Christchurch TCANZ Meeting Report
Round Table Discussion - September 2011
Our recent Christchurch branch meeting on 28 September was an informal round table affair at Streamliners. The subject was the TCANZ 2012 conference and we brainstormed ideas on possible topics, workshops, speakers, and networking events. Seven attended and others sent us their ideas via email. Here are our thoughts. (If you have ideas about the TCANZ 2012 conference, share them with a
committee member!)
Theme idea:
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“Tech Comms and Information Management” - a theme that can encompass so many different aspects of tech comms.
Presentation ideas:
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High profile librarian talking about knowledge management.
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Guidelines for writing for print based learning as opposed to writing for online learning – what are the differences?
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The use of tablets and phones to create and consume user assistance.
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Trends in internationalisation, and the changing role of technical writers in the wider product development process. “My company isn’t translating yet but it might be soon. What should I be considering?”
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Tech Comms in an Agile environment. When/how to involve us?
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Planning for new technologies. “My company hasn’t adopted (social marketing/tablet deployment/DITA/etc) yet, but what should I be considering to future-proof the tech comms team?”
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Plain English: writing for a) semi-literate English speakers b) speakers of English as a second language c) translation.
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Document management vs content management – what’s the diff? What are the options?
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Learning management and online training – what does a tech comms person need to know?
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Writing about hardware – rapid prototyping, how to best use images (photos or CAD?), etc.
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Writing to persuade – a workshop on business case development (maybe at or near the end after we’ve got excited about new stuff and need help to “sell” new initiatives).
Other observations:
The following ideas got a tick:
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Streaming into novices vs experts.
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Preparing a template to help people persuade the boss (apparently STC does this so we could have a look at theirs).
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Social occasions are really important at conference but we maybe need to do more social engineering to get people to mix. Speed networking or other games?
In conclusion
Despite the small turnout, this meeting provided a valuable chance to brainstorm and provide ideas for the committee. We're looking forward to our final meeting of the year, to be held in December - a social breakfast get-together.
The Christchurch Branch Coordination Team
Megan, Meredith, Ian and Em
