• President:  Jan Kruse
• Vice President:  Miachelle DePiano
• Secretary:  David Goldberg
• Treasurer:  Kim Rosenlof

Nineteen of 72 eligible members voted during the November 1 to November 8 election.  The election was held online again this year using the iContact system.

The administrative council is the decision-making body of the chapter and is composed of the elected officers and the immediate past president, Kathy Graden.  They take office on January 1, 2012 and serve through December 31, 2012.

Congratulations to our new administrative council and thanks to everyone who voted!

The governor of Arizona, Jan Brewer, has honored us once again by proclaiming the week of November 6 – 12 as Technical Communication Week.

Tech. Comm. Week is a special time of year in which STC members and others celebrate the value of technical communicators, and also raise the awareness of our profession, our professionalism, and the ethics and the creativity we bring to our work.

Celebrate Tech. Comm. Week by joining fellow professionals at the November meeting!

Tech. Comm. Week Background

Technical communicators in the early 1980s had the inspiration to create Arizona’s first celebration of our great endeavor. Over the years, about a dozen other states have celebrated the work we do. This year’s celebration is once again sponsored by the STC Phoenix chapter.

Proclamation

WHEREAS, recognition is given to the importance of having a bridge
between those who create technology and those who use it; and

WHEREAS, recognition is given to the creative work of information
designers and technical communicators who build those bridges of
understanding and usability; and

WHEREAS, recognition is given to the standards of professional
excellence and ethical behavior exhibited by these individuals;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Jan Brewer, the Governor of the State
of Arizona, do hereby proclaim November 6 through 12, as

~ Technical Communication Week ~

We’ll also be voting on the new chapter bylaws, which include a provision for student members to vote in future elections.  Please plan to attend the meeting if you would like to see this provision approved.

About the Speaker – Brent Schlenker

Brent Schlenker is a program manager and Emerging Technologies Analyst for The eLearning Guild. He has a degree in Media Arts from UofA, and a Masters in EdTech from ASU. He worked as a contractor for Intel while finishing his masters degree. He then spent some time with SGS Thomson Microelectronics, a little time with an eLearning startup, and then back to Intel for 10 years while he started his family. In 2005, he started blogging and that was engine that kickstarted the rest of his career. Check out his blog. He has worked with internationally recognized futurist Elliot Masie and has been with the Guild for almost 5 years programming DevLearn, doing research, and working as an Emerging Technologies Analyst.

Meeting Details

Thursday, November 10, 2011

5:30 p.m. Check-in & Networking
6:00 p.m. Dinner
6:30 p.m. Announcements/bylaws vote - chapter members
7:00-8:15 p.m. Program

Door prize drawing for Designing mLearning by Clark N. Quinn.

Location

Radisson Hotel Phoenix Airport
427 North 44th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85008

Note that in response to our member survey, we plan to offer a few different venues for our future quarterly meetings.

Dinner Selections

Chicken Marsala – lightly coated chicken breasts braised with Marsala wine and mushrooms

Salmon with mango salsa

Rice Pilaf
Green Beans Almondine

Also included is a tossed green salad, rolls, iced tea, coffee and dessert.

Registration/Cost Information

All attendees:

• Early registration via PayPal: $25
• At the door: $27
• Program Only: $15

Registration Deadline

Tuesday, November 8,  2011 at 7:00 p.m.

No-shows will be billed.

Register Online

To register for this event, please click here.

Jan Kruse – Candidate for President

Jan Kruse joined the Phoenix Chapter in 1998 and has been an active member since 2009 when she became Program Manager. Prior to that, she served as STC Exhibit Manager and as a judge at the Arizona Science and Engineering Fair

For the past 25 years, Jan has developed user’s guides, user assistance, and training guides primarily for the financial software industry. Jan has also volunteered her time to create training/user guides for Ronald McDonald House and ABCD (After Breast Cancer Diagnosis), Inc. She is currently working as a contractor at Rockwell Automation, Inc

Jan was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and began her technical writing career there after a few years working as a speech pathologist. She is interested in how collaboration and technology are changing the field of Technical Communication and how to successfully influence and adapt to those changes.

