Category Archives: STC

Society for Technical Communication

Quick Guide to Navigating STC 2012 Summit

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After attending four STC Conferences, I provide here some hints to maximize your conference experience. Enjoy!

Technology

 

Sessions

  • Spend 20-30 minutes planning which sessions you will attend.
  • Select primary and secondary sessions for each hour, some session material may be available online at the Conference Website
  • Determine within the first 5-10 minutes if a session excites you; if not, go to your secondary session.
  • Ask questions at the end of the session.
  • Complete post-session speaker evaluation(s).

 

Networking

  • Spend about $30 for business cards from VistaPrint if you have none.
  • Hand out business cards to anyone you meet.
  • Write a note on the back of each person’s business card to remind you how you met them.
  • Bring paper and electronic copies of your resume. This may result in a job opportunity after the conference.

 

Break Times

  • Offer and/or accept invitations to dine with attendees. We don’t bite.
  • Visit the vendor floor, STC Central, and the bookstore
  • Attend evening events with attendees.
  • Share your professional experiences.

 

After the Conference

  • Continue networking via Twitter, LinkedIn, and e-mail.
  • Look for an e-mail during the summer announcing when Conference@Click is available.
  • Read the conference proceedings.
  • Plan for next year, and convince your company to pay for it!
  • Look for a for Call for Speakers via e-mail; maybe you can present next year.
  • Keep up with current trends—check STC Notebook, TechWhirl, and TechComm.

 

It’s your conference experience; make the most of it!

If you want to hang out during the conference, find me by Direct Messaging me on Twitter: @RogerRenteria.

Four Goals for Chicago STC 2012 Summit

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Flying Out

Flying Out

Hi everyone, I’m currently updating from nearly 40,000 ft and going nearly 570 mph. I have to say that technology is awesome! I was going to post this update last night, but everything caught up with me that I had to do it while in the air. This will be my fifth STC Summit Conference and certainly not my last. I continue to attend these conferences to seek new knowledge, meet awesome colleagues, and enjoy the conference cities.

This year I’m setting some goals I want to accomplish. I have a couple of hidden goals which I will share after this conference.

Below are my four goals for this conference:

Network more and more.

It never hurts to network more while at conferences. I think that is what is most valuable during the conference. From the first STC Summit I attended in Philadelphia in 2008 to the fourth one in Sacramento in 2011, I continue to meet new and awesome technical communicators along the way. I should include LavaCon 2011, which I networked very well. It also gave me a writing gig at TechWhirl.

Learn new trends in the field

What I love about attending conferences is that there is an unlimited treasure trove of knowledge in the field of technical communication. Whether it is a new way of doing business, a workshop, or a new technology, our field is always changing. From the beginning when I started technical communication as a freshman in college in 2004, I had no idea this field changes quickly. The academics are not fully catching up with the latest and greatest trends, but I hope that can change soon.

Take notes and use them

This time I’m going to take notes and post draft summaries. Some of my notes may make their way to TechWhirl in a form of an article. I think will enjoy learning as much as I did by writing about some of the sessions I attended. I really enjoyed taking notes and reporting about them. Perhaps this time I won’t be so afraid to post something I feel passionate about.

Enjoy the City

The issue I had the last few Summits I attended was that I focused too much on the sessions instead of the city. Perhaps because I was extremely interested in every topic that I wanted to get as much as I could out of the conference that I didn’t appreciate visiting the city. Also I played a major role in planning Summit trips when I was with my college. In fact, I am making it my personal effort to enjoy Chicago. This is why I’m heading out today, Friday, to enjoy some of the attractions and then enjoy the conference.

 

My Backpack

My Backpack

If you are interested in meeting me, follow me on Twitter @RogerRenteria and talk to me.

Also please visit my social networking profiles too

LinkedIn
Google+
Facebook

 

In any regard, find me around the conference, I carry a burnt orange Jansport backpack much like this one. I’m cheerful, knowledgeable, and you should find that I’m quite the social professional.

New LavaCon Article on TechWhirl

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I have added another article about LavaCon 2011 on the TechWhirl Online Magazine. Please check out my new session summary titled, “Lightning Talks – Multiple Speakers.”

In this article, I mentioned six speakers who each presented a lightning talk about an important topic of interest related to the field of technical communication. A lightning talk is a brief 10 minute presentation along with question and answers. Lightning talks are meant to be short, thoughtful, and sharp.

The following is a list of presenters and their topics at the Lightning Talks during LavaCon.

  • Richard Hamilton spoke about XML and Wikis
  • Alan Houser explained why it is an important time to be a technical communicator
  • Ben Woelk shared the top ten practices to shockproof social media
  • Robert Armstrong talked about the Art of the Demo and how to present a demo
  • Brenda Huettner covered how NASA approaches social media
  • Hilary Hart spoke about the importance and benefits of the Technical Communication Certification program.

“Lightning Talks – Multiple Speakers” is featured on the TechWhirl site alongside other session summaries I have posted about LavaCon 2011.