President’s Message:
Can I have a Word with You?

by Debbie Kerr, President

I remember when I wanted to appear interesting and it was okay to be a little different. Now, with words having double meanings, when I leave the room and people say, “She’s interesting,” then I know to take offense.

Being different may mean that you stand out from others, but you don’t want to be labeled “different”, because that usually means that there is no other politically correct word that is available to describe you. Being labeled as “interesting” or “different” is no longer good, but bad.

That leads me to the word “bad”. It’s one of those words that can be either good or, well, bad. If I were cool, which I am not, and I told you that you were bad, I could be giving you a compliment. My kids on the other hand take the word at face value when they hear it from me. They don’t even try to turn it into a compliment.

A Change in Spelling

I’ve also noticed that spelling has evolved over time. Two separate words or hyphenated words usually become one word over time. I couldn’t believe it when I was reading a Dr. Seuss book to my son (many years ago) and “to-day” was hyphenated. And, while “Web site”, “web site”, and “website” are not used consistently, I know that eventually “website” will become the standard as it becomes more and more familiar. Familiarity doesn’t just bring people together; it also seems to bring things closer together, including the spaces and the hyphens within words. I just wonder, with there being fewer spaces after periods, and the number of spaces between letters and words decreasing, how long will it be before there are no spaces between any words? It sounds like something out of the book "1984".

Evolving Like Words

In addition to spelling evolving, the words themselves also evolve. Words that were once cool can make you look like a geek if you use them at the wrong place and time. Tell someone, “It’s the cat’s meow!” and see if everyone thinks you are cool or just in a time warp. Hopefully no one thinks that your skills are in a time warp.

Keeping up with the times means that we have to look at ourselves and take stock of our skills. We have to know the technology and have the skills that we need to complete the job. Sometimes it’s a matter of using the same skills in a different way, and in other cases, it’s acquiring a whole new set of skills. It’s a bonus when you get to reinvent and acquire skills at the same time, which is what I got to do most recently.

For the more than twenty years that I have been doing technical communication, I have been writing manuals and help files. Over the last couple of years, there has been a shift in how my skills are being used. In the last two years, I have been writing user interface design specifications that are being used to develop a web-based software application for an insurance company. From that I have transitioned to writing Customer Requirements Specifications (CRS) that will be used when planning which projects to complete in the upcoming year. The person who read my CRS said she knew I wrote the vision because it was very clearly written and easy to understand. That comment in itself shows that the skills used for technical writing are definitely transferable, and I got to try something new. I have now been introduced to the world of function points and lived to tell about it.

The people at work are quite excited that one person might be able to take a project through all its phases instead of having a “different” person complete each of the phases. Isn’t it “interesting” that it might be me? Would it be great if the words different and interesting could have a good meaning again, especially as it relates to my work experience? I’ll have to let you know in next month’s installment of the president’s message.

About Debbie Kerr (President)

In the 20 years that Debbie has been writing documentation, she has worked in a variety of industries: government, retail, software, and insurance. She is currently employed at The Economical Insurance Group in Kitchener writing design specifications. Debbie has been a member of the STC since 1994 and has held several council positions over the last three years.