Interactive Discussions in STC Summit Progressions

Guest post by Paul Mueller. The 2013 Technical Communication Summit provides many opportunities for attendees to do more than listen. The progression format allows attendees to participate in a facilitated discussion and share their ideas and approaches about a topic.  Each progression session offers 6-10 simultaneous discussion topics.  Each speaker presents their brief topic to a table of attendees and then leads a discussion about that topic for about 18 minutes total.  Then, attendees have a few minutes to select another discussion topic table.  Within the one-hour session, speakers present their topic three times and attendees can select three topics to attend.  Since these sessions are interactive, they are not recorded as part of SUMMIT@aClick.  The 2013 Summit will offer the following progression sessions. Writing and Editing Several speakers, including Dawnell Claessen, Meredith Kinder, and Viqui Dill, will present and lead discussions about creating and refining information through the development workflow.  These topics include:  

• PlainTalk: Get the Marbles Out of Your Message
• Managing Technical Knowledge: Overcoming Roadblocks
• Cultivating In-House Sources of Documentation
• Every Topic Is Page One
• Technical Editors and Converting Documentation to DITA Content
• The Proactive Editor: Involved Throughout The Project Lifecycle
• Selecting a Referential Style
• Career Development for Policies & Procedures Writers
• Defining Policy, Procedure, and Other Governing Documents

Communication and Translation Several speakers, including Alan Porter, Whitney Quesenbery, and Kirsty Taylor, will present and lead discussions about effective communication, using various formats, and translation considerations for content.  These topics include:  

• Plain Language: Accessibility for Content
• When Words are Not Enough
• SME>Me>E – Screencast Creation and Collaboration
• New International Standard for Content Management
• Traditional Executive Summary versus the Videogame Proposal One-sheet
• Localization Is Key to Going Global
• There’s Nothing Simple About Simplified Technical English
• You Want That in Chinese – Yesterday?
• Is Your Content Ready for Localization?

Education and Training Several speakers, including Ginny Redish, Marta Rauch, and Phylise Banner, will present and lead discussions about instructional design and academic topics.  These topics include:  

• Preparing for Gamification
• Using Mentoring Programs to Collaborate With Industry
• Why Technical Writing Is Always About Training
• Helping Others Hone Their Skills
• Teaching and Training with Global Virtual Teams
• Creating Community in Massive Open Online Courses
• Teaching Quantitative Data Analysis
• Teaching a College-Level Editing Class

Management Several speakers, including Ann Rockley, Rahel Bailie, and Leah Guren, will present and lead discussions about people, project, and business management topics.  This session is intended for anyone who is working in a management role or who aspires to do so.  These topics include:  

• A Manager’s Guide to Acquiring Technology
• Making the Argument for Content Strategy
• Content Roles in the Mobile World
• Avoiding Project Disasters: Top Tips for Tech Pubs Managers
• How Project Management Services Help You
• Flow-Based Management: Facilitating Optimal Experience
• Building a Business Case for Content Initiatives
• Our Processes Are a Mess

Professional Development Several speakers, including Andrea Ames, Ben Woelk, and Roger Renteria, will present and lead discussions about topics to help you further your career.  These topics include:  

• Strategic IA Careers: Skills and Knowledge for Success
• Growing Opportunities in Content Management and Social Media
• Building and Maintaining Your Personal Brand
• Shock Proofing Your Use of Social Media
• Technical Communications:  A Map to Better Understanding
• The Retirement of Technical Communicators
• Carpe Opportunitas! Seize the (Professional Development) Opportunity!