STC Conference Winner!

Congratulations to Debbie Kerr for being the winner of the first annual draw for a council member to attend the STC Summit in Dallas on behalf of the Southwestern Ontario Chapter. For eligibility requirements, see the chapter blog: http://stc-soc.blogspot.com.

The Quill: Debbie, how did you feel when you found out that you were the winner?For a complete course description, see link to Neil’s article.

Debbie: When my name was drawn as the person who will be representing the chapter at this year’s STC Summit, I was really excited. I had only attended one other conference in the past (2006), and I really didn’t have the opportunity to get the full conference experience. When I attended the Summit in Las Vegas, I lost my opportunity to learn, as well as my appendix.

While I did manage to attend Leadership Day and meet some new people, the learning experience—at least the one associated with technical communication—did not go any further that year. I found out that my appendix had ruptured a day or two earlier, so it was removed and I stayed in the hospital for a week. The only learning I did in the hospital was to see how the medical system works in the States. This is part of the reason that I am excited about getting a second chance. I want to do all the things that I had planned to do the first time I went to the Summit.

The Quill: What do you hope to accomplish when you’re in Dallas?

Debbie: My first priority is, of course, attending Leadership Day. With all the changes that are currently taking place in the organization, I am sure there won’t be a dull moment. There is a lot to discuss with Head Office personnel as well as the leaders from other chapters and from other countries. While a lot of discussion took place at the 2009 Summit about upcoming changes, a year has passed and we are now seeing the results of those changes. Ideas from many people and many perspectives will go a long way to help keep the Southwestern Ontario Chapter vibrant and strong.

In keeping with the learning that will take place during Leadership Day, I want to ensure that I continue to learn from the many programs being offered and the people I meet during those programs. Since you never know when one of those contacts will be useful in the future, the more people I meet, the more I may able to benefit in the long run. My benefit is the chapter’s benefit, because I will be sharing all my information with the council when I return.

The Quill: How will you translate that into benefits for the Chapter?

Debbie: All STC chapters are undergoing a lot of changes right now and are learning a very different way of operating. The saying about not reinventing the wheel is very appropriate. If we can learn from other people, both the successes and failures, then we can learn how to succeed faster than if we had to make all our discoveries on our own.

In addition, by being able to work with Head Office personnel directly, it will be a lot easier to get clarification on items while at the conference. If you have ever been misunderstood in an email, you can appreciate the value of actually talking to other people.

There will be a lot of great presenters at the conference and they might be wonderful speakers for some of our events. The Summit is definitely a great place to gather ideas. Even a program topic could be a jumping-off point for developing a learning opportunity in our education evenings.

With the changes in how membership is being handled this year (one fee to join the STC and an additional fee to join a chapter), ideas for attracting members and maintaining those members will prove to be invaluable. While we may come up with our own ideas, the whole process of braining storming and discussing options often results in even better ideas. I hope that I can introduce some of those innovations into our chapter.

I am also hoping that more people will see the value of volunteering. While there are already so many benefits to volunteering—for example, networking, portfolio building, and development of skill sets that are not necessarily available in the work place—the possibility of attending one of the annual STC Summits is certainly a big incentive.

The Quill: What is the one thing you want to be sure to do while you’re at The Summit?

Debbie: I don’t know that there really is one thing in particular that I want to do. The size of the conference, the number of programs, and the number of potential contacts is a bit overwhelming. Like a kid in a candy store, I want it all. I want to have the full conference experience. I want to be a great ambassador for our chapter. I am proud of what we have accomplished to date—development of bylaws that Head Office has accepted, incorporation of our chapter as a non-profit organization, and the creation of an affiliation agreement that we hope will prove acceptable to Head Office, and possibly be a basis for discussion with other Canadian chapters. See Fei Min’s presidential message for more details.

The Quill: Thanks for this interview, Debbie, and we look forward to hearing from you when you get back. Bon voyage!