Sharing Your Summit Experience with Your Chapter
By Robert Perry
I attended the Summit this year, along with a colleague and several other members of the Carolina Chapter. I have attended numerous Summits in the past and have always found them educational, enlightening, and exhilarating. This year’s Summit did not disappoint and continued the tradition of offering informative and interesting sessions, workshops, vendor presentations, networking events, and Societal activities. Quite the whirlwind. It was an especially poignant Summit for me as the Carolina Chapter was recognized as a Platinum Community and I was honored as an Associate Fellow. Several members of the Carolina Chapter were presenters this year also. So, “Grey May” be damned, it was an exceptional experience.
Highlights
As usual, the conference was brimming with sessions concerning the latest tools, methodologies, and techniques with topics covering all aspects of technical writing, editing, management, and production. Through speakers, vendors, and exhibitors, I learned about technological developments, their impact on our field, and how we touch the lives of people everywhere. The opening and closing keynotes were particularly timely and on par, and bookended the Summit perfectly.
Sharing the Experience
Upon returning, my colleague and I decided to share our experiences and the things we learned with the rest of our division and with our local Carolina Chapter. I set up a Lunch and Learn and invited writers and editors within our company and from the Carolina Chapter to come hear about this year’s Summit. During the meeting we gave a highlight of the entire Summit and then spoke about the sessions we attended and our takeaways. We then discussed if and how these ideas and methodologies could be applied at our company, and elsewhere. It was a great way to share the knowledge and insights we received with our colleagues and peers. It also demonstrated to upper management that the Summit is worthwhile and attendance is both beneficial and productive.
I look forward to Washington DC next year!
Robert Perry
Immediate Past President Carolina Chapter
Associate Fellow
* Twitter @Robert_E_Perry
* LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertperry10
This blog post is part of a series of curated and edited posts authored by attendees at Summit 2016. The posts will discuss key takeaways and efforts by individuals and STC Communities to build on their Summit experience. If you’d like to contribute a post, let us know.