London Student Chapter Holds First Annual Professional Development Event

by Dee Morrissey, Faculty Advisor, London Student Chapter

Technical communicators know the importance of professional development. Membership in professional associations like the STC, participation in meetings, and attendance at conferences are all professional development activities that keep us current and connected. To ensure students appreciate the benefits of professional development, the London Student Chapter held its first annual Professional Development Event on Saturday, April 24 at Fanshawe College.

The nine full-time technical writing students in Fanshawe College's post-graduate Technical Writing program organized the half-day event. The day featured five presentations and attracted 30 technical communicators from Southwestern Ontario.

Keynote Speaker

Peter Vogel, a much sought after presenter and a principal in PH&V Information Services, kicked off the day with a dynamic session on "Clarity and Signaling." Peter discussed how signaling can improve the clarity of technical communication, particularly through the use given/new scenarios. For example, technical writers can first refer to what is known by the audience (the given) and then signal the introduction of the unknown (the new).

Diverse Breakout Sessions

Following Peter's keynote address, four breakout sessions provided attendees with choices ranging from the highly technical to the more reflective. Patrick Hofmann, a visual interaction designer, discussed the failures, successes, and strategies of using pictures in technical documentation and instruction. Christy Simard, an information developer, explored the relationship between technical writing and marketing communications. Christine McVarney, a technical writer, presented a workshop on what informal "on-the-job training" technical writers might expect. And Peter Crisp, president of a documentation company, discussed how XML can be used for structured document authoring.

Successful Segue

In her welcome, Catherine Haycock, London Student Chapter President, stated that the event would be a success if just one participant learned something beneficial to his or her career. All in attendance would agree that Catherine's goal was more than met -- speakers were informative and entertaining, and participants were attentive and enthusiastic! And for Fanshawe's technical writing graduates, the day was a perfect segue from their formal education to the ongoing professional development that will be part of their new careers.

Plans for next year's event will begin as soon as the fall semester begins. Watch for the call for presenters early in 2005!