Upcoming Chapter Events

by Peter Szabo, Program Manager

This is it! The end of the STC chapter year. So we'll send off the 2004-2005 year with a barbecue party at Wellington Brewery in Guelph, and then slow ourselves down for vacations and long summer weekends.

However, just because there are no more council meetings or general meetings, it doesn't mean we can't squeeze in some more learning over the summer. That's right; we'll be offering remote seminars throughout the summer (free to STC members and for a very reasonable $35 to non-members). The June and July seminar events are listed below. 

We're not sure which of the August seminars to offer, so do us a favour and visit the STC seminar listing at www.stc.org/seminarsList.asp, and then send an e-mail to the (Phone Seminar Manager) to tell her which seminar you'd prefer.

By the way, I'll be signing off as Program Manager this year so thank you STC council members for your advice, hard work, and support. Thanks also to the new and familiar members who showed up at various program events this year. It was a real pleasure giving you a place where you could learn a little, share war stories with colleagues, network for a job, and make some new friends. I'm sure you'll provide the incoming Program Manager, Donald Johnstone, with the same valuable feedback, welcoming smiles, and warm encouragement that I felt.

Happy tech writing to you all!

Tuesday, June 7, 2005 (Annual Year-end Barbecue—Networking Event)

Open to members and non-members

Time: Brewery Tour: 6:30, Main Event: 7:00-9:00 p.m.

Location: Wellington Brewery—Iron Duke House, 950 Woodlawn Road West, Guelph

Cost: One free drink plus free brewery tour (optional), and free BBQ food and fixings. Additional beer and wine at $1.50 per drink!

RSVP Required: Hopefully, you already sent me your RSVP by May 31, 2005.

Wednesday, June 8, 2005 (STC Remote Seminar)

Topic: Adding Interactivity to Online Documents

Host: William Horton

Passive reading, watching, and listening may allow users to gather simple information, but these methods are seldom effective in acquiring skills, gaining knowledge, or developing judgment. More and more, we need to make our documents interactive. This seminar will demonstrate simple ways to fill your online help, electronic documents, and Web pages with meaningful interactivity that makes learning more like playing a video game than reading the dreaded manual.

Time: 1:00-2:30 p.m. EDT (Doors open at 12:30)

Location: CheckFree i-Solutions, 455 Phillip Street, Waterloo (for both seminars) [455 Phillip Street, Waterloo].

Cost: FREE for members and $35 for non-members.

Wednesday, July 13, 2005 (STC Remote Seminar)

Topic: Upgrading Your PowerPoint Presentations: Basics of Organization and Illustration

Host: Ann Jennings, Ph.D.

PowerPoint presentations add several dimensions of communication uncommon to documentation and other static forms of writing. The verbal and visual content of a slide presentation require special attention, whether you are the speaker or whether you are creating the slides for someone else to present. This seminar will introduce you to the following essential elements of PowerPoint displays:

• Presentation sequences and organizational patterns
• Essentials of public speaking that can be built into slide content
• Visual design principles and techniques that can support the words on your slides

Time: 1:00-2:30 p.m. EDT (Doors open at 12:30)

Location: CheckFree i-Solutions, 455 Phillip Street, Waterloo (for both seminars) [455 Phillip Street, Waterloo].

Cost: FREE for members and $35 for non-members.

If you have any questions about upcoming chapter events, or if you have a suggestion for a meeting topic, feel free to e-mail Donald Johnstone (Program Manager).

For questions about upcoming STC telephone or Web seminars, contact Lori Jankowski.

For details about our chapter's events for the rest of the year, as well as last minute updates or additions to the schedule, be sure to check our local STC chapter calendar.

About Peter Szabo

Peter has been a technical writer in one form or another for ten years. For the past five years, Peter has worked for CheckFree i-Solutions, a software firm in Waterloo, and is currently the Manager of Technical Publications.

Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Peter moved to Guelph in 1997, where he currently lives with his wife, Irene, and six-year-old son, Taylor. He is working on his first feature-length screenplay.