Join us at Spectrum!
Presentations
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- Empowering the Introvert Within: Becoming an Outstanding LeaderIntroverts possess a quiet confidence that commands respect. When you leverage the innate strengths of introverts; self awareness, concern and communication, you gain recognition as a leader. Key learning objectives: Review the three key strengths of introverts and how to leverage them for leadership opportunities. Learn how social media can be used as a communication tool for leadership development. Understand ways in which you can capitalize on your strengths as an introvert to become a leader.
- Top Ten Ways to Shock Proof Your Use of Social Media (Lightning Talk)Most professionals agree that they should be using social media as part of their online presence. However, every week there are reports of compromised accounts and inappropriate use. In this lightning talk, Ben provides a "top ten" list of practices on safe use of social media.
- Seeing the Future, by Looking at the Past: KeynoteWe are clearly in a period of disruptive change - a period characterized by not knowing "what's next?". But we're not the first generation to experience disruptive change - and certainly not the last. By looking at previous periods of disruptive change in human history, we can glean clues about what the future might hold. Together we will consider disruptive leaps in language, writing, and information technology throughout human history, and connect lessons from our past with our present and future.
- Getting, Keeping, and Excelling at a Job – An Employer’s PerspectiveWith today’s competitive job market and economic downsizing, it is not only difficult to get a job, it is difficult to keep one. Sometimes whether or not you keep a job has nothing to do with your technical skills, it has to do with your emotional and business intelligence, and your ability to avoid making mistakes in critical business areas which are not listed in your job description. Learn about how Emotional Intelligence + Business Integrity + Business and Industry Knowledge + A Measurable Skills Set = A Competitive Edge in the Workplace! If you want to not just “hold on” to your job, b
- Own Your Competencies – Communicate Your ValueWhen you own your competencies and communicate their value, others—including employers and clients—take notice. They and you benefit from your ability to make meaningful contributions to the work at hand. From her perspective as an educator, a communicator, and a small business owner, Shenouda has developed in her book, Career Success in 12 Easy Steps: A Journal, a step-by-step approach to creating a successful life at work, in a career, and beyond. In this presentation, she will guide us through step 3, “Own Your Competencies,” and step 11, “Bestow Unto Others.” The result? We wil
- Editing YourselfWhile most people’s writing would benefit from the attention of a careful editor, not every workplace offers that luxury. In situations where there is not an editor available or time constraints are too tight to even send it to someone else for a quick once-over, you will be left editing yourself. This session offers some quick and dirty tips for self editing and getting the job done.
- “Mobilizing” Online Help – the ChallengesNeed to convert an online help project to mobile? No problem… RoboHelp and Flare have offered mobile, in various forms, as a single source output option for several years. And the mechanics are pretty simple – at the basic level, a few mouse clicks and you’re done. Is it really that simple? Technically, yes. The complexity lies in the areas of content and design conversion, project planning and management, and, most of all, user expectations. This presentation looks at those areas to describe what issues to expect in the areas of content conversion, design conversion and user expectations (
- Merging the Online Help and Mobile SilosOnline help and “mobile” have long been viewed in technical communication as separate fields – “silos”. So were the web and online help once. Today, we’re starting to look at “going mobile” but what does that mean? Porting online help to a Kindle? iPad? Something else? And how do we go mobile? Using what tools? Technologies? Design criteria? And more… This presentation will address these questions by discussing the following topics: The rationale for mobile. What is “mobile”? ebooks, web apps, native apps, and emerging hybrid apps. How traditional help autho
- The Critical First 10 SecondsWhen we meet another person for the first time, each of us forms an initial judgment about the other person in just a few seconds. Either a seed of trust will be planted, or the opportunity will be lost. This program will teach you 11 key objectives that are easy to accomplish, once you know them. These actions will provide for initial trust with most new acquaintances. Join Bob Whipple – MBA, CPLP for an entertaining and enlightening program that will teach you these vital skills. This session will be interactive, and it will reveal some wonderful opportunities to improve the bond of trust
- From Grassroots to Twitterati: NIOSH’s workgroup approach to social mediaThe National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Research has grown their social media outreach which now includes 12 twitter profiles along with Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube as part of an integrated approach to communications and information dissemination. This case study will look at how those behind the scenes used a workgroup approach to distribute tasks and maximize output with very few resources.
- Comfort Zone 2.0–Bringing Our Best to Our Organizations, our Customers, Our Profession, and OurselvesThis lightning talk examines the concept of “getting out of your comfort zone,” and looks at how we as technical communicators can challenge our personal best in a positive way to the benefit of our organizations, our customers, our profession…and ourselves.
