I led a workshop called “Grassroots DocumentationTesting” at the Spectrum conference. It was the first time I’ve presented outside of my home chapter, and it was a good venue for a newbie. I got specific, respectful feedback , and I got to speak with some of the attendees afterward.
This kind of interaction happens at the STC annual Summit, too, but the smaller conference size at Spectrum means that the common gatherings are more intimate.
I enjoy getting to new cities, comparing chapters and job markets. I only got to see a few glimpses of Rochester, but my speaker gifts (a photo book of Rochester locales and a book of wine pairings and recipes from the Canandaigua Wine Trail) will probably help lure me back for a longer stay next time.
Talking with RIT students was pretty encouraging. I spoke with two undergraduates: one who had a dual major and one who had a triple major. I think it’s smart that students interested in journalism, advertising, entrepreneurship, and psychology find value in a technical communications conference. It’s all related, and to miss that is to miss valuable skills and valuable content.
Also: a Rochester Flare User Group? I’m totally jealous of that.
Kristi Leach is a technical communicator new to the Chicago area. She has experience documenting complex software, conducting customer research, and content planning for STC community sites.
Kristi Leach, Spectrum speaker and attendee
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Contact infoTwitter: @kristil Blog: http://whytechcomm.com
Perspectives on Spectrum provides insights by individual conference attendees on their experiences at STC Rochester’s Spectrum 2011 regional technical communications conference. If you’d like to provide your thoughts on the conference, please drop a note to president@stc-rochester.org or provide your comment on this post. Please note that comments posted to the STC Rochester website are moderated and are published at the discretion of STC Rochester.
