Meeting Notes
October 28, 2004—

'Whine & Cheese' Uncovers Common Problems

At the MTC meeting October 28, fourteen Middle Tennessee technical communicators discovered that they have a few problems in common. They also discovered some solutions at the "Whine & Cheese" meeting, titled to reflect its purpose -- an opportunity to whine (that is, voice job-related concerns) to peers while enjoying refreshments (wine and cheese) in a congenial setting (the Joe Kraft Conference Center in Cummins Station).

Whether full-time employees, contractors, or entrepreneurs, attendees identified the main problem with working in the field of technical communication: Clients don't understand the nature of technical communication and so don't see its value.
They also identified two related problems and a high-level solution. Problems include:

1. Clients value software proficiency over writing and editing ability.
2. Clients don't have time to spend with technical communicators who are documenting processes and procedures or developing training materials, etc.

The solution: Technical communicators must demonstrate their value to clients in terms of cost savings and business efficiencies. Citing past successes with other clients or projects is one way to demonstrate value, especially if evidence in the form of statistics or testimonials is available. Prototyping help files, web sites, or print documents is another. Clients can see the advantage of prototype help file, for example, when their help-desk call volume goes down.

Most attendees agreed that demonstrating value is an ongoing effort. Building relationships with clients, so that they can better understand the work that technical communicators do, was recommended. Understanding the needs of the client and audience (not always one and the same) also was recommended. These tasks typically include identifying one or more client contacts and investigating the client's business processes.

(Posted November 5, 2003)