Miachelle DePiano – Candidate for Vice President

Miachelle DePiano, our membership manager who will continue to manage the membership committee if she is elected vice president, has been an active member of STC since 2007.  She has been active with the AzSEF committee for the last four years, co-chairing in 2010 with Gloria McConnell and chairing in 2011. For the 2011 AzSEF competition, Miachelle orchestrated online judging for the initial round of papers, making it easier for judges to determine who the finalists would be

Miachelle is a technical writer with Intel, and a freelance photographer and journalist for Go Gilbert! magazine.  She is a military veteran of the U.S. Army, and her military career was the foundation for her becoming a technical writer.  She graduated from ASU in May 2008 with a B.S. in Multimedia Writing and Technical Communication. As a technical writer, she is interested in how social media are changing the industry, as well as how technological advances will change documentation creation and use. She is married and has two children and three dogs.

David Goldberg – Candidate for Secretary

David Goldberg has been a member of the Phoenix chapter for several years and the Dallas chapter before that. He is a technical writer/analyst for JDA Software in Scottsdale and produces online help, installation guides, administrator guides, release notes, and other release materials for a variety of enterprise supply-chain optimization products. He worked for Sabre Technology Solutions in Dallas in a similar writer capacity

David has an interest in collaboration tools and approaches for globally dispersed product teams and SMEs, as well as technological trends that will change the ways we create and communicate information. He is originally from Boston, one of triplets, and enjoys sports, tennis, theatre, and his two wonderful dogs.

Kim Rosenlof – Candidate for Treasurer

Greetings, fellow Phoenix Chapter STC members! My name is Kim Rosenlof and I am running for Chapter Treasurer. A Senior Member of STC, I have been a member of the Phoenix Chapter continuously since 1997. I have presented at two chapter meetings, participated as a CARSEF and Publication, Art and Online competition judge, and spoken at the Southwest Region STC conference. I also served as Membership Chair of the Instructional Design and Learning SIG

Although I am currently self-employed as an instructional designer and marketing communications professional, my work experience includes technical writing/instructional design positions at Data Dimensions, Honeywell, and TraCorp. Often I’m able to split my time between technical and creative writing projects and have published more than 300 articles in about 25 different magazines.

Here’s your chance! The Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association (RMMLA) is holding its annual convention in Scottsdale:

When: October 6-8, 2011
Where: Chaparral Suites Resort, 5001 N. Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, AZ
Cost: Free for STC Phoenix Chapter Members! (Non-member fee is  $20.00)
Registration: Pre-registration is highly recommended. Email Jan at programs@stc-phoenix.com by September 30, to pre-register. (To register at the convention, use the email sent to members or your STC identification card to identify yourself as a member of STC.)

Programs

Over 50 sessions will be held; the Professional and Technical Writing group has four technical communication sessions and two sessions on writing programs, including:

• Theory and Research in Technical and Professional Communication
  Friday, October 7, 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
• Forces of Change in Technical and Professional Communication
  Friday, October 7 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
• Technical and Professional Communication in the Classroom
  Saturday, October 8, 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
• Technical and Professional Communication in the Workplace and Beyond
  Saturday, October 8, 10:15AM – 11:45AM
• Writing Across the Curriculum
  Thursday, October 6, 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
• Writing Programs
  Friday, October 7, 10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

One of our colleagues, ASU Professor Marian Barchilon, is one of the panelists for the October 7th session.

For full details on these and all sessions, see RMMLA Program Details. And don’t forget to email programs@stc-phoenix.com to pre-register as an STC member.

About RMMLA

RMMLA is one of six independent regional branches of the Modern Language Association, a non-profit, professional organization, established in 1947 to promote critical inquiry, teaching, and research in the fields of languages, literatures, and the humanities.

Date: Tuesday, September 13th
Place: The Old Spaghetti Factory
Address: 1418 N. Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ (map)
Time: 5:30-8:00 p.m.
Check-in: Starts at 5:30  p.m.
Schedule: Dinner orders will be taken around 6:00. Chapter announcements will start around 6:45, followed by attendee stories. Members, non-members, and guests all will have a chance to be in the spotlight!
Cost: Order from the standard menu and pay your own tab… how much or how little you order is up to you…
R.S.V.P.: Please contact Jan at programs@stc-phoenix.com by Noon, September 13.

