PowerPoint Presentation

Expand Your HorizonsStuart Culshaw, Tech Writers Without Borders

I would like to take you on a journey.

A journey of exploration, one that I hope will inspire you

and open your minds to some new opportunities

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The journey aheadThe cold, hard, truthWe have a dreamFAQsA sneak peek into the future

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Well start by exploring common frequently asked questions ones that you may already be asking yourself. Well make quick stop to take a cold hard look at realityThen well take a sneak peek into the not-too-distant future, where we might just catch a glimpse of The Next Big Thing And finally share with a dream of our own: an exciting project that Toni and I, and a small group of technical communicators from around the world have been secretly working on for the past few months a project that I hope will inspire you and that maybe you might be interested in getting involved with.

First though, a little about me I actually left university in 1993 with a degree in European Business Studies. My first job after graduating was as a technical writer for a small French software company, even though I didnt know what a technical writer was at the time. I certainly dont think the company who hired me knew what a technical writer was either.

I spoke English, I could write, so for them I was qualified. And I guess my French was decent enough, because I somehow landed the job over the phone. I figured: Why not? 3 months in Paris? Sign me up.

It was only when I was several months into the job that I discovered this was an actual profession and got the company to enrol me in an evening class in technical communication at the American University in Paris. Thats when I realized that I actually reallly enjoyed the challenge of trying to explain technical stuff to people less technical than me.

Since then Ive been employed as a technical writer, technical translator, marketing writer, webmaster, intranet journalist, technical communicator, senior technical communicator (not sure when that happened), and since my previous company was acquired by IBM in 2009, Ive been working in IBMs European mergers and acquisitions team on internal communication projects. My business card now reads Content Strategist.

Anyway, I wont bore you with any more details of my career history (unless you end of sitting next to me at dinner tomorrow night ;-) Letts move onto those questions

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How do I break into tech writing?Can anyone tell me how I might break into technical writing? For example, could I contact a software development company, or work with another tech writer who might sub out a part of a project? I have a lot of writing experience, including five years as an editor at McGraw-Hill. Thanks so much for your help.Source: Technical Writer Forum LinkedIn group, March 24, 2016

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I hear this question a lot. And its not a very easy one to answer. Like I said, I hardly know how I ended up here in the first place.

You could certainly take a course or try to find a technical writer to mentor you or collaborate with you on a project. Even if you have a lot of writing experience, though, employers often want to see some previous experience in their particular field, or want you to have used a particular piece of software before theyll even consider you.

But how can you get the experience if they wont hire you in the first place? Theres a bit of a disconnect there.

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How do I break out of tech writing? Looking to hire someone with experience at creating instructional videos with a strong emphasis on technical infographics and animations. Should we be looking at tech authors who have expanded their role to include technical media creation? Or should we instead look at video content specialists who are able to present instructive material effectively? Or something else entirely :) ?Source: Technical Writer Forum LinkedIn group, March 17, 2016

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OK, so heres another question that Im hearing more and more frequently.

As the frontiers between many tech comm related disciplines are redefined and become increasingly blurred, new opportunities are certainly opening up for those in our field who are able to make the most of their transferable skills. But this also means that those in related disciplines with complementary skills in communication, may also be vying for the same jobs.4

How do I stay relevant (i.e. employed)?I dont have any technical writers anymore. These days, I want the UX to be good enough that documentation isnt needed.Source: Software Technical Writing is a dying career Jim Gray, 16 June 2015

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So the real question you should be asking yourself is How do I stay relevant?

So this is the cold hard stare at reality that I mentionedIn his June 2015 article entitled Software Technical Writing is a dying career (but heres what writers can do to stay in the software game), Jim Gray writes :

I had lunch recently with a fellow I worked for several years ago [] Times have changed, he said. I dont have any technical writers anymore. These days, I want the UX to be good enough that documentation isnt needed.

In the old days, companies invested in good user manuals in the hope that this would help cut down on the support calls, and while good doc can certainly help with that, all this effort was seen as a cost and a burden. These days, many people evaluate a product, not by how good its documentation is, but by how little documentation one needs to use it effectively.

We can choose to view this as either a BIG problem. Or a BIG opportunity.

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Are you ready for the Next Big Thing?

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Either way, its clear that the technical communicators need to stay ahead of the curve if they want to stay employed. But how do we know which way to turn next? We are at a crossroads And it isnt just a simple choice of left or right! Well, tomorrows colloquium speakers are going to try and answer that question for you.

Lets have a sneak peak at some of those issues now

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Are you ready for the Next Big Thing?

Mobile

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The recent rapid advances in user interface and experience design, driven in part by the needs of mobile device users, mean that in many cases, people just dont have to read the doc any more. Or if they do, they want a far better experience with the doc than in the past. The ease of use of mobile devices has raised user expectations, as much as it has reduced their attention spans.7

Are you ready for the Next Big Thing?

