Everything I ever needed to know, I learned at an STC meeting

by Heidi Marr, Chapter President

Forget Kindergarten. STC is where it's at. Here are the top three life-lessons I've taken away from STC general meetings, council meetings, workshops, and telephone seminars.

1. Be nice to the person sitting next to you.

In early September, you might have heard UW Frosh chanting towards their Laurier rivals, "That's alright. That's OK. You can work for me someday."

The ditty rings true at STC meetings. In this tight-knit community, you never know when you will be on the hiring committee reviewing a fellow-STCer's credentials. Or, better yet, when that individual will offer you your next big break.

Besides, that particular someone might be the one who offers a witty commentary or unexpected compliment that can turn your whole week around.

I know I shouldn't admit to this in writing, but sometimes at the end of a particularly long work day, the last thing I want to do is go to an STC meeting. I don't want to learn any more facts; I don't want to be nice to any more people; I just want to go home, change into my fuzzy pajamas, and lose myself in a good book. But, like many of you, I weave through the construction we call KW and find myself at what always turns out to be an informative and enjoyable evening.

What makes it informative? The topics and speakers we attract. What makes it enjoyable? Often, the person sitting next to me.

2. Pay attention to the teacher.

All through public school, high school, and even university, I was the talkative kid in class. I just couldn't -- or wouldn't -- shut up. It didn't matter if the teacher was lecturing, or if another group was presenting. If I wasn't the centre of attention, chances were, I wasn't happy.

At STC meetings, my talkative self is a thing of the past. It's like my alter-ego discovered that listening really does pay off.

Think of all the juicy tips we receive free of charge that we can apply immediately on the job... Meeting topics such as "API and SDK Documentation" have helped me write better tech docs. Telephone seminars such as "Creating Persuasive Executive Summaries" have aided my marketing efforts. And, workshops such as "Goal-oriented Design for Communications Professionals" have come in handy in customer meetings.

Why wouldn't I listen in class when our chapter attracts world-renown presenters to our annual workshops and highly-respected speakers to our general meetings? I'd be a fool not to.

3. Watch your pennies.

When I was in Brownies many moons ago, I was the only girl to win the coveted Thrift Badge. For this honour, I saved all my allowance for six whole months (minus the Brownie dues, of course).

Today, my husband can't understand how that thrifty girl turned into such a carefree spender. I should pay more attention to Carol Lawless -- our current treasurer -- who does such an excellent job of balancing our books each month.

A few years back, our chapter's wise council made the decision to put some money aside to be used in the future for educational purposes. Last year, because of our amazing adherence to budget, we were able to donate $15,000 to the University of Waterloo's new program in Digital Arts Communication.

We are also able to use chapter money -- your money -- to host free telephone seminars for our membership, and continue with many of the other great services you've come to expect.

So, you see, it's not all about font choices, or gathering performance metrics. STC meetings can be about the basics, and in my opinion, the basics are what keep us coming back for more.