Guest post by Liz Herman
18 August 2014. There it was. Sitting in my email inbox. STC’s Call for Proposals for its annual Summit. How was it possible? I was still basking in the glow of the Summit in Phoenix, fondly remembering the dry heat, the networking, the plethora of informative sessions, the camaraderie of like-minded technical communicators, and my off-note karaoke singing at the TweetUp. I checked the inbox again. Yes, the message was still there. It was time to shake off the summer daydreaming and get to work on a proposal.
Fast forward to today. I am doing the Summit Topic Tango as I approach the 12 September deadline to submit a proposal. Are you? Perhaps you haven’t even stepped onto the dance floor yet, feeling as if you have no topic to offer. Whether you’re a new submitter or a seasoned submitter, identifying a topic is not an easy task. Here are some tips that you may find helpful when choosing your topic. These tips, of course, are presented to you in the spirit of the learning how to master the tango.
- Listen to the music. The 2014 STC Summit program remains available online. You can peruse the program to learn about the types of topics that were selected. If you’ve purchased Summit@aClick, you can listen to what others have done with instant access to the dozens of sessions that were presented to get a feel for the flavor of the content, presentation styles, and delivery methods. By the way, Summit @AClick is still available for purchase. Just remember that the 2015 STC Summit will have a new beat in the form of new tracks.
- Start with the embrace. Choose a topic about which you’re passionate. It makes the rest of the process a lot easier. I am an absolute fan of all things technical communication-related, but I am not the person to do a presentation on Adobe or MadCap Software because I don’t use those tools on a regular basis. Moreover, tools aren’t necessarily where my passions lie. But switch the topic to knowledge management or project management and my feet start to tap to the beat and the topic ideas start to flow. Start with something you know. Start with something you love.
- Maintain perfect posture. It is important to stay true to your topic. It is important to have a topic that is well defined so that it can be placed into one of the presentation formats available at the Summit. I am all for people wanting to talk about the awesomeness of technical communication, yet your topic needs to be more specific than that alone. Just as there are many specific dances, there are many specific areas of technical communication. Choose your specific area and stay true to it. If you’re just starting out, may I suggest submitting a topic for a Progression where you share your technical communication knowledge for 10 minutes and then discuss that knowledge with your audience for 10 more minutes? It is a smart way to step out on the dance floor for the first time.
- When you’re ready, work with a partner. Reach out to your fellow technical communicators to talk about your topic and seek feedback. Talking through the possible moves may help you narrow your topic or even identify a new routine. In addition, if your proposal is selected and you’re affiliated with an STC Chapter, ask to do a rehearsal with your Chapter before the Summit. This is a wonderful way to get early feedback and to time your presentation in front of an audience.
- Be patient. Take time to think about your topic and write a draft of your proposal. Take time to think about the right type of session for your topic and be strategic about your key words. Tweak the information as necessary and carefully enter it into the online submission system by the 12 September deadline.
Need more ideas? STC has also provided a list of topic ideas that you can review. Happy tango’ing! See you in Columbus!