AGM In Review

By Rob Cundari, President - STC Southwestern Ontario

Looking Back At The Year That Was

One year gone. As my first year as President of the STC SOC council comes to an end, I was given the opportunity this past weekend to provide some reflection on the year that had past, as well as generate some insight on where I see things going in near future. 

We are not without our challenges. In the same breath, we are not without our fighters...our planners...our braintrust: our volunteer council.

I look back now and see that the role I assumed is not an easy one. I liken it to a freshly graduated pilot expected to fly the 747 from Toronto to Paris. Lots of responsibility, but with the talented and qualified crew supporting me, I couldn't imagine flying "this" plane alone.  There is experience and love for this profession that I see in all of our volunteers and I couldn't be more happy to lead a better group of individuals into the next year.
 

AGM 2013 - Progress to Success

Our AGM turned out to be a fascinating and engaging affair.  

Carol and Pauline - Coming home for a surprise visit and more than a few laughs

Nancy Halverson and Kathryn Bender thinking big thoughts

With five knowledgeable, accommodating, and engaging speakers to enlighten and educate the attentive group, it was inevitable that this year's final council offering would turn out to be a success.

But don't just take my word for it! Here's what others have to say about this year's AGM event:

Bill Scott

Starting off with the local networking guru - Bill Scott - the group was inundated with advice and expert recommendations on a topic that many in our profession have a tough time adapting to: networking. We are communicators by trade, but many of us have a tough time communicating about ourselves and Bill promptly showed us the way.

Bill Scott - Always Be Networking

Rosanne Burdett

Following Bill was a familiar face. Rosanne Burdett - a local HR professional and career transition consultant - engaged the group in an interactive discussion about the Dos and Don'ts of resume preparation and interviewing.  

Rob Introducing Rosanne

Martha Jack

Changing direction, Martha Jack - a local social media expert and consultant - shared her knowledge and global experience on the ever-changing maelstrom of Tweeting and Facebooking. She provided solid insight and advice on how to enter the social media realm and not get swallowed whole.

Martha Jack - Pick 1 or 2 Social Media Platforms and Do Them Well

John Rose

With wit and hard-nosed storytelling, John Rose engaged the audience with tales of real life global workplace happenings and challenged those in attendence to question "why" when faced with difficult decisions and situations. 

John Rose Introducing the Concept of "The Agreeable Why"

Rob Cundari

I had the pleasure and the honour to close out the proceedings with a brief and light-hearted talk on consulting and how important it is to have discipline and perseverence when entering the world of the "lone wolf".

Rob Cundari: Find Time to Fold the Laundry

 
I'm proud of this community. I'm proud of their commitment. I'm proud of the way we communicate with each other. It's now time to celebrate our achievements.

Messages from the Town Hall

By Fei Min Lorente

A number of local chapter members recently enjoyed an intimate chat with two members of the STC Board of Directors:  Ray Gallon and Bernard Aschwanden.

 

Bernard Aschwanden (top), Ray Gallon (bottom)

Ray and Bernard were pumped after attending The Summit, especially the Board of Directors meeting and Leadership Day. 

They’re very impressed with the new CEO, Chris Lyons. He’d been on the job for three days before the conference, and he’d hit the ground running. They see a bright future ahead for the Society of Technical Communication with him in charge of the business.

Although we have just finished an election, and the new members of the board were very recently welcomed at the conference, Ray and Bernard are already thinking about the next election. 

They’d like everyone to know that as STC members, we should:

1. Vote.
2. Be careful who we vote for because it can take just 3 members of the STC board to make major changes to the Society. Of the 9 members, only 5 have to show up to make quorum. If only 5 show up, it only takes 3 to carry a motion.
3. Vote for best business practices, not popularity.
4. Think about volunteering to be on the nominating committee. These people provide a critical service by ensuring that we have top-notch candidates to choose from at election time.

They also explained some little-known facts:

• The STC is a tax-exempt organization, not a non-profit organization. The difference is that the STC is allowed to make a profit, as long as the profits are invested in furthering the organization’s vision.
• The current vision of the STC is to promote the profession of technical communication. Its primary purpose is not to serve the members (although by promoting the profession, it does help the members). The STC could be doing a better job of promoting the profession.
• The staff at head office all report to the CEO; they don’t work for the members. The CEO reports to the STC board of directors, and STC members elect the board of directors.
• Unlike politicians who run for re-election on the strength of their record in office, STC board members cannot talk about their achievements as individuals. All decisions and actions taken by the board are taken as a single entity.
• Finally, STC board members are happy to be operating in a more transparent manner. Any member who would like to know what the STC board of directors is discussing can read a summary of the meeting minutes online. You must log in with valid STC member credentials to access the page. 
• You can also access meeting minutes details via the main STC website: log in, hover over My STC, and click on the word Governance - it will take you to the same page as the previous link.