Awards Night - A Perspective

By Carrie Warner

I’m really glad I attended this year’s Southwestern Ontario chapter STC Awards night event at McCabe’s in Kitchener. It’s the first awards event I’ve attended in quite some time. As a senior member of the chapter, I don’t manage to attend all of the chapter events anymore – sometimes because of existing household schedules and pre-existing commitments, and sometimes because the events just aren’t terribly relevant to my career or my job in the moment. But I’m really glad I went last week to this year’s event, and I’m going to tell you three reasons why the event was so special for me.

When I arrived, I encountered a new friendly face – and that was worth the price of admission right there. After being a technical communicator in Waterloo Region for more than 15 years, meeting someone new can feel like a bit of a novelty. We technical writers are a close-knit community; it can feel like everyone knows everyone. I look forward to meeting fellow writers, trainers, illustrators, and instructional designers; I enjoy learning where they work, what industry and audiences they write for, and I love swapping and sharing workplace experiences. We do similar jobs, but each job is unique.

When the group settled down to study the delicious menu at McCabe’s, I was introduced to one of the evening’s award recipients. This was my second delight of the evening. This young man, beaming from ear to ear with pride, brought his parents to share in his success. They’d come a long distance to celebrate his well-earned award in technical communication excellence, and they couldn’t have looked more pleased. It warmed my heart to see how loved and supported he was, surrounded by his family, and it reminded me that the local STC chapter is, by its very nature, a family.

See, I have an amazing career and I love what I do for a living. I love it when people’s faces light up when I tell them what I do. It doesn’t occur to people that writing product documentation could be a rewarding, fulfilling, and engaging career. But it doesn’t take the skeptics long to understand that technical writers love taking complex information and making it accessible to everyone. We love it when someone exclaims aloud that a task or activity wasn’t nearly as hard as they thought it would be, thanks to the documentation! Many of us hear often that people don’t use what we produce, but I know it’s there if they ever do need it. After all, few things in life run smoothly all of the time, and occasionally, you’ll find yourself needing to troubleshoot to get back on track, whether it’s your refrigerator making funny noises in the night, or your internet browser closing suddenly with nothing but a cryptic error message popup in its wake.

When you love something as passionately as your own career, it’s important to find like-minded others who share that enthusiasm and nurture your spirit! That’s where my local STC chapter comes in, and that’s why I consider them family. I joined my local chapter in 1998, when I was in my final year of undergrad at the University of Waterloo in the English Rhetoric and Professional Writing co-op program. A wise professor told me that a well-suited professional society network was an excellent pack to run with – they’d help me grow and they’d give me the chance to give back. He couldn’t have been more right about that.

Attending the STC awards event last week was a little like going home, as sentimental as that sounds. I was active early in my career because our local STC chapter had much to teach me and I had so very much to learn. Later in my career, I took on senior, lone writer positions that kept me incredibly busy, and I didn’t make the time to attend events as often as I should have. However, as I found myself in mentoring and management positions, I learned how rewarding and enriching it can be to give back as I taught brand new technical writers the art and the craft as it was once taught to me. Being able to share my knowledge and experience with other writers is far more rewarding than I ever imagined possible.

As I sat at the dinner table, sharing anecdotes and experiences with my fellow writers and newly minted award winners last week, I was reminded of just how valuable and how welcoming my local STC chapter can be. We laughed at recreational period use in written documentation; we shared in the successes of some very talented young writers while encouraging them to write well and write often.

The third wonderful thing about the evening is how I grew a little bit that night amongst the laughter, the sharing, and the celebration. I was suddenly reminded that I’m far more than the sum of my experiences and education because of my own talented peers, mentors, coworkers, colleagues, and fellow STC members who offered me a bit of themselves throughout my career.

When I arrived home, the first thing I did was reach out to the current executive to ask how I could help. A senior technical writer has found her way home again and it’s time to give back where she can.

Awards Night 2013 - The Award Goes To....

 By Debbie Kerr

The Awards Night that took place on March 28th meant different things to different people. The fact that it was a great opportunity to socialize and network was a given; however, as the name of the night implies, there were awards to be given to some very deserving people. As the invitation to the event indicated, none of the awards involved golden statues, but all of them were just as important.

The Summit Award

Kathryn Bender with Rob Cundari

The first award of the evening went to Kathryn Bender, our current Program Manager. To be eligible for this award, an individual has to have served on the STC Southwestern Ontario Chapter's council for a minimum of one year. As this year's winner, Kathryn will receive funding to attend the STC Summit in May, which happens to be in Atlanta, Georgia. Kathryn will represent our chapter at Leadership Day, where she will learn about the STC's previous year and any upcoming changes to the organization. She will learn valuable techniques that will enable our chapter to provide optimal benefits to STC members. After Leadership Day, Kathryn will be able to attend many educational sessions and will learn more than she thought possible. When she comes back to Canada, if she is anything like previous attendees, she will be mentally exhausted but grateful for the experience.

The Heidi Thiessen Memorial Award

Each year, we issue three awards to students for excellence in technical communication. This year's winners were Sandy Vazan of Sheridan College (1st Place); Raymond Alanguilan of UOIT (2nd Place); and Joel Thomson of the University of Waterloo (3rd Place). We awarded these students $1,000, $500, and $200 respectively, in addition to giving each winner a one-year student membership to the Society for Technical Communication.