I have some great news that I hope will please you.

Thanks to the feedback and suggestions you recently provided regarding the chapter’s future, and to the generosity of dedicated, loyal chapter members who have volunteered to lead the chapter next year, the Phoenix Chapter will remain alive and active, at least through the end of 2012!

Thank you to all who participated in our email and phone survey. We enjoyed talking with you and found your feedback to be very valuable. Seventy-two percent of the chapter members on our “permitted to contact” list responded to the phone or email survey. Some highlights:

• The overwhelming majority wanted to see the Phoenix Chapter remain intact and affiliated with STC.
• The top items that members valued from current chapter activities were: programs, expertise, and AZSEF.
• Members encouraged partnerships with other organizations and more frequent activities/information offered online.
• Members also suggested varied locations and days for meetings as a way to increase attendance at chapter meetings. Two members committed to volunteer their time to the chapter.

On August 9, I met with members of the Chapter Management and Advisory Council (CMAC) and other members concerned with the chapter’s well-being (specifically, Jan Kruse, Miachelle DePiano, Tom Barnett, Chanda Child, Debra Gabriel, David Goldberg, Robbie Proulx, and Kim Rosenlof) to discuss the survey results and determine next steps. We reviewed the implications of the survey results, the state of the chapter’s operations and finances, and came up with a plan to move forward between now and December 31, 2012.

Please read the series of questions and answers that describe the outcome of our meeting.

If you did not read the letter from STC Phoenix Chapter President Kathy Graden, please read it here. Following are common questions about the direction our chapter will be going at least through 2012.

Q: Will Phoenix still have an STC chapter? What will it look like? Based on the survey results, cultural trends, economic realities, and the lack of a large volunteer base, we determined that the Phoenix Chapter should scale back the number of officers and flatten our organizational structure. We considered three options:

1. Remain affiliated with STC, operate with fewer officers, and hold four program meetings (one per quarter) in 2012.
2. Drop ties to STC, and become a less formal group with no membership fees or funding from STC.
3. Operate with fewer program meetings, and allow both STC members and non-members to join the revamped local group for a fee.
   We voted for option 1 as the solution most likely to meet chapter members’ wants and needs, yet satisfy our current financial and operational constraints.  In 2012, the chapter will have only four officers ? president, co-president, secretary, and treasurer. Subject to approval by member vote, the following people volunteered to serve as officers in 2012: Jan Kruse as president and :  Miachelle DePiano as vice president, David Goldberg as secretary, and Kim Rosenlof as treasurer. (Election details will be forthcoming in the near future.)

Q: What will happen to chapter meetings? We voted to combine CMAC meetings with the quarterly program meetings, devoting the first hour to chapter management business and the second hour to a program or other type of chapter event. This new approach has several benefits:

1. Formerly, members who wanted to know about chapter operations had to attend the CMAC meetings, which we held once a month the week before the monthly program meetings. Instead of having to reserve two evenings per month out of your busy schedules for STC activities, you now have only four meetings to pencil in for next year. (If you aren’t interested in hearing about chapter business, you’re welcome to attend only the program portions of the quarterly meetings.)
2. Holding fewer formal meetings reduces the size and scope (and cost) of meetings, reducing the impact on the chapter’s budget and on workload for the chapter officers.

Q: Will the new meetings offer full, sit-down meals, as chapter meetings have in the past? Although food will be available at the new meetings, it probably will be on a pay-as-you-go basis. That is, you won’t need to decide if you want a meal until you arrive at the meeting venue, and then you can order whatever you like from a menu and pay for it. Given our chapter’s smaller size, contracting with a vendor for a preset menu with fixed-price entrees no longer makes economic sense.

Q: What’s on the chapter meeting schedule for the rest of 2011? Chapter program meetings are planned for September 2011 (see details elsewhere on this website) and November 2011.  We’ll also hold our next CMAC meeting the first Tuesday in October.

Q: What program topics are planned for the 2012 quarterly meetings? We haven’t selected meeting topics for next year. This issue is one of the agenda items for the October CMAC meeting. If you have suggestions for meeting topics you’d like to see presented, please email me at president@stc-phoenix.com.