- The Change Agent in You: Optimizing Your Personal Best to Grow Your Career and Serve Your ProfessionTechnical communicators are facing more demands on their skill sets at a time when the pace of change continues to increase, both in terms of the information we must document, the tools we must use, and the approach we must take to contribute to our profession in the most positive and productive way. This presentation will use five initiatives – Know, Believe, Invite, Teach, Evolve – to discuss why it is important to take inventory of our skills, strengths, and interests how we can apply our skills to enhance our own careers and put those skills to use to
- Taming the Information Scavenger HuntWith the influx of more devices where we can consume information, the volumes of information are multiplying faster than before. And it’s even more difficult to find the information we want or need. Interfaces vary and limit our ability to find information, but other factors are also involved. How can we take advantage of these factors and make finding information easier? Cheryl Landes has some ideas from her experiences of helping people find information for more than two decades. One may even surprise you: incorporating search with indexes! Join Cheryl in thinking about some new ways to appr
- Leadership Secrets of “How to Win Friends and Influence People”“How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie is a classic book in the motivational genre. The book is a how-to-manual for interpersonal skills; skills that are invaluable to success as a technical communicator, and success as a human being. This lighting talk will highlight gems from this 75-year-old book, drawing from the presenter’s career and personal experiences.
- Practical Tips for Single-Sourcing to Mobile and EPUBDelivering content to mobile devices and eReaders is a new challenge, but one that can be managed in a single-sourcing workflow that also includes online Help and manuals. We’ll discuss issues specific to mobile and EPUB outputs, best practices for how to adjust to them, and some testing tips. We will discuss the following topics in this presentation: Managing graphics and tables Adapting your table of contents Desktop vs. Mobile terminology Writing style Improving navigation Utilizing videos efficiently Managing indexes
- I am NOT a Technical Writer!Through colorful anecdote, this lightning session will waggishly explore the many hats that a professional technical communicator can wear (and the responsibilities that come along with those hats) while all along avoiding the label of “technical writer”! NOTE: This session has been canceled.
- Telling Stories with Data Visualization ToolsThis workshop will explore data visualization tools and techniques with a focus on effective practices for the design and production of resulting visual narratives. During this workshop, participants will have the opportunity to work on visualization exercises using provided data sets and open source tools. A comprehensive resource list will be provided for further study, along with guidelines for project conceptualization, data acquisition, and the visual representation of relationships, patterns, and trends. NOTE: This presentation has been canceled.
- Creating a Successful Work and Life – Keep Your Reservoir FullThere are only 24 hours in a day, seven days in a week, and 52 weeks in a year. While pursuing and living your work and life dreams, sacrificing your health and wellness should not be an option. Based on Step 10, Keep Your Reservoir Full, in Career Success in 12 Easy Steps: A Journal, you will explore how to keep your inner reservoir full of wellness, energy, and health. In this presentation, you will: Discover the demands that can deplete your reservoir of time, energy, good humor, and health. Identify the signs that you are stretched beyond your limit.
- Leading in Context (Leadership Day)Every leader wants to effect change. But what change is possible? What change is appropriate? Given limited resources, how can we intelligently focus our efforts? What's possible is largely governed by the context in which we operate - the context of society, the economy, changes in technology, and trends in our profession. Together we will consider our context, and learn how to use that knowledge to guide and focus our efforts as leaders.
- Get Your Head Out of the Clouds! (Leadership Day)A practical application of rhetoric for focusing leaders who just want to get ‘er done! If you’re an ideas person and want to influence others, consider a practical application of good old fashioned rhetoric to get buy-in. Come to this session with an idea or a problem you want to solve and we will investigate simple models you can use to refine your idea. Then, we will dissect a targeted interview portfolio to identify practical applications of rhetoric that you can apply to your pitch, whether it’s a written proposal, presentation, or an agenda.
- Solutions Discussion (Leadership Day)Pose your questions about situations you're facing as leaders and hear the solutions our panel suggests.
- Mentoring the Mindful Way (Leadership Day)The term “mindful” conveys reference to awareness, meditation, and careful thought. For some of us, these have been our core guiding principles. For others, we struggle to find ways to slow down and meditate on the work that we do, and the future of the industry. As we commit to mentoring the next generation of leaders, we have the opportunity to explore mindfulness in our professional lives, to share a more focused awareness of core leadership values, and to reaffirm our commitment to making significant contributions in our lifetimes. This session will explore the core concepts of mindf
- Leveraging an Industry Council to Enhance Your Organization’s Value (Leadership Day)Every organization that is run by volunteers can attest to how tough it can be to try to keep up with all the industry trends. During this session we explore the ideas of an Industry Council and what it can bring to the table. We review ideas related to developing such a group, what to ask for from others, how to approach them, and what they can contribute that you don't see from your membership or elected board and council. Use what you learn to help build your community, provide leaders further guidance, and develop longer term vision without sacrificing independence of your leadership
- Beyond the Aphorisms: All Leadership is Not Created Equal (Leadership Day)There are a lot of sayings about leadership … some are true, some are not, and many are situational. In this talk, we will take a look at leadership from a number of perspectives and approaches.
- Deliver the best! Improve the User Experience through Hybrid DocsIf a picture is worth 1000 words, how many words is including video worth? During this 45-minute presentation, you get to see a complete example of how the Adobe Technical Communications Suite 4.0 can be used help users read and visualize how to perform tasks. Rather than delivering *just* text, provide users with a mix of words and video showcasing specifically how to perform key functions. Help your audience SEE how to resolve issues before they become problems. Using the full Adobe Technical Communications Suite you can create and manage content for text, print, online, web, video, an
- Where Did that Idea Come From? (Lightning Talk)
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