Western Wingding – STC Fall Kickoff
You can wear a Western hat or Western wear if you like! We’ll have fantastic vittles from Route 96 BBQ, a cash bar, live music by Jim Drew (a Rochester artist who records in Nashville), a presentation on imposter syndrome by Ben Woelk (masked man and STC President), games, and prizes. Tickets are required. Date And Time Tue, October 22, 2019 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM EDT Location Route 96 Party Room 6385 NY-96 Victor, NY 14564 What to Expect: Fall festivities with music, mini-presentation, cash bar, games, prizes, and GREAT food! Menu: Beef Brisket Pulled Pork Chicken Cole Slaw Potato Salad Deviled Eggs Grilled Brussels Sprouts Tea Cash Bar Who will speak to us: Ben Woelk will be speaking on “I Shouldn’t Be Here: Experienced Professionals and Imposter Syndrome.” He will also give us an update on the Society
President's Prose, October, 2019
by Kelly Schrank Fall is officially here, and we are scheduling some great programs for you! Our Kickoff Meeting will be October 22, so please write that in your calendar and be on the lookout for the Eventbrite information. Marilyn Woelk is planning on a Western/Fall theme with BBQ, games, entertainment, and a speaker! Our Annual Business Meeting/Tech Comm Showcase will take place again this year, and we’ve set the date for November 20. Bobbi Werner and I are looking for speakers who want to discuss a topic in the roundtable format, so please let us know if you’re interested. We’ll have more information as we get closer to the event, but please save the date! To finish up the year, we will have a holiday dinner, with speaker, at a date and location to be determined. We hope to
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Technical Communication
by Wendy Ross Diversity and Inclusion, also called Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), has increasingly become a topic of interest for professionals and the companies and organizations with which they are associated. In order to recruit and train the best talent and to bring a diverse set of ideas and perspectives to the work we do, companies and professional organizations need to take steps to create inclusive spaces for employees, members, and volunteers. As a technical writer or educator, you likely have obtained training about writing, designing, and teaching diverse groups of people. In technical writing, much of the focus has been on writing for international audiences and for translation. For those working in colleges and universities, teaching and interacting with international students and students from diverse cultural, religious, and social backgrounds present different challenges and rewards, but most colleges
President's Prose, September, 2019
by Kelly Schrank It’s back-to-school time, which means our break as Council members is also over. We wrap up the 2018-2019 year after our Crossover Meeting in June, then we pick things back up in September with a retreat to plan the next year. 2019-2020, here we come! Our retreat this year is September 14, and we plan to discuss programs, Spectrum, revisions ot our bylaws, how we can provide more value to our members, and how to prepare ourselves for another banner year as an STC chapter. We have many returning members but also new members of Council, which is always exciting. We still need one essential member of the Council, a PR and Marketing Manager, and we always need volunteers for Spectrum, so please let me know if you’re interested in getting involved this year. If you recall,
Join STC and the Rochester Chapter or renew today
The 2020 STC membership season is open. Join today and receive 16 months of membership for the price of 12 months. Your first renewal will be due at the end of December, 2020. Choose the Rochester Chapter as your community, and receive the benefits of membership in STC’s 2019 Community of the Year. You will receive a member rate on monthly programs and on registration for the Spectrum Conference, March 22 to 24 at RIT. You will also receive regular email updates from the chapter and you can join the employment mailing list to receive notices of job openings in the region. There is a special benefit for Rochester Chapter members right now. The Rochester Institute of Technology is offering a 12-hour training course for the STC Certified Professional Technical Communicator (CPTC) exam, with a $200 discount for Rochester Chapter
Rochester STC Chapter announces 2019 election results
The Rochester Chapter of STC announces the results of the 2019 election. The following members will serve as voting members of the Council. Eighteen of 54 eligible voters participated (33%). Vote totals are shown. President: Kelly Schrank 17 votes 1 Abstention Vice President and Spectrum Co-Chair: Ann Wiley 17 votes 1 Abstention Vice President and Spectrum Co-Chair: Kim Chmielewicz 17 votes 1 Abstention Treasurer: Richard Poydock 18 votes Secretary: Christine Christensen 18 votes Program Manager: Marilyn Woelk 18 votes Membership Manager: Lori Meyer: 18 votes Education Manager: Carmel Priore-Garlock 17 votes 1 Abstention Member at Large: Johanne Lavallee 18 votes (100.0%) Member at Large: Allison de Rose 18 votes (100.0%) Immediate Past President: Bobbi Werner (automatic succession) Additional Council members serve in appointed roles. Employment: Laurie Fiaretti Mentoring: Bobbi Werner Competition: Bobbi Werner Webmaster: Sarah Rowe Newsletter/Historian: Ann Wiley Thank
Rochester STC Wins 2019 Community of the Year Award
The Rochester Chapter received the Platinum Community Achievement Award for 2018 accomplishments, and was also designated 2019 Community of the Year. The awards were presented at the STC Summit in May, where the chapter also received a Pacesetter Award. Thank you to all the members whose work throughout 2018 resulted in our winning these awards. Rochester chapter members attending the STC Summit accepted the awards. Here the group is accepting the Community of the Year Award. CNY Chapter members (Bobbi Werner, Debra Tobey, Donna Cuyle, and Amanda Patterson) also accepted the Gold Community Achievement Award and Most Improved Community Award for their stellar year. From left to right, Rochester chapter members Christine Christensen, Ben Woelk, Marilyn Woelk, Bobbi Werner, Kelly Schrank, Johanne Lavallée, and Chuck Campbell, Debra Tobey, Donna Cuyle, and Amanda Patterson, and STC President Jane Wilson.
April Program: If Only I Could've Cloned Myself at Spectrum
This is your chance to give and get some bonus Spectrum info! Come to the April program to learn the key points from the sessions you missed and share your insights from the awesome sessions you attended. Did you walk away from a session with an “a-ha!” moment that you can’t wait to tell others about? Did you wish you could attend two Spectrum sessions at the same time? Missed the Spectrum Conference? This is your chance to get some insight on what you missed! Wednesday, April 24, 2019 6pm to 8pm Flower City Community Room at Five Star Bank Citygate Plaza in Rochester, NY Network while enjoying sub trays with cookies and more Remote attendance option is available Registration is required STC Member: $13 Non-Member: $18 Your ticket is good for either in-person or remote attendance. You will receive
Resource Reviews, February, 2019: A spectrum
Anticipating Spectrum 2019, March 23 to March 25, this month’s resources focus on multiple areas in technical communication. Living in Information: Responsible Design for Digital Places by Jorge Arango is the June, 2018 “Book in Brief” on “Boxes and Arrows.” Iconlogic has published a very useful elearning production time calculator. The Write Life suggests “The 100 Best Websites for Writers in 2019.” Come to Spectrum to share ideas and learn about more resources from technical communicators across the United States and from other nations as well. See you at Spectrum!
Resource Reviews, January 2019: About "micro"
With the emphasis increasing on how quickly people can find and use information, the term “microlearning” has become popular. Recently the Rochester Chapter had a program inviting members to present a microlearning session. Ray Jimenez points out that for microlearning to succeed, organizations must be willing to break ten training rules. “Microcopy” is a newer term, referring to very short content elements that engage users and provide information fast. Zach Watson predicts microcopy will be important in 2019 and describes a few key characteristics. For more ideas about creating microcopy, see “How to Improve User Onboarding with Powerful Copy”. The January 2019 Rochester Chapter program focuses on user experience and microcopy. Find details in the January issue of the newsletter.