Q: Will the chapter host any other events in 2012 besides the quarterly meetings, for example networking meetings or workshops? CMAC members have expressed interest in doing this, and we’ve talked about a few workshop ideas. But we haven’t planned anything definite yet. If you’re interested in these types of activities, drop me a line at president@stc-phoenix.com.

Q: What about the chapter’s tradition of providing judges for the annual Arizona Science and Engineering Fair (AZSEF)? Are we still doing that? Yes. CMAC members voted unanimously to continue our AZSEF support, and Debra Gabriel has graciously volunteered to coordinate the judging efforts in 2012.

Q: Will the Phoenix Chapter still have a website and a presence on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.? Yes, although new volunteers will maintain them, and we may rely more on online communication tools we haven’t used before. Tim Slavin, who has been the chapter’s webmaster for the past several years, is stepping down due to family-related issues, and we’ve accepted his resignation with our deepest thanks and much regret. But Tim very kindly has offered to help with the transition, which I’ll be directly involved in.

The chapter hopes to enhance our online presence and notifications to members. Some of the new communication tools we’re considering are Google Plus and MailChimp, a tool for distributing email blasts.

We’re also looking at making more use of the chapter communication groups available through MySTC on the www.stc.org website.

Q: What other changes will we see in the Phoenix STC Chapter? The chapter’s fiscal year, and the terms of its elected officers, now run from January 1 through December 31, instead of July 1 through June 30 of the following year. We actually made this change in January 2011, after STC changed its fiscal year to match the calendar year, but the CMAC voted to confirm the change for next year as well.

The CMAC also voted to adopt several other proposed operational changes.  We voted to:

• Allow student members to vote in chapter elections and serve in either the vice president’s or treasurer’s roles.
• Provide 30 to 60 days advance notice to members for the chapter’s annual business meeting.
• Allow other CMAC members to select someone else to preside at CMAC meetings when the chapter president can’t attend.
• Set a maximum number of 12 at-large CMAC directors (webmaster, AZSEF coordinator, etc.).
• Provide at least three days’ advance notice of special CMAC meetings.
• Post CMAC meeting minutes on the chapter’s website.

Q: What’s planned for the Phoenix Chapter beyond 2012? It’s too soon to tell. Our crystal ball is showing a lot of swirly stuff right now, but we’re sure the picture will become much clearer by next fall.

Share your NEW with us. 
 
Do you have new ideas and perspectives about the direction you would like to see the STC Phoenix Chapter take in the coming months? If so, come and share them at the chapter’s Annual Planning Meeting on Saturday, June 18^th. We’re looking for fresh, creative minds to help us brainstorm about ways to revitalize and grow the chapter, connect better with members, and offer them more value – and have some fun, too! Please join us and get an inside look at what goes on behind the scenes, along with information about exciting things the Phoenix Chapter may be offering this coming year. 
 
The planning meeting is open to ALL Phoenix Chapter members. Please RSVP by Wednesday, June 15th. Email president@stc-phoenix.com.

Meeting Details:
Date: Saturday, June 18, 2011
Time: 9:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.
Location: Century Branch of the Phoenix Public Library, 1750 E. Highland Avenue, Phoenix (just south of Camelback Road).

Hope to see you there!

On Leadership Day at the 2011 STC Annual Summit in Sacramento, California, the Society for Technical Communication introduced its chapter and SIG leaders to “My STC,” a new online tool that facilitates STC members’ interactions with other Society members and groups. Think of My STC as STC’s version of Facebook; it’s designed to (and does) work in much the same way as the popular social media site.

Why should you care about My STC? Because it provides an easy way for you to customize and get the most out of your STC experience, sharing ideas, photos, news, opinions, and other information with the people in STC YOU want to connect with. YOU choose the friends, chapters, SIGs, and discussion groups you want to be part of; My STC provides quick steps to get connected. You can even create your own intra-STC groups to match your personal interests or affiliations, such as “web design gurus” or “Phoenix-based phoodies” – the possibilities are yours to choose (although subject to webmaster approval). Another great reason to get familiar with My STC: the Phoenix Chapter has its own group, and starting in the near future, you’ll be able to go there for announcements of local chapter activities and events, conversations about timely topics for our community, and much more.

