Tricia Spayer: Member Questions & Answers
Tricia Spayer
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 suggested to the NEO STC executive board to have, and participated in, a brainstorming meeting to address objections that people who were not renewing may have. We came up with a list of ideas and benefits that we see ourselves (I had a nice long list myself), that we’re sending in Constant Contact messages, our newsletter, and personal contact with members who haven’t yet renewed. The overriding message is: “Can you afford NOT to renew? Now is the time we need this association more than ever.”
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.
This comes to mind for my situation: “Belonging to STC is an invaluable resource. It provides me with continuing education, at a fraction of the cost of a school, with up-to-date information. It helps me avoid the pitfalls of being in a department of one by providing me with thousands of peers around the world that I can turn to.”
How would you propose to make international chapters like Canada feel more like they are a part of the bigger organization?
I respect your concerns, and I’ve read enough listserv e-mails to get a general idea of them. However, as a leader, it would be irresponsible of me to make decisions without specifics. It sounds as though more direct communication and input from international chapters to the board would ensure that your concerns are being addressed.
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?
By STC services, I’ll assume that you mean the list of benefits on the STC Web site, such as insurance, Jobs Database, Salary Survey, etc. I personally don’t know any US member who is using ALL those services. However, it comes down to Return on Investment (ROI).
STC provides value that some people cannot see right away, but there is tangible value. Some examples I’ve seen through personal experience include:
- A fellow chapter member was promoted in her job because she was president of our chapter.
- I was given additional responsibilities based on skills I’ve developed, such as re-designing and managing our corporate Web site. I learned these types of skills at NEO STC meetings and STC conferences.
- From information I learned through STC conferences, I now create electronically-accessed manuals in addition to printed documents. We only print when a customer pays for that option. This delivery has saved Pressco thousands of dollars per year, and the new delivery method allows customers to search and find information much quicker than in print.
- Through STC, I have learned to challenge old ideas with improved methods – I’m now using a single-sourcing method to create documentation, and am able to collaborate with our training department. I’m now able to create HTML help files (where I was not able to earlier). Our company is saving money on localizations by maximizing use of XML data, whereas before, documents had to be translated and desktop published by vendor. Now the vendor is able to keep much more translation memory and use it in future translations. In addition, we’ve more than doubled the number of languages we support in our documentation because the costs have been reduced.
In addition, STC provides the opportunity to build transferrable skills that you may not have the chance to build in your day-to-day job.
- Do you want to get published? Write an article for your newsletter.
- Want to create portfolio pieces? Offer to create a brochure or write press releases to promote your community.
- Want to show your web skills? Contribute to your community’s web site, and capture the pages you worked on.
- Want to work on your leadership skills? Volunteer for a leadership position in your community.
- Want to be recognized by your peers? Enter a competition.
- Want to learn how to coordinate professional events? Volunteer to help on a Programs or Conference committee.
My managers have recognized that my involvement in STC has helped me tremendously. They recognize that my networking with peers and attending educational events of STC helps me avoid the pitfalls of being in a department of one. They also recognize that things I’ve learned have helped me to challenge old ways of Pressco and find better ways of producing documentation that is more professional, consistent, and user-friendly.
Are you aware that the International Affiliation Agreement is currently being reworked, and what do you think it should contain?
I am not familiar with this agreement.
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?
I understand that the role of Director requires that I stand by decisions made by the board. It does not affect my opinions, nor discourage me from bringing opposing ideas to the table. Sometimes the board will make decisions I will agree with, sometimes it will not. I plan to abide by these decisions, knowing that the board as a whole discusses issues.
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?
Maybe that’s also the case for some members who don’t renew their membership. In either case, maybe a more structured mentoring program would help. New members paired with experienced members. The experienced members could get an idea of the new members’ goals, and help them find programs, education, SIGs, or other relevant information to guide them. The mentors should also encourage, support, and challenge the newer members to get the most out of their membership.
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 has its place and usefulness. I know that in the NEO STC chapter, we have publicized events on LinkedIn that attracted attendance. These same events have been posted to area online newspapers and similar sources without the same results. Certainly publicizing STC through social media would reach many people who are not yet part of our organization.
I don’t see social media as an effective replacement for STC’s existing Web site and e-mail communications. I feel that there are already too many sites we must visit to get information or participate in discussions. In addition, I know of several members, myself included, whose companies block access to social networking sites throughout the workday – we would be excluded from such communications, and most likely not think to check these sites on a regular basis.
Tricia Spayer
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