Orange County STC

Current and Future Chapter Meeting Topics

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Tuesday July 21, 2009 Meeting:
Saul Carliner

Associate Professor, Graduate Program in Educational Technology, Concordia University, Montreal

"The Way We Work: What Research Suggests about The Real-World Practice of Technical Communication and Training Groups (this is a North OC Meeting) "

What does the typical, staff of an internal technical communication department do? Do staff members just write internal documentation? Or do they also prepare marketing materials, conduct usability tests, and prepare training materials? What evidence does upper management really require them to provide to “prove” their value?

But speaking of training, what does the staff of a typical internal training department do? When will they face the demise of the traditional classroom? Are trainers increasingly producing user’s guides, references and other informal learning materials?

Although many commentators on both fields have shared their opinions, the evidence from research suggests a surprisingly different picture of the work of technical communicators and trainers and that, in turn, has profound implications for planning for the future. This presentation shares these pictures, suggests reasons for the surprises and, more immediately for you--suggests how internal technical communicators and trainers might use this information to weather the current economy and reposition themselves for the future.

About the Presenter: Saul Carliner is an associate professor with the graduate program in educational technology at Concordia University in Montreal. As an industry consultant, he also has provided strategic planning services and workshops on technical communication and training to organizations like Alltel Wireless, Chubb Insurance, IBM, Microsoft, ST Microelectronics, and several US and Canadian government agencies. Saul has published over 100 articles and 7 books, including the classic, "Techniques for Technical Communicators" (with Carol Barnum), the best-selling "Designing E-Learning", and the recent "e-Learning Handbook: Past Promises, Present Challenges" (with Patti Shank).

Saul serves on the board of the Canadian Society for Training and Development and the editorial boards of Performance Improvement Quarterly and the Information Design Journal. He also is a Certified Training and Development Professional, past research fellow of the American Society for Training and Development, past president of the Atlanta chapter of ISPI, and a Fellow and past international president of the Society for Technical Communication.

NOTE: This will be a joint meeting with the American Society for Training & Development and the International Society for Performance Improvement.

Current and Future OCSTC Chapter Meeting Dates, Speakers, and Topics