To get started, log in to STC’s main website, www.stc.org. Click on “My STC” in the navigation bar to go to My STC’s Home tab page. Then, click on the Profile tab and enter and save information for your personal profile. It’s VERY important to do this: until you do, My STC won’t recognize you as a member of its groups for the chapters and/or SIGs to which you belong.

Navigating around the My STC site is fairly intuitive, but STC has created a set of short tutorial videos (available on YouTube) to help:

Overview of the My STC Network

Using My STC’s Home tab 

Using My STC’s Applications tab

Using My STC’s Groups tab

Using My STC’s Inbox tab 

Using My STC’s chat feature

Using My STC’s Friends tab

Using My STC’s Events tab

To kick off the meeting, Marian G. Barchilon, Fellow, Society for Technical Communication, and the Phoenix chapter’s Education Manager, will share some of her experiences as a participant  for the Faculty Fellowship Institute to Israel and discuss the role technical communication can play in promoting collaboration between our two countries.

Next, Kathy Graden, Phoenix chapter President, will share the highlights of the STC conference that she attended this year in Sacramento. (Rumor has it that she brought back some interesting door prizes!)

Following that, Kathy will recognize the past year’s board members’ service to the chapter and welcome the new board members.

…and don’t forget the Book Bonanza! 

Meeting Details

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

5:30 Check-in & Networking
6:00 Dinner
6:30 Announcements
7:00-8:15 Program

Book Bonanza

Choose from hardcovers and paperbacks, fiction and non-fiction: 2 books for $3 or 4 for $5. Kathy Graden will be managing the sales. Proceeds go to the chapter and unsold items to charity. Feel free to contribute books to sell the night of the meeting, too!  Sale begins at 5:30.

Rewards Winners

The June meeting is the first meeting that Rewards winners (those who have contributed $70.00 or more for dinner meeting attendance, “program only” attendance, or combination of the two) can use their rewards status to redeem their free dinner. (Rewards winners will be contacted via email.)
 
Winners should register at the chapter website and add the word “Rewards” in the Notes field located under Meal Options.

Dinner Options

Chicken Marsala - Pan Seared Breast of Chicken served over Herb Linguine Pasta with Seasonal Vegetables
 
Pasta Primavera – Pasta with Vegetables
 
All entrees include a tossed green salad, rolls, tea, coffee and dessert.

Location

Phoenix Airport Hilton, 2435 South 47th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85034-6410

Located just northwest of Route 143 and University Drive. From University, turn north on 47th Place, and the hotel is ahead about two blocks on the left.

Registration/Cost Information

Chapter Member via Pay Pal $18
Chapter Member paid at meeting $20
STC Member-at-Large $25
Non-member $35
Student $15
Program only $10

Discount for First-Time Guest

Not a member, but want to attend? We can match you with a member for one meeting this program year, at the member price. Contact Jan at programs@stc-phoenix.com if you are interested.
 
Discount for first-time guest this program year: $20

Registration Deadline

Thursday, June 9, 2011 at Noon.  No-shows will be billed.

Register Online

To register for this event, please click here.

Come to the June meeting for our Book Bananza! Choose from hardcovers and paperbacks, fiction and non-fiction: 2 books for $3 or 4 for $5. Our Prez, Kathy, will be managing the sales. Proceeds go to the chapter and “leftovers” to charity. Feel free to contribute books to sell the night of the meeting, too!   Sale opens at 5:30.

Other meeting events:  Gain some insights into this year’s STC Summit from attendee Kathy Graden as well as hear what it takes to set up a Tech Comm. university program in Israel by Marian Barchilon…Take time to cheer on recipients of this year’s service awards, too.   All and all, a festive time!

Rewards Program Winners

The June meeting is the first meeting that Rewards Program winners can “cash in” and receive their dinner free of charge.  Winners will receive an email confirming their eligibility before the end of May.

June 18th–Mark your Calendars

Want to know what’s happening with the chapter?  Join us for an idea exchange at the June planning meeting.  We are looking for ideas AND people who want a hand in implementing them!  Here’s your chance to make a difference.  More details to follow soon…

Our featured speaker is Brenda Huettner who will share her experiences about working virtually. Whether you are a consultant or member of a corporate team, there is always room for collaboration.  Bring your questions and join the discussion!