To be eligible for this award, students had to provide proof that they were registered in an Ontario college or university for the 2012-2013 year, write a letter stating why they should win the award; produce an original piece of technical communication based on a list of possible topics, for example, "How to write an effective essay", "How to plan the perfect party", and "How to stretch your budget"; and submit a second piece of technical communication that they had produced for school. The original piece of work was a new requirement and it enabled students to show the more creative side of technical communication. Entries included drawings and illustrations, PowerPoint presentations, videos, brochures, essays, and posters. The entries certainly demonstrated that simplifying the complex can take many forms, which is something that we, as technical communicators, often try to convey to the people around us, whether they are employers, other people at work, or even our own families.

Just as the entries varied, so did the method of presentation to the winning students. Ray was able to attend in person with his proud parents by his side. Joel contacted us through Skype while he was in Boston on an internship. Sandy was unable to attend due to other commitments, but I was lucky enough to talk to her through Skype a few days later. For those students who could not attend in person, I can honestly say, "The cheque is in the mail."

Joel Thomson with Debbie Kerr via Skype

Raymond Alanguilan with Debbie Kerr

Distinguished Chapter Service Award (DCSA)

Fei Min Lorente with Robert Cundari

The final award of the evening went to Fei Min Lorente, our Immediate Past President. This award is given to someone who has served on our council in a variety of positions, which is certainly the case with Fei Min. In addition to being our Past President, she was President for three years, Volunteer Manager for nine years (still holds this position), Education Manager for one year, and Membership Manager (current position).  Fei Min is the calm in any storm, which is why the citation on her award reads, "In recognition of your perfect combination of professionalism, leadership, dedication, and rapport while completing STC activities at the chapter, national, and international levels."

From my perspective, I was grateful to attend the Awards night, socialize with a great group of people, and witness that sometimes people get the recognition that they truly deserve.

Student Award Winners

About Heidi Thiessen

The Heidi Thiessen Memorial Award was officially named in 2000, although the award itself was established years before that.

The Southwestern Ontario Chapter of the STC created this award to keep her memory and legacy alive. Beyond her involvement as an active member of our chapter, Heidi was influential in hiring new graduates, and she mentored many students and young writers. Through her work at the University of Waterloo Centre for Professional Writing, and later at Storm Technical Communications, many co-op students gained valuable work experience in a supportive environment. Unfortunately, Heidi passed away from breast cancer while she was still in her 30s.

Requirements for Submission

To apply for this award, students had to meet the following requirements:

- Attend a college or university full time
- Be in second year or higher in their program
- Have a minimum of a 75% average (official transcript required)
- Write a letter describing how their writing skills have improved with experience
- Submit two writing samples to demonstrate their technical writing skills (for example, reports, newsletter articles, and essays).

General Comments

This is the first year that we made the Heidi Thiessen award available to all college and university students in Ontario who are in their second year of study. Previously the award was restricted to the University of Guelph, University of Waterloo, and Wilfrid Laurier University. It was also previously restricted to 3^rd and 4^th year students. These changes are definitely reflected in the winning entries. Two of the winners are in their second year of study, and all of them would not have met the requirements for this award in the past.

1st Place – Josh Wellstood

4^th year student at McMaster University (Electrical Engineering Management Program)

His Letter

The following sentence captures an important concept about technical communication:

“I have worked significantly to develop key communication skills to effectively explain technically detailed material in a manner that a person without a background in the subject can understand.”

Submission Titles (Topics)

- Analysis of the SLN-Aecon Field Change Notice Process for Bruce ‘A’ Restart Balance of Plant Project

- Arc Flash Hazards: Causes, Calculations and Controls

Comments

While the titles seem complex, the well-written text and great use of graphics within these submissions made the information easy to understand. In addition to content, the information was laid out well with useful headings and groupings of information. These are truly impressive entries and very worthy of their 1^st place finish.

2^nd Place – Daniel Pinelli

2^nd year student at McMaster University (Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering)

His Letter

Daniel’s cover letter was very strong. In fact he started with a definition of communication:

“Communication. A skill that is immensely important in the fields of science and engineering and yet is rarely given the emphasis it deserves in academic study.”

Submission Titles (Topics)

· Propeller Selection

· ECCS Work Term Report for a company that is a component repair shop for the aerospace industry. His main task during his work term was the improvement of the thermal spray process.

Comments

Daniel made good use of flowcharts to illustrate processes with corresponding explanations and formulas. He also provided good descriptions of elements before providing more details. He did an excellent job of presenting his goals and then following those goals with examples of how they were met. He also included examples of problems and solutions.

3^rd Place – Daniel Dulcin

2^nd year student at Lakehead University (Honours Bachelor of Science in Biology)

His Letter

The following is a quotation in Daniel’s letter:

“I am determined to strive for excellence in my written work and have already registered for two writing classes this summer that are not requirements in my degree.”

Submission Titles (Topics)

The following articles were written as part of the SPARK program at Lakehead University. The SPARK program conveys to the public the importance and significance of local research. Daniel wrote two such articles:

· Mussel Man (Note: Since you cannot see the spelling, it refers to the one in the Clam family.)

· Evolution: An Evolving Science

Comments

Daniel’s two submissions demonstrate that technical documentation can be easy to read, even by people not educated on the topic. It also shows that the length of the document is not necessarily reflect the quality of the writing. If you can say the same thing with fewer words then you should be commended. Daniel has demonstrated that he knows his audience and recognizes how much content that audience can grasp, and how much time that audience will spend to read an article.

Debbie Kerr

Immediate Past President

Southwester Ontario Chapter, STC

2010 Awards Night Video

If you missed the party, here are some sights and sounds from the event. If you were there, take a look; you might see yourself!

> 2010 Southwestern Ontario Chapter Awards Night

Many thanks to Rhonda Lee for putting the video together.