There is no question that this is a technically-challenging, demanding, and ever-changing profession. We sometimes get so caught up in mastering the latest version of a software tool, or keeping up with new standards and techniques, that we lose sight of the writing. And whatever else we are, we are supposed to be professional writers!"

• Are you less than confident about your writing on a professional level?
• Are you relying on rules of grammar learned in primary school?
• Do you use the same punctuation deemed appropriate for Miss Smith’s 7th-grade English class?
• Do you secretly harbor uncertainty about split infinitives?

Join us for this painless review of some of the most commonly misunderstood (and misapplied) issues of TC grammar, punctuation, and syntax. You may be in for a few surprises!

Leah Guren entered the field of technical communication in 1980. Her experience as a writer, editor, tech pubs manager, and consultant allowed her to develop a variety of technical communication training programs. Leah trains new writers for this field, as well as conducting seminars and in-house training for TCs of all levels, engineers, and managers. Her clients include many of the top high tech companies in Israel.

Leah is best known for her ability to bring dry theory to life, illustrating rules with real-life examples and providing clear, practical guidelines which can be applied by writers of all levels and experience. A senior STC member, Leah is a regular speaker at STC and other international technical communication conferences, and is currently serving on STC’s Board of Directors. For more information, see Cow TC (www.cowtc.com) or contact Leah.

Quick reference guides provide a friendly way for users to learn new products without burying themselves in a manual or online help system. This seminar will help participants understand the benefits of using quick reference guides as a primary method of documentation. At the end of the session you will leave with tips and suggestions for developing organization, content, and layout for quick reference material.

Ben Minson works in the IT department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the User Education Team. This team is finding success in delivering quick reference guides with software projects. Ben also has blogged about quick reference guides on his blog at http://www.gryphonmountain.net. He produces online and print documentation and also provides training live and on the web. Ben holds a bachelor’s degree in Professional and Technical Writing from Utah State University and currently serves as president of the Intermountain Chapter of STC.

Traditionally, scenarios are used as tools to help users understand a product or task. In our approach, scenarios are internal tools to inform information architecture and are rarely customer-facing.

Learning Outcomes:

• Identify the various types of scenarios and their purposes.
• Learn strategies for locating and using existing scenarios and methods for creating your own scenarios.
• Understand why and how to use scenarios internally to shape a solution's information architecture while exploring examples that illustrate these concepts in an applied business setting.

Alyson Riley is a Senior Information Architect and Strategist working on IBM's corporate information strategy team with over 14 years experience in technical communication. Alyson serves as the corporate lead for IBM's information architecture council, drives IBM's corporate-level efforts to define the next generation of user experiences with technical content, chairs IBM's corporate customer council, and consults with IBM content teams worldwide to develop effective information strategies. Alyson has BS and MS degrees in Scientific and Technical Communication from the University of Minnesota.

Deirdre Longo Longo is a Senior Information Architect at IBM, where she has worked for the last 20 years in various information development roles—writer, editor, team leader, and information architect—on a variety of software products. She is currently the information architect for IBM Enterprise Content Management and Discovery products, approximately 30 products (heritage both IBM and FileNet), and approximately 55,000 topics of content. Deirdre has led and serves on various corporate workgroups associated with the customer information experience across IBM's brands and content delivery groups including marketing, support, and development. She regularly builds and provides both formal and informal education for writers, editors, and information architects across IBM. She holds a BA in Professional Writing from Carnegie Mellon University.

Whenever there is more than one person working on a project, there is potential for conflict. When people are in disparate locations, the potential goes up considerably. Factor in cultural differences and the potential for misunderstanding and unnecessary conflict increases even more. This is not a presentation on how to avoid conflict, but a presentation about awareness. When one understands the conflict spiral, when one recognizes the other’s conflict style, when one recognizes the other’s cultural mores on conflict, one can choose the appropriate response to a potential conflict, hopefully, minimizing any negative impact on the project.

This presentation describes how to minimize and manage workplace conflict, especially in a multicultural setting. At the end of this presentation, the audience will (1) understand the mechanics of a classic conflict spiral, (2) be aware of the different conflict styles that people use, (3) be cognizant of the different communication and conflict styles of high-context and low-context cultures, and (4) be able to choose the appropriate method or tool to actually get ahead of the conflict before it spins out of control and moves toward the polarized end of the conflict management continuum.

Judy Glick-Smith is a salesperson and account manager for Clifford Sells, LLP, an international company that specializes in technical writing outsourcing, permanent placement, and project work. Judy has a Master’s of Science in Conflict Management and a BBA in Accounting. She is a Ph.D. candidate at the California Institute for Integral Studies in the area of Transformative Studies with an emphasis on Positive Psychology. Judy is a Fellow and Past President of STC. She is also a Past President of the Lone Star Community of STC and current member of the Atlanta community. She was an instructor in the Technical Writing Certificate Program at Richland Community College in Dallas from 1991 to 2004. She has published in Enterprise Systems Journal; both of STC’s publications, Intercom and Technical Communication; the Center for Information-Development Management’s newsletter, Best Practices; The Rockley Group’s The Rockley Report; the Journal of Mind and Behavior; the Journal of Conscious Evolution; and the Journal of General Evolution. She has regularly presented at numerous professional organizations and conferences since 1988.