For May’s chapter meeting, Brenda Huettner will provide practical advice for enabling collaboration between members of a diverse team and developing & maintaining professional relationships when team members don’t get to meet in person. She will briefly discuss the types of tools currently available, and match them up with the traditional management tasks for which each might be appropriate.

About the Speaker – Brenda Huettner

Brenda Huettner is the owner of P-N Designs, Inc., a communication consulting company. She writes articles and teaches workshops on management, usability, and technical writing. She has authored, and co-authored a number of books, including Managing Virtual Teams: Getting the Most from Wikis, Blogs, and Other Collaborative Tools with colleagues Kit Brown and Char James-Tanny.

Brenda is a Fellow of the Society for Technical Communication and a regular presenter at conferences across the country. Check out her sessions at this year’s STC Summit. She’s a Senior Member of IEEE and a member of the Usability Professionals Association. 

Meeting Details

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

5:30 Check-in & Networking
6:00 Dinner
6:30 Announcements
7:00-8:15 Program

Location

Phoenix Airport Hilton, 2435 South 47th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85034-6410

Located just northwest of Route 143 and University Drive. From University, turn north on 47th Place, and the hotel is ahead about two blocks on the left.

Book Bonanza/Books Needed/Bring to May Meeting

For June’s meeting, we will be having a book “sale”. (More details to follow soon.)  If you are interested in contributing to this, please bring your Tech Comm-related books as well as other non-fiction and fiction books to the May meeting.

Dinner Options

Meat Entree: Traditional Lasagna – Home Style Meat Lasagna Served with Freshly Baked Garlic Bread Sticks.
 
Vegetarian Entree: Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Capers over Angel Hair Pasta
 
All entrees include a tossed green salad, rolls, tea, coffee and dessert.

Registration/Cost Information

Chapter Member via Pay Pal $18
Chapter Member paid at meeting $20
STC Member-at-Large $25
Non-member $35
Student $15
Program only $10

Rewards Program – Earn a Free Dinner

Starting with the Sept. 2010 meeting, those who have contributed $70.00 or more for dinner meeting attendance, “program only” attendance, or combination of the two, can earn a free dinner. Rewards can be redeemed for one dinner meeting starting with the June 2011 meeting and ending with December 2011 dinner meeting.

Discount for First-Time Guest

Not a member, but want to attend? We can match you with a member for one meeting this program year, at the member price. Contact Jan at programs@stc-phoenix.com if you are interested.
 
Discount for first-time guest this program year: $20

Registration Deadline

Thursday, May 5, 2011 at Noon.  No-shows will be billed.

Register Online

To register for this event, please click here.

You did it.  Your support and membership renewal pushed our chapter into 3rd place in STC’s Chapter Renewal Challenge for Cat III chapters in STC, with a renewal rate of 61.73%, and it was a VERY slim margin to 2nd place winner Willamette Valley, who had a 61.76% renewal rate.  Northeast Ohio took 1st place in Cat III with a renewal of 73.68%.

At this time as Membership Manager, I would like to personally thank each and every one of you for your continued support and dedication to the Phoenix Chapter.  Every member counts, and these results are proof.

For more information on the challenge, visit the Chapter Renewal Page at STC.

Sincerely,

Miachelle DePiano
Membership Manager
AzSEF Chairperson

• President:  Kathy Graden
• Vice President:  none
• Secretary:  David Goldberg
• Treasurer:  Debra Gabriel
• Program Manager:  Jan Kruse
• Membership Manager:  Miachelle DePiano

Thirteen of 76 eligible members voted during the March 30 to April 5 election.  The election was held online again this year using the iContact system.

The administrative council is the decision-making body of the chapter and is composed of the elected officers and the immediate past president, Karen Zorn.  The administrative council will meet with new and returning committee managers and interested members in June to plan chapter events for July through December 2011.  They take office on July 1 and serve through December 31.

Congratulations to our new administrative council and thanks to everyone who voted!

