Symposia•Corporate 101/Proving Our Worth(written by Jeff Simon, of the Sacramento STC chapter) Compare these two scenarios. In the first scenario, subject matter experts are unavailable. There is no money for usability testing. You are not included in the development cycle or are relegated to administrative tasks. Writing tasks are inappropriately re-delegated to programmers or Sales or managers because "anyone" can write. Inconsistent, non-user focused, poorly written documentation is the result. At worst, layoffs are likely and you will be among the first to go. At best, customers are dissatisfied and you feel marginalized, misunderstood and poorly utilized by management. In the second scenario, you are a member of a diverse documentation team. This department creates all manner of user support materials. A wide variety of departments rely on your department for content and editorial assistance: product development, different business units, marketing, sales, etc. When a new product is contemplated, a member of your unit is part of the project team. Your unique talents are valued and essential. Opportunities for learning new technologies and tools, and advancement are plentiful. All across your organization, the documentation department is well-regarded and recognized as integral to its success. How can you increase the likelihood of working in the latter scenario? Business skills. Technical communicators may work in customer support, product development, marketing, mutli-functional teams, or are responsible to different departments and competing imperatives. Business skills could be the difference between thriving in an organization and being the first in the layoff line. In order to thrive among the challenges of the corporate world, technical communicators need business skills just as much as they need documentation skills. Technical communicators need to be able to better define and communicate their role within their organizations.How? Create a set of business objectives for your group, and align them with your department, your division, and your company. This session provides a discussion of some sample business objectives of a technical publications department and how technical communicators can contribute to the department's success and prestige within the organization. We will discuss understanding basic business concepts and how they relate to a technical communicator's day-to-day efforts. Topics include identifying and satisfying internal customers (as well as external ones), interacting with other departments, and understanding/supporting the company's business objectives. We will brainstorm some general business objectives and explain how to develop and explain the unique perspective a technical writer can bring to any organization. About the Presenter… Bonni Graham began writing as the "Lone Writer" for Data Trek, Inc., a library automation developer. She then moved on to Easel Corporation's ENFIN Technology Labs, working on object-oriented client-server development environments ("OO-La-La"). Currently Bonni owns a documentation business, Manual Labour, with clients like Hewlett-Packard, Nissan North America, and Kenwood USA. For more information on this session e-mail Bonni.
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