SocialMobile

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Then theres social media platforms, like Linkedin and Twitter, and forums, and expertise networks like Quora.com and stackoverflow.com that, with just a few keystrokes in Google, can provide you with the answer to just about anything.

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Are you ready for the Next Big Thing?

SocialMobileSaaS

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Another important driver of change, certainly for those in the software documentation field, has been the move to Software as a Service (SaaS). In the world of Software as a Service, the customer has not bought your software, they have subscribed to a service. There is much less up-front investment required, and its important for companies to keep their customers engaged with their solution and ensure the it continues to meet their needs, long after the initial sign-up. Otherwise, its much easier for a customer to drop your product completely if something else comes along that does the job better. The best analogy I have found for this new approach is like the difference between hunting and farming. Selling software is no longer about making the kill and moving on, its about nurturing, growing, and deepening the client relationship over time.

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Are you ready for the Next Big Thing?

SocialMobileAgileSaaS

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One big advantage of these hosted software solutions is that it is potentially much easier (and cheaper and quicker) for companies to roll out new updates to meet evolving customer requirements (compared with need to launch a new version, produce and ship CDs, etc.) It is therefore not uncommon these days for companies to be pushing out new features on a monthly, weekly, or even daily basis (continuous delivery). This need for speed has profoundly impacted the way software is designed and built over the past few years and not just software but any kind of product

It has also profoundly affected the way products are documented (or not, as the case may be). As software development has become more agile, documentation teams have been doing their best to keep up.

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Are you ready for the Next Big Thing?

SocialMobileCustomer SuccessAgileSaaS

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One thing is sure, though, companies are now placing a much higher importance on keeping the customers happy and making sure they are successful with their solution both in the early stages of adoption (or on-boarding), but also over the long term so that they continue to renew and generat ongoing revenue for the company.

So heres where there is a glimmer of hope for those of us in tech comm roles

Lets think for a second what core skills might be important to help nurture those demanding, impatient customers?Understanding the customers needsTalking their languageDeep product knowledgeAbility to communicate clearly and precisely

These are all key skills that technical communicators possess and you probably do too. We just need to move beyond the confines of the traditional technical communication discipline. We need to expand our horizons, think about the bigger picture while also focusing on the one thing that really matters - ensuring the success of our users (well, that, and ensuring that we have the metrics and results to prove that we are actually contributing to the success of our users). Thats a big aspect of this emerging discipline called Customer Success. It requires much greater customer intimacy a much better grasp of analytics and usage tracking and metrics and for tech writers who have not had a great deal of exposure in the past to real customers and users, this potentially represents a huge change.

If you have not yet heard of the term Customer Success. Google it. Now (well, after my presentation at least)

Im not a gambling man, but if I was, and if I were asked to put my money on the next big thing that will affect our profession, it would be the discipline of Customer Success. Except that this ALREADY UPON US. Seriously, we have a lot of catching up to do.

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So where do we go from here?

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So where do we go from here?

I dont believe there is a single path, but at the end of the day, to quote one of my favorite sayings: The journey is the destination

The important thing is to keep moving. To keep learning and developing your ability to adapt and grasp new skills quickly to take advantage of these opportunities as they arise.

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Warning: Inspiration Ahead!

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And so this brings me now to the top secret project that I mentioned earlier that Toni and I, and a motley crew of technical communicators from across the globe have been working on for the past few months. It is something that has inspired us all. 13

Warning: Inspiration Ahead!

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This project is all about breaking down barriers, removing roadblocks, expanding horizons, improving collaboration and sharing experience, and making a difference in the world.

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Introducing

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I would like to introduce you to Tech Writers Without Borders15

Tech Writers Without BordersOffering project-based learning opportunities for technical communicators and those in related disciplines to expand their skills and experience beyond their core competencies.

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The vision for TWWB has been shaped by 3 main desires:

The first of these is that we want to offer technical communicators something more than just webinars and conferences and networking dinners (not that we have anything against those). We want to offer opportunities to put our existing skills into practice and to learn new things, not by listening to other people tell us about them, but by actually doing them.We want to bring together groups of volunteers from different disciplines to work collaboratively on short-term communication projects. The whole process will be run as a learning exercise, with team members sharing their skills and learning from others on the team. These teams will follow an agile project approach to self-organize, set their goals, and divide up the work. Well provide training on agile best practices and participants will be encouraged to contribute their own tutorials and training modules to our online course catalog.16

Tech Writers Without BordersOffering project-based learning opportunities for technical communicators and those in related disciplines to expand their skills and experience beyond their core competencies.Helping non-profits improve the quality and effectiveness of their training procedures and instructional materials.