• Our featured speaker is Connie Malamed, who will be coming to Phoenix following her recent speaking engagements at the Learning Solutions Conference & Expo in Orlando, FLA, and the IA Summit in Denver, Colorado.  She is the author of Visual Language For Designers: Principles for Creating Graphics That People Understand and the publisher of two blogs: Understanding Graphics and The eLearning Coach.
• If you are an instructional designer, information architect, trainer, SME, developer, or graphic designer who wants to learn some practical and actionable guidelines for improving the visuals in your deliverables,  or if you are just curious about understanding what principles make visuals effective,  you may want to attend.
• Door prize winner will receive a signed copy of Connie’s book, Visual Language For Designers.
• We are collecting books at the April meeting for our Book Bananza in June. Feel free to donate both technical and non-technical books for the event.

Where and when?

• Phoenix Airport Hilton, 2435 South 47th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85034-6410
• Located just northwest of Route 143 and University Drive. From University, turn north on 47th Place, and the hotel is ahead about two blocks on the left.

• 5:30 p.m. Check-in & Networking
• 6:00 p.m. Dinner 
• 6:30 p.m. Announcements 
• 7:00-8:15 p.m. Program

What does it cost?

• Chapter Member via Pay Pal $18|
• Chapter Member paid at meeting $20
• STC Member-at-Large $25
• Non-member $35
• Non-members paired with members $20 each
• Student $15
• Program only $10

Contact Jan at programs@stc-phoenix.com for details about discounted price with member matchup.

What’s for dinner?

• Meat Entree: Chicken Enchiladas – Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas in a red enchilada sauce.  Served with beans and rice.
• Vegetarian Entree: Grilled Avocado Sandwiches – Fresh whole avocado lightly coated with panko and topped with pepperjack cheese, pico de gallo, lettuce and cilantro mayonnaise.

How do I register?

It’s easy… click here.

Kathy Graden – Candidate for President
Kathy Graden, the incumbent president, has been an active member of the Phoenix Chapter’s Administrative Council since 1996, serving as chapter secretary, managing editor of Rough Draft, and chapter vice president. During her tenure with Rough Draft, the newsletter won multiple awards in the STC international Newsletter Competition, and she published articles that have been reprinted in other STC chapter publications and in Intercom magazine.

Kathy has presented sessions at two STC Region 5 conferences, and has served as judge or judging team coordinator for STC’s Southwest Regional Publications/Art/Online Competition, for STC’s international Technical Publications Competition, and for the Arizona Science and Engineering Fair.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in writing from the University of Pittsburgh. Her technical communication experience includes engagements with Computer Associates, Lucent Technologies, Honeywell, and Acxiom Corporation. She lives in north Phoenix with her two dogs, and currently exercises her writing and research skills as a financial crimes investigative analyst for American Express.

Candidate for Vice President – none

David Goldberg – Candidate for Secretary
David Goldberg has been a member of the Phoenix chapter for several years and the Dallas chapter before that. He is a technical writer/analyst for JDA Software in Scottsdale and produces online help, installation guides, administrator guides, release notes, and other release materials for a variety of enterprise supply-chain optimization products. He worked for Sabre Technology Solutions in Dallas in a similar writer capacity.

David has an interest in collaboration tools and approaches for globally dispersed product teams and SMEs, as well as technological trends that will change the ways we create and communicate information. He is originally from Boston, one of triplets, and enjoys sports, tennis, theatre, and his two wonderful dogs.

Debra Gabriel – Candidate for Treasurer
Active in the Phoenix Chapter since 1988, senior member and incumbent treasurer Debra Gabriel has served in roles ranging from publicity and chapter treasurer (1995–97, 2010–present) to serving as a judge for the Arizona Science and Engineering Fair and managing a local Publications/Art/Online Competition in 1997–98. Debra especially enjoys judging at the international level.

Debra’s experience in technical publishing grows with the times. Beginning as a technical illustrator and publication designer/production person, she now develops online information and instructional materials.

Jan Kruse – Candidate for Program Manager
Jan Kruse joined the Phoenix Chapter in 1998. In June, she will have served as program manager for the chapter for two years. She has also served as STC exhibit manager and as a judge at the Arizona Science and Engineering Fair. Jan is currently a member of the STC Instructional Design and Learning SIG.

Over the past 25 years, Jan has developed user’s guides, online help, and training guides primarily for the financial industry. Her volunteer writing efforts include a training guide for Ronald McDonