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.

Ray Gallon, Candidate for Director

Radical Persuasion

Friends and colleagues, I am seeking your vote for STC director at large, and I’m doing it because I believe that despite some positive indications in the last year or two, STC remains at a critical point in its history—one where the future of the society will be written large.

Eras of transition are always dangerous. They are also full of opportunity. I seek your vote because I believe that I am especially well suited to help STC recognize and seize opportunities, while recognizing and avoiding the dangers.

I’ve posted my vision for STC on the STC election section of my personal blog. If we could attain that vision, we wouldn’t have to be discussing our value proposition—it would be obvious.

That vision is also why I’m running for director. I believe we can achieve that vision, and if elected as a member of the STC Board of Directors (BOD), I intend to do everything possible to help us get there.

Those who followed my 2011 campaign know that I believe that STC is advancing, but too slowly. I’d like to step on the accelerator—but a BOD member cannot dictate to fellow board members. The board is a team. To bring the team along and also step up the pace, I plan to use what I call Radical Persuasion—another idea I’ve blogged about.

What I mean by this, is I intend to constantly raise subjects that I think are important, to ask questions, even if they are uncomfortable, and to push for constructive reform inside our society, based on these ideas:

• Our communities are our strength, and the communities are where we are seeing the greatest level of innovation, creativity and flare for change. Let them lead the society.
• We need to change our business model to accomodate the society to today’s economy and today’s communications environment. The music business missed the boat. Let’s not imitate them.
• I believe we should take a close look at how we are spending our money—with no taboos. I know it’s been done, but this is money that comes from the members, and we have a responsibility to constantly re-examine and search for creative ways to be more efficient with the resources we have.
• STC must be a truly international society. We have members in over 50 countries. No other technical communication professional association has that. Let’s capitalize on that—use it to strengthen our profile and the profession.
• We cannot remain isolated in our tech writers’ ghetto. The profession of technical communicator now includes so many varied activities that we must work together with organisations in related professions, and develop joint activities that help all of us in the content professions to gain visibility.

That’s the radical part of my approach. The persuasion part is less visible, inside board discussions. As I mentioned, a board member cannot act alone, and the board is bound to speak with one voice. For this reason, we candidates have been advised, wisely, in my opinion, to avoid making promises, especially since we might not be able to deliver on them.

Election pledge

All the same, I will make one promise: inside the board, I will continually and energetically propose new ideas and insist that they be seriously considered. I will work with other creative board members (and there are many) to push us ahead as far and fast as we can. This also means listening to others’ ideas, and changing my opinion if it’s not appropriate to the situation. I don’t think I know everything, and this is a collegial activity that demands mutual respect as well as strong convictions.

I also pledge to you, that my first and only concern on the board will be the good of STC. For me, that doesn’t mean simple survival of the institution. It means that STC must further our profession effectively, internationally, and provide significant and lasting value to its members.

I’m developing these issues in more detail in various forums, especially on my blog, Rant of a Humanist Nerd. Please join me to engage in debate and help me understand your needs.