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Secondly, and this is where things start to get really interesting, we want to use our skills to make a difference in the world -- by helping those who help others in the spirit of Doctors without Borders (mdecins sans frontires) although a more relevant role model in this case would be the organisation Translators Without Borders. Are you familiar with Translators without Borders?TWB members, all qualified translators, donate some of their time, for free, to translate content for selected non-profits, NGOs, and other humanitarian organisations. We felt it would be an interesting challenge to implement something similar for tech writers.17

Tech Writers Without BordersOffering project-based learning opportunities for technical communicators and those in related disciplines to expand their skills and experience beyond their core competencies.Helping non-profits improve the quality and effectiveness of their training procedures and instructional materials.Showcasing the value of technical communication skills and practioners and promoting best practices.

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The third reason we felt this crazy idea was worth pursuing was our desire to showcase the wide variety of skills that technical communicators possess and to explain and promote best practice approaches to information development and delivery. An important aspect of our work, therefore, will be to carefully document our projects, our outcomes and methodologies and use these to demonstrate the value of what we do to potential employers and the wider public.18

We have a dream

We seek to create a global community of technical communicators who see volunteering their skills and sharing their knowledge as an integral part of their professional and personal development.

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What we are looking to create is a different kind of professional community. One that spans boundaries and continents and job titles and languagesOne whose members are keen to explore new disciplines, who are hungry to acquire new skills and put their own skills to good use. A community whose members understand the importance of giving back, who understand that its no longer about what you know, but about what you share.We want to build a LEARNING COMMUNITY, where members can learn from each other and, more importantly, LEARN BY DOING.More importantly still, we want to build a community that is exists primarily to serve the needs of others. A community that, in so doing, accompanies its members in their own personal and professional development.

Its early days and we havent yet figured out all the details yet, but were on our way:We have a website and LinkedIn groupWe are building a training portalWe are reaching out to academics and training providers and people such as yourselvesWe are reaching out to recruiters to identify the skills gapsWe also have our first project underway19

Our first project

Revising teacher training materials and building an online learning platform for the iNERDE S.T.E.M. summer camp program for children aged 9-12 in Mali and Senegal.

http://inerde.orghttps://www.gofundme.com/sv2africa

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iNERDE is a US-based non-profit organisation created by a group of nerdy engineers and scientists from Mali and Senegal. These nerds have a vision to empower youth with opportunities. And their STEM Summer Camps teach African youth problem-solving, innovation, entrepreneurship, integrity, self-confidence, teamwork and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) skills. They are now preparing for their third round of Summer Camps in Mali and Senegal in 2016, and we offered to assist them in reviewing and revising their teacher training materials and building an online platform to provide their teachers and assistants (or empowerment agents) with early access to the curriculum and thus facilitate their preparation ahead of the next summer camp. I dont know about you, but I think Id like my next business card to read Empowerment Agent

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We learned of iNERDE through a personal friend of mine. This is my friend Michael. He is the most awesome nerd I know. He is a volunteer at iNERDE and his job title is Chief Nerdy Development Officer (how cool is that?) and he is also on a journey. He is leaving behind his life in Silicon Valley and moving to Mali to assist with coordinating iNERDEs summer camp programs and year-round support for local teachers. You can check out this link to learn more about his inspiring story.

But you dont have to go to that extreme to get involved, and you dont have to move to Africa. You can contribute from wherever you are. Have writing or editing skills? Video or drawing skills? Graphic or web design skills? Teaching or training skills? Translation skills? Are you, or do you know anyone who is a subject matter expert in one or more STEM disciplines? If so, wed be really excited to have you join one of our teams.

Perhaps you know of an organisation that either yourself or a friend, family member or colleague is involved in and that could benefit from some of these skills? Let us know, or ask them to contact us and perhaps well be able to help them on a future project.20

Whether you are looking to break into technical writing

or to break out

or just looking to make a differenceWe invite you to join us on our journeyExciting agile learning experiencesA way to keep your skills relevant and showcase your talents to future employers and clientsAccess to a growing repository of community learning resources A chance to make the world a better place

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So in conclusion

If you are looking to break into the technical communication field, or break out, to chase your dream job, or just make a difference in the world

We hope this is something that might interest you

Working on one of our agile project teams could provide you with an opportunity to get hands-on experience to demonstrate to potential employers that you have what it takes to meet their requirements.

We can bring you into contact with people from many related disciplines and you will have the opportunity to learn from them and showcase what you know to increase your confidence and credibility when applying for new and interesting job roles.

So whether you consider yourself a technical writer today or not, and whether you may or may not want to call yourself one in the future if you are interested in putting your skills to good use and make the world a better place and if youre up for a bit of a challenge we invite you to join us on this journey.

Who knows where it might take us?!

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Thank youwww.techwriterswithoutborders.orgwww.linkedin.com/groups/8437644

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Thank you!Website: www.techwriterswithoutborders.orgLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/groups/8437644

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