Nicoletta Bleiel: Member Questions & Answers
Nicoletta Bleiel
Director Questions & Candidate Answers | Member Questions & Candidate Answers
Please describe what you PERSONALLY will be doing to encourage members to renew their membership in STC before the 28 February 2010 deadline.
I am always encouraging people to join STC or renew their STC Membership—we are surrounded by people who could benefit from membership everywhere we go. I’ve scribbled “stc.org” on business cards, notebooks, programs, you name it—in airports, coffee shops, and restaurants. One of my favorites was a student working at a store in the Pittsburgh International Airport. She was telling me about her interests in college. I immediately knew STC was for her (and she agreed).
As for the 28 February deadline—I have approached this several ways. First, I have been contacting members I know via email. And if I’m on the phone with them, all the better. Second, I have encouraged renewals/membership during presentations. Third, I have used Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to promote membership and the membership deadline. Lastly, I have written an election article for the chapters that contains this information (also on my website: nickybleiel.com). As a current member of the Board, I will be participating in a Board “Call 10 Leaders” initiative; each member of the Board will be calling 10 Society leaders to remind them to renew before the Feb. 28 deadline.
Please provide an elevator speech that a member could use to explain to his or her boss why being a member in STC is important.
First of all, I think everyone should see the value in joining STC before they approach their employers. Employers should see your passion for STC.
Joining STC will benefit our company by providing me with timely and valuable information about the field of technical communication, as well as many resources. I can use this information to improve our company’s deliverables, as well as learn about the latest work in usability, project management, and other disciplines. Much of this information will come from the Society’s two publications: Intercom and Technical Communication, but there are other channels, such as the Society’s blog and website, and the practitioners I will learn about and meet (either in person or virtually).In addition, our company will receive substantial discounts on educational webinars, certificate programs, and the annual conference.
That being said, some employers have a blanket policy not to pay memberships—in that case, the value you see in STC should lead you to pay the cost yourself, because you will benefit in the long run.
What is your position regarding technical communicator certification? What—if any—types of certification do you see appropriate for STC to endorse or provide?
I think many of STC members would benefit from a certification program that covers several technical communication disciplines. Certification would not only enhance skills and set expectations, but could also lead to higher wages and visibility for technical communicators. The Certification Task Force has been at work on certification options and a business plan and will have a report at the Summit in Dallas.
One concern we’ve been hearing from many is that STC isn’t relevent to younger technical communicators… that STC isn’t progressive or innovative enough to suit their needs. How do you respond to this and what—if anything—would you change about how STC recruits and retains members in order to address this concern?
I’d say that STC is progressive and relevant to younger technical communicators. Traditional opportunities for younger members include networking and educational opportunities, mentorship, competitions, awards, and leadership opportunities. Non-traditional offerings include a virtual community on Facebook, the STC Notebook blog and Twitter. Both options make it possible for members both young—and a little bit older—to communicate, learn, and find employment in many ways. On a higherlevel, the Society works to promote the profession, which is invaluable to technical communicators of all ages. The new “technical writer” chapter in the Occupational Outlook Handbook of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics benefits all, especially those just entering the field.
Regarding recruitment, we need to continue to publicize the diverse the benefits of membership through all methods. And remain relevant.
What changes would you advocate making to improve Society/Member communication?
There are a lot of ways the Society communicates with members—Intercom magazine, the website, the STC Notebook blog, the Facebook page, email, and Twitter. In a way, perhaps there are too many channels, but different members prefer information in different ways, so all of these options meet a need. Plus some options, like the blog and Twitter, make it possible to get information out quickly, focused on one subject. I think the biggest challenge is to break through the clutter of information everyone faces. So I wouldn’t suggest that there needs to be more communication, but we need to encourage members to choose one or more of the options so they are plugged in to the Society.
What is your position regarding STC’s use of social media, and how do you see it being used going forward both within the Society and publicly on the web?
Social media is a must. As a member of the Social Media Task Force, I was involved in our strategy on this issue. We moved very quickly and the STC Notebook blog, the STC_ORG Twitter account, and STC Facebook page were established and are active, with blog posts and Tweets going out almost daily. Within the Society, we are using a wiki for the development of the Body of Knowledge. Going forward, we need to expand into new outlets and technologies, such as Google Buzz.
One big concern of mine is that of transparency into member-facing Society-level initiatives. It was this lack of transparency that caused me to create STCIdeas. What steps will you take to further bring transparency to Society initiatives and matters that involve members?
