Society for Technical Communication

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Society for Technical Communication

• Chapter Presentation
• 2007

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Susan Burton, CAE

• Certified Association Executive (CAE)
• Highest score in nation (and 3.95 will get you a
  latté at Starbucks)
• 30 years experience
• Worked for 8 associations 3 as Chief Executive
  Officer (CEO)
• 4 interim CEO assignments
• Consulted with 150 associations
• Passionate about STCs mission

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Help Me Understand You

• Profile of Audience
• Years in profession
• Years in STC
• Special Interest Group (SIG) membership
• Why are you a member?

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Basic Association Facts

• Individual membership association
• Tax exempt because of STC purpose
• Charitable, educational foundation
• 501(c)3 under U.S. tax code
• Nonprofit
• Can make a profit
• No one can take home the excess

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STC Basic Facts

• Founded in 1953
• Incorporated in New York
• Headquarters in Virginia
• 14 full-time staff/contractors 3 part-time staff
• Outside legal counsel

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STC Governance Structure

• 14 Member Board of Directors
• 5 Officers plus Immediate Past President
• President 1-year term
• 1st VP 1-year term
• 2nd VP 1-year term
• Secretary 2-year term
• Treasurer 2-year term
• 8 Directors
• Past Director-Sponsors for chapters in regions
• Future Directors at Large

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STC Communities

• Chapters
• 130
• Geographic
• Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
• 20
• Virtual

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Transformation Goals

• Elevate STC to be a major player in the field
• Board members must re-envision their role
• Directors focus
• Definition and status of profession
• Changes in industry affecting profession
• National and international issues

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Strategic Objectives
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Getting Into Alignment
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Getting Into Alignment Strategy
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STC Is In the Association Business

• STC is not in the software business
• Current homemade accounting software an
  elaborate checkbook
• Membership database Frankenstein
• Web site navigation and content management
• BOARD ACTION Bring STC into 21st Century

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Bring STC Into 21st Century

• New accounting software
• Accrual
• Trends analysis
• Better management decisions
• New AMS software
• Relational database one entry
• Easier for you to use
• New Web site
• Content management
• Key resource for profession and industry

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Telling Our Powerful Story

• Technical communication
• Changes the way the world works
• Improves the quality of life
• Fundamental to bottom line of industry
• Raise the image
• Change the perception
• Need to define the profession to have a powerful
  story to tell

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Two Sources of Information

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
• Occupational Employment Statistics
• Conducted triennially
• Broad-based survey
• Includes 800 occupations
• 1.2 million firms over three years
• Reviews selected occupations/professions
• Technical writers in review for 2006 survey
  next opportunity 2009!
• Data collected by industry not by occupation
• Limited to tech writers (under-reports new tech
  communications users)
• Reporting subject to employers perceptions of
  tech writers
• Only includes industries that are traditional
  employers of tech writers

• STC Salary Survey
• Conducted annually
• Narrow focus
• Limited to STC members
• Misses those doing tech writing who define
  themselves outside the profession
• Definitions unclear
• Lack of historic continuity
• Random self-selection
• No statistical validity
• Supplier (profession) based
• Little input from market (employers)
• Definitions derived from existing members
  experiences
• Under-reports new career paths

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Confusion When Measuring the Profession

• BLS reports 45,000 technical writers
• STC claims 100,000 technical communicators
• Implication STC has more inclusive coverage

• BLS reports 31,000 median entry level salary
• STC claims 41,000 median entry level salary
• Implication STC has less inclusive coverage

Worst Case The two organizations are measuring
different occupations!
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So What?

• Good information critical to STC strategic plan
• Creating benchmarks
• Publishing information
• Adopting market mindset
• Identifying partnering organizations
• Encouraging collaboration among STC communities
  and academia
• Creating new revenue streams
• Identifying research funding priorities
• Quality of data reflects on credibility of the
  association
• Contradictions in data undermine STCs perceived
  expertise beyond our members
• Telling our powerful story depends on STCs
  credibility
• Possibly harm efforts to Grow relationships and
  choosing partners

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Background

• The Standard Occupational Classifications (SOC)
• List of 820 professions and occupations with
  formal definitions and terse descriptions
• Used by
• Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Monthly Occupational statistics
• BLS has been projecting a steady decline in
  technical writers for five years
• Employment projections by job type
• Employment and Training Administration
• Occupational Handbook
• ETA works with career counselors, educators,
  guidance counselors, state and local employment
  agencies
• Any wonder why people are abandoning the TC
  degree programs?
• Office of Management and Budget solicited changes
  that reflect new occupations or fundamental
  changes to existing ones.

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Reasons for Change

• A definition based only on writers sends false
  market signals
• Its not about the media
• all activities, means and systems providing
  information that enables the user to understand
  the functioning of the product, to handle,
  maintain, repair and dispose it correctly and
  safely. TC Europe definition of a technical
  document
• Output playing new role in
• Consumer protection
• Economic access
• International competitiveness
• Communication changing from one-way static to
  two-way dynamic
• Technical communicators manage content and
  relationships with users. Larry Kunz
• Wiki capabilities

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SOC Structure

• Every occupation falls within one of 24 major
  groups
• Major Group 27 Arts, Design, Entertainment,
  Sports, and Media Occupations
• 27-1000 Art and Design Workers
• 27-2000 Entertainers and Performers, Sports and
  Related Workers
• 27-3000 Media and Communication Workers
• 27-4000 Media and Communication Equipment Workers

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Where Tech Writers Are

• 27-3000 Media and Communication Workers
• 27-3010 Announcers
• 27-3020 News Analysts, Reporters and
  Correspondents
• 27-3030 Public Relations Specialists
• 27-3040 Writers and Editors
• 27-3041 Editors
• 27-3042 Technical Writers
• Write technical materials, such as equipment
  manuals, appendices, or operating and
  maintenance instructions. May assist in layout
  work.
• 27-3043 Writers and Authors
• 27-3090 Miscellaneous Media and Communication
  Workers

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Where Technical Communication Belongs

• 27-1020 Designers
• 27-1021 Commercial and Industrial Designers
• Develop and design manufactured products.
  Combine artistic talent with research on product
  use, marketing, and materials to create the most
  functional and appealing product design.
• 27-1022 Fashion Designers
• 27-1023 Floral Designers
• 27-1024 Graphic Designers
• Design or create graphics to meet a client's
  specific commercial or promotional needs, such
  as packaging, displays, or logos. May use a
  variety of mediums to achieve artistic or
  decorative effects.
• 27-1025 Interior Designers
• 27-1026 Merchandise Displayers and Window
  Trimmers
• 27-1027 Set and Exhibit Designers

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Recommended Definition

• 27-1028 Technical Communicators
• Develop and design instructional and
  informational tools needed to assure safe, easy,
  proper and complete use of technical goods and
  services. Combine multi-media knowledge and
  strong communication skills with technical
  expertise to educate across the entire spectrum
  of users abilities, technical experience, and
  visual and auditory capabilities.

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How You Can Help

• Tell your powerful story
• Chapter competition
• Submit articles to Intercom
• Participate in SIG discussions
• Respond to requests on surveys
• Come to Minneapolis

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• Thank you for this opportunity to serve you!