.
This year’s band will feature STC members Rich Maggiani on drums, Stephen Adler on guitar, Richard Hamilton on guitar, and Viqui Dill on bass. They will be joined by Keith Dill, Viqui’s championship winning husband on guitar (and maybe fiddle).
As in past years, the band invites you to join them on stage to sing or play. We will be posting the set list ahead of time and we will have lyrics and chords so you can play and sing along. How else could a band of technical communicators perform if not for the documentation and user assistance?
So save the date and make plans to join the Washington, DC - Baltimore chapter and the Rough Drafts for the party of the year. http://events.stcwdc.org/event/stc-wdcb-brings-back-the-rough-drafts/
Call for musicians: Musicians who would like to join the Rough Drafts on stage are urged to contact Viqui Dill before the summit. Don’t be shy. We welcome you!
Show off your singing skills and continue the festivities with a night of Karaoke at Public House. Ben Woelk and Michael Opsteegh are organizing the event which is free to attend, but attendees are responsible for their own food and beverage purchases.
If you want someone to hire you or your company, you need to be able to tell your story: who you are, what your plan is, and what defines you. There are key points to address at each point in the story in order to gain customers. Whether you’re the boss or on your own, you are constantly interviewing and telling your story.
This session is for you if you’re thinking about working for equity, starting a business, or going out on your own.
I’ll give you two tactics to help you on your way, but you should bring your questions so you can get the answers you seek!
https://www.slideshare.net/lizfraley/the-art-of-personal-branding-how-to-tell-the-you-story-to-gain-new-customers
The Summit’s closing general session will feature a live taping of a brand new UX web show called Fix My App. Summit attendees will witness first hand and participate in, the usability testing of a new app. The closing session will be filmed as an episode of Fix My App and will debut later in the year.
Fix My App audience members will watch as users attempt to use a startup’s new app for the first time during a usability test. It's easy to know how to use a product after using it a few times, but using it for the first time is when the complications are revealed. After the usability test is complete, a team of user experience experts will collaborate to solve the major problems and advise the app’s creators on best UX practices for their app and why the UX problems occurred in the first place.
UX experts include:
The closing general session will also contain remarks from STC’s newly installed President, Alyssa Fox.