The Ning site was a great way for members to ask questions and make suggestions, and I appreciate your initiative in creating it. 2009 was a difficult year, and it was the right outlet at the right time. As we get back to a sense of normalcy, we need to step back and look at the information provided to members by the Society. First of all, all initiatives involve members at the committee or task force level, and the work of those groups is available through Intercom, the website, and other means, as well as in the posted Board meeting minutes. The Conference, Communities, the LCR, and many other major undertakings of the Society have members both leading and working on them. What I’m trying to say is, the Society is its members and the members are the Society. An earlier question asked about improving communication and I think this falls into the same category—it needs to be easy for members to find information that is already available.
From many discussions in many different channels, it sounds like 2010-11 is going to be a period of winning back members’ trust, faith, and in some cases, their actual membership. What improvements, changes, or plans do you have for your role that will positively affect members?
EVERY year is a year that we must prove to members that they should renew and encourage them to do so. With that in mind, STC should continue adding member value with projects such as additional educational opportunities, the Body of Knowledge, and continued work with the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Although 2009 was a rocky year, the changes made have led to a more stable 2010, so there is no reason for members to lose their trust or faith in the Society. I realize that some of the changes were big (printed Intercom costing extra; a dues increase), they were necessary and were throughly deliberated. And even if you think specific initiatives aren’t going to affect you, they will, because anything that strengthens the profession strengthens the members.
Susan Burton, in her Nov 10 blog post (http://notebook.stc.org/exec-direct-blogging-with-susan-burton), said that “the board always speaks with one voice”. What does this mean to you? Do you think “speaking with one voice” will affect the decisions you make? Do you feel comfortable carrying the board’s voice even if you disagree with the message?
As a current member of the Board, I can tell you exactly how it affects my decision making and level of comfort. First of all, the concept of “speaking with one voice” is not unique to the STC Board. It is employed by most boards because the decisions are made by consensus. Consensus is reached after a great amount of research and discussion, so the end result is that everyone has contributed to the dialog and has agreed to the final decision. I am confortable with this concept and it does not affect my decision making process in the least bit. Just a quick analogy—think of the Board of Directors of a corporation—after a product is launched or a big decision made, have you ever heard a member of that Board share minor details about how they would have done something differently? No, because it wouldn’t make sense because it would dilute the communication, which is counterproductive to the company’s goals.
Although overall STC membership has been declining during the past few years, SIG membership has actually increased during the same period. (NOTE: I believe that my assumption is correct, but was unable to find any membership counts on the STC.org website. Searching for “membership count” did not find what I wanted. If my assumption is incorrect, please ignore this question.) This seems to indicate that STC members do value community membership, though not necessarily a geographic community. Please describe 1-2 actions that you can undertake both in the short term (within 2 months of taking office) and long term to build a sense community among groups of STC members.
STC Members do value communities of all types, both geographic and virtual. Some people prefer one type over the other, and some can’t participate in a geographic community because they don’t live near one. Each has its advantages. Geographic communities provide networking opportunities and programming; while Special Interest Groups (SIGs) do the same virtually, based on discipline. Both provide opportunities to learn, share information, and meet people, as well as be a leader. And both types of communities have different ways of building community, although many overlap. Listservs and webinars are used by both, as well as Facebook, Twitter, and websites. I think there is an inherent sense of community among the various groups, and that is nutured by activity. People don’t stay engaged unless there is conversation, so that should be encouraged and resources provided to pave the way.
How would you propose to make international chapters like Canada feel more like they are a part of the bigger organization?
Since STC is a global society, we do most of our interactions virtually, rather than in person. I think everyone would benefit by “Guest” STC Notebook blog posts from communities everywhere, explaining what they are working on and the climate for technical communicators in their part of the world.
What would you do to convince Canadian members that they should pay the same membership dues as Americans, when many of the STC services do not apply to Canada?
I think that although some services (such as the job data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics) unfortunately is not of immediate use to Canadians or those in other countries outside the U.S., that all of the other benefits make it worthwhile. STC’s benefits and opportunities are unique for our profession and, realistically, no one member takes advantage of all of them, no matter where they are located. What’s more important is that everyone finds the mix of benefits that works for them, no matter where they are, at any stage of their career.
Are you aware that the International Affiliation Agreement is currently being reworked, and what do you think it should contain?
I am aware that the agreement is being reworked and that the Executive Director, Susan Burton and STC’s lawyer are working on this legal document required by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.
Nicoletta Bleiel
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