These Three Submitted a Proposal for the 2011 Summit; Have You?

Have you finished your proposal yet? The Call for Proposals for the 2011 STC Summit, 15-18 May in Sacramento, California, closes on 4 October. That’s less than two weeks away!

In a Q&A with conference manager Alan Houser last week, he said roughly two-thirds of all proposals come in during the last days. So don’t worry if you haven’t polished yours up and clicked the “Submit” button yet.

That comment made Your Friendly Neighborhood Blogger think, though. If that many come in at the very end, it might be interesting to chat with some of the “early risers” to see what they’ve done. So I emailed Michael Opsteegh (MO), Neil Perlin (NP), and Paul Pehrson (PP), three of the first to submit proposals, and asked them each a few questions. Their answers are below.

Bottom line, there’s still time to submit your proposal! Check out the Call for Proposals website for full details, and get ready for Sacramento!

What prompted you to submit a proposal for the 2011 Summit—and what prompted you to do it so quickly?

MO: I just attended my first STC Summit in Dallas, and I was struck the energy of the event. The attendees were excited to be attending stellar presentations by industry experts. And the presenters were excited to be speaking on topics they’re passionate about to people who actually wanted to listen. I also happen to be passionate about topics in technical communication, and I have spent countless hours researching them. The 2010 Summit inspired me to share that passion and energy with a group of like-minded people.

PP: I decided to submit a proposal for Summit 2011 because of the great experience I had in Dallas at Summit 2010. During one of the session breaks, I sat down and thought about a topic that I could present on, that would leverage some of my unique experiences in a way that would be beneficial to a wide STC community. After I returned from Summit, I bounced some ideas off of several of my colleagues, and refined my ideas into what I think is an interesting presentation. I was ready, so I applied to present the first day that STC was accepting proposals.

NP: I’ve been speaking at the Summit since 1995, so it’s simply a natural for me to submit proposals. I’ve always submitted very early, soon after the end of the previous Summit while my mind is in Summit mode and thinking about the interests that I saw people express, discussions that I had with people, and so on.

What’s your proposal on?

PP: I have submitted a presentation on the intellectual property responsibilities of content creators. It is a different take, but one that I have a lot of interest in, as one of my current responsibilities is to manage the intellectual property created and used by my department.

NP: Several proposals—workshops on Adobe Captivate 5 and creating mobile help output using RoboHelp and Flare, the Bleeding Edge of course, a session on programmatic requirements for single sourcing help systems out to mobile format, and a session on small steps toward a content strategy. A somewhat eclectic mix, but all of which reflect trends in the field.

MO: My topic is a crash course on design and typography for technical communicators, and not just in a superficial way. The presentation will be a romp through rhetorical devices, design theory, and information architecture. I hope the audience finds it visually and mentally stimulating.

What are you most looking forward to at the Summit?

NP: Various things—getting an updated sense of where the field is going, seeing friends from around the world whom I only see in person at the Summit, and the opportunity to talk to vendors face-to-face.

PP: I loved meeting people in real life whose blogs and tweets I follow. I look forward to seeing friends and making new friends and connections in our technical communication community.

MO: Outside of the possibility of presenting and attending fantastic presentations, I look forward to seeing friends and colleagues from across the country and around the world and making new friends.

Any advice you’d give to people finalizing their proposals?

MO: Don’t wait. Finish it today. I’m going back and filling in holes in my proposal now, and trust me, it takes more time than you think it will. I know I shouldn’t have to tell a group of writers and editors this, but make sure you go back and proofread the information you submit. You don’t want your proposal to be given less consideration because of simple mistakes.

NP: Do the best job you can. The organizers will have a lot of proposals to choose from.

PP: If you think you have a unique or interesting idea, just go ahead and propose it. The presentations are what make Summit happen. I look forward to seeing the wide variety of topics that you are ready to present on.