STC Rochester Chapter

Consultant and writer Pam Sherman will discuss tools for leadership presence

She’s an actor, writer, columnist and outlaw.

Pam Sherman, also known as “The Suburban Outlaw,” will bring her irreverent and energetic take on leadership and success as keynote presenter for the annual Spectrum  2012 conference. The event, “Knowledge, Expertise, Leadership: Influence Change in Your Organization,” is hosted by the Rochester Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication, in partnership with Rochester Institute of Technology, and takes place April 22–24.

Sherman’s address opens the event at 6:30 p.m. April 22 in RIT’s Golisano Hall auditorium. A reception follows immediately afterward. Workshops take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 23 in Louise M. Slaughter Hall. Information about registration and fees for member, non-member and student participants is available on Eventbrite.

The event is open to managers, information architects, instructional designers, technical writers and editors, technical marketing communicators, Web designers, graphic artists and students. Spectrum 2012 offers a variety of educational sessions in four tracks: management methodologies, workplace skills, professional development and tools and technologies. There will be a separate vendor track for product demonstrations and education. Attendees can also visit exhibits by leading technical communication industry vendors and enjoy a luncheon to honor winners of the Chapter Technical Publications Competition Awards.

Sherman leads programs around the world for Fortune 500 companies, law firms and advertising agencies about improving leadership, business development, customer service and communications. In addition, she provides individual and team coaching to executives and other business leaders on storytelling and presentation skills.

She is however, best known as The Suburban Outlaw, and her column can be read weekly in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle and monthly in Gannett’s Rochester Magazine where she also contributes feature articles.

For additional questions about the conference or to register, contact spectrum@stc-rochester.org

Related articles

• Register Today for Spectrum 2012, April 22-24, 2012 (stc-rochester.org)
• Spectrum 2012 Opportunities for Support (stc-rochester.org)

The STC Marketing Communication SIG presents “Plain Talk Series: Get the Marbles Out of Your Message.”

Come see why Spectrum is regarded as the best regional TechComm conference! Great speakers, great networking, great learning. Your registration includes a pre-conference webinar, keynote and reception, and a full day of presentations, progressions, and workshops.

We’ve also added a Leadership Institute on Tuesday, April 24, designed to share leadership best practices with current and future leaders of local communities/chapters of STC and similar organizations.

For more information, visit our Spectrum Conference website at http://spectrum.stc-rochester.org

Related articles

• Spectrum 2012 Opportunities for Support (stc-rochester.org)

Why Flare? Why Now? (or It’s Time to Don Your Propeller Beanies!)

Handouts for this presentation are available.

Presenters Nita Beck and Lorraine Kupka offer an overview of MadCap Flare, a powerful, XML-based topic-authoring tool used to produce various publication formats deployable on various platforms and devices. You’ll learn what Flare is, get an ultra-quick tour, and see examples of its outputs. You’ll hear how anyone along the tech pubs spectrum, from “lone writers” to large departments, can harness Flare’s power, and that its often-described steep learning curve is well worth the climb. It’s time to consider migrating from dead-end technologies to forward-thinking Flare. No sales pitch, but rather an unabashedly passionate testimonial.

Agenda:
5:30 Networking
6:00 – 7:00 Dinner
7:00 - 8:00 Presentation

Dinner: Monroe’s will be serving the following buffet dinner in the Vintage Room:

• Rolls and butter
• House salad
• Pasta with marinara sauce
• Roasted potatoes
• Steamed broccoli
• Chicken French
• Dessert tray of mini-cupcakes
• Coffee and tea

When:
Tuesday March 13, 2012
5:30 – 8:00 pm

Where:
Monroe’s (in the Spring House)
Vintage Room
3001 Monroe Avenue
Pittsford, NY 14534
http://www.monroes3001.com/

RSVP: Reservations are appreciated by March 12th (Monday). Register on Eventbrite at http://stcrochestermarchprogram2012.eventbrite.com/

After that, please contact Jackie Paterson at programs@stc-rochester.org.

Meet our Speakers:

Nita Beck is owner of Nita Beck Communications, a consultancy offering best-practice technical communications strategies to clients and colleagues. A member of Rochester STC for 31 years and a former instructor at Rochester Institute of Technology, Nita is both an in-the-trenches technical author and a 10,000-foot-view strategist helping clients devise Flare-centric solutions to their diverse technical publication needs.

Lorraine Kupka, author of Five Steps to MadCap Flare, is an independent Technical Content Author with more than 20 years of experience writing documentation for end users and software developers. Prior to her writing career, Lorraine developed software, designed software user interfaces, and taught training classes for Logical Operations (now Element K).

Lorraine and Nita are certified MadCap Advanced Developers who have each received numerous awards from the Society for Technical Communication. They are founding members of the Rochester Flare User Group, the first Flare-dedicated user group on the planet.

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Contact Lori Meyer at membership@stc-rochester.org to get on the STC Rochester e-mail list. Members and non-members welcome!

To renew your membership or to join Rochester STC, go to http://www.stc.org/membership/join-or-renew-now.

Feeling the February chill? We have a reprieve! Come hang out with some warm-hearted people, enjoy some hearty  food, and get some mental and emotional fuel to combat the winter blahs. We will also be “sharing the love” by giving you the opportunity to win some great items such as a free program registration for this year, in addition to some sweet prizes! Any paid registrant is eligible (members and non-members)! Only those present can win! You can bring your Valentine, too. After all, we want you to be happy, even if our event comes after Valentine’s Day!

Our speaker will rekindle your interest in learning!

Education in the Age of Technology

Technology has had a significant impact on many aspects of our personal and professional lives, and not surprisingly, on our views about how we educate people. How can we as professionals address technology “distractions” like social media and mobile devices, how do we find opportunities for “student” engagement in the midst of those distractions, and how do we find the resources required to educate instructors? Will instructional paradigms need to change? How do we address information immediacy needs and wants? Answers to these questions are currently being sought at many higher education institutions. During this presentation we will discuss options for new education paradigms, review technology-use case scenarios, and examine associated challenges and strategies as they relate to integrating new forms of instructional delivery (both technical and non-technical) into the learner’s classroom. Whether you are a technology enthusiast, a skeptic, or an observer who is unsure what to think, you will have an opportunity to engage in the conversation and explore the issues.

Agenda:
5:30 Networking
6:00 – 7:00 Dinner
7:00 - 8:00 Jessica Hooper Presents

Menu Choices:

• Grilled Chicken topped with Spinach, Artichokes, and Feta Cheese with a side of Saffron Risotto and Vegetable of the Day
• Stuffed Pork Loin with Apple Walnut Dressing, and and a Apple Riesling Reduction with a side of Mashed Potatoes and Vegetable of the Day
• NY Strip Steak seasoned with Sweet Smokehouse Rub served with a side of Mashed Potatoes or Saffron Risotto and Vegetable of the Day
• Artichokes, Roasted Red Peppers, Black Olives, and Button Mushrooms in a Lemon, Garlic Butter Sauce over a bed of Linguine

Meal includes Coffee or Hot Tea, and Chocolate Cake

Cash Bar available

When:
Wednesday February 15, 2012
5:30 – 8:00 pm

Where:
Towpath Cafe in Fairport, NY
http://towpathcafe.com/

RSVP: Reservations are appreciated by noon February13th (Monday). Register on Eventbrite. After that, please contact marilyn.woelk@gmail.com  or programs@stc-rochester.org.

To renew your membership or to join Rochester STC, go to http://www.stc.org/membership/join-or-renew-now.

Meet our Speaker: