View From the Other Side...The First 
STC Meeting

by Nancy Halverson

I was feeling like a one-man band for a while there. The only input I had about putting on this meeting came from the university professor who was booking the room for us on her campus, and she and I exchanged only a few e-mails.

The Publicity

Publicity in a vacuum is what it felt like -- put something out onto the STC-UK list and a few other lists that wanted to pick up on it. No local group, no core of support to draw from, no local meeting place. Even the MA in Technical Communications taught by one of the Sheffield universities is distance-based, with students from all over the UK and Europe. There was just no way to judge the reaction.

I got responses from people for a day or two after the notices appeared -- e-mails asking for details, if they needed to register, what was the fee going to be, etc. They were somewhat surprised that it was a free meeting, independent of any group (no memberships required) and there would still be excellent presenters with interesting topics discussed.

The Presenters

I'd arranged for three presenters -- all of whom I'd 'met' over the STC-UK list. Andy Swartz is a usability consultant who moved here from the States eight (or so) years ago -- we both ended up in Sheffield by following our academic partners, so we naturally shared a connection. (Amazing how some people can quickly feel like 'old' friends.) He also knows about how networking and peer professional development can help from his experience in California, so he was glad to volunteer. He also 'introduced' me to Mike Unwalla, who runs his own tech writing company and is very out-there in terms of marketing his skills. He offered to help and speak about getting freelance work. I first emailed Florence Dujardins on referral from someone, to ask about the job market in Sheffield, way way back when I first arrived. She is the woman who teaches part of the MA in Technical Communications and booked the room for us at Sheffield Hallam University. Her topic was educational needs of tech writers and where to focus energies developing new short courses.

Where and When

Florence and I chose to set the meeting for a Saturday simply because most people would have to travel to get to Sheffield, although Sheffield was in fact a good central location. But, trying to put together a meeting to draw people out, we decided we needed at least a half-day program.

My count of positive responses was only about 10-12, but I had no way of knowing if others would turn up. Three of my own co-workers had been interested as well. I was hoping for a turn out of about 15 and prepared for 20.

So, having done some shopping for nibblies and packed a coffee pot and kettle, I waited for people to turn up.

The Technique

I'd taken a page out of the STC SWO's playbook and arranged to meet people at a café; for lunch before the program. I always liked the friendly atmosphere generated in those sessions.

It's the first time I regretted seeing the sunshine. The air has just become warm here in the last week, and flowers are running riot -- daffodils are waning, tulips bursting forth, and most blossoming trees are just exploding. And, with it being a weekend meeting -- well, I was a little disappointed to think that people would chose to spend time in the gardens and parks rather than come out to meet with (yawn) other tech communicators.

I couldn't really call myself nervous -- curious and a little afraid that no one would come-out-to-my-party, but not nervous. First, Florence and I met at the venue and were quite happily chatting while we posted directional signs. Then, Andy turned up at the café; and again, the conversation continued nicely. One by one, people saw our 'Tech Com meeting' sign, which we'd placed on our table and joined us. There were eight of us in total by the time we made our way across the street to start the program.

The Attendees

The group included Tina Hoffman, an STC vice president who traveled up from Reading; Nick Rosenthal, a translator and linguist who traveled from Manchester; David Williams a senior tech writer from Cambridge; Brian Parkinson, a graphics designer who lives in Sheffield. That was all. My co-workers didn't show, and half of the people who'd responded positively didn't come out. (Drat the English sunshine!!!)

I wasn't thrilled with the numbers, but I was very pleased that people had traveled and that they were from such diverse backgrounds.

Mike Unwalla, Andy Swartz, Tina Hoffman, David Williams, Nancy Halverson (front), Florence Dujardin, Nick Rosenthal and Brian Parkinson.

The Results

We had a great session -- lots of energy, discussion on who we might try to get involved and why there wasn't more interaction between the professions. The program ran over by about an hour, but we all enjoyed ourselves too much to quit.

And the feedback has been fantastic. Apparently, the STC UK meetings in London only attract about 20 people at the best of times, so for me to put eight people in a room outside of London was great. I feel a bit better about the numbers now, and everyone was grateful that I got the meeting off the ground at all.

I'm hoping that the energy that we felt in the room on Saturday carries us through for a while. We discussed how to 'cross-pollinate' between the various disciplines for a larger, more rounded conference. All of us want to overcome the politics of the organizations (STC, ISTC, ITI etc) and open up the programs to a broad range of communicators. I hope that with our core group of people, we can get things moving a bit. We're maybe at the beginning of a long but interesting road.

(I have to mention here that enthusiasm was high before my provisions arrived, but spiraled up higher after the coffee and tea making equipment was hauled in, along with a generous bunch of fruit, and other goodies. Food -- gets 'em every time!)

New Beginnings

It's over now, and time for the follow-ups. I've already received messages from some of the participants, so the networking begins in earnest. I've been asked by the STC President to join the council next year, and I'm seriously thinking about it. They're going to do 'virtual' meetings for council instead of face-to-face meetings, since everyone's time is too precious to travel to London. I could handle it -- possibly. Since there aren't any monthly general meetings to organize, and very little other activity, I might just be able to contribute something.

Here we go again! But, this is definitely rewarding work, even when you have to do it alone for a while.

I'm looking forward to seeing Waterloo again in July. Thanks to everyone for letting me feel like I'm still a part of your group. I hope you've enjoyed some of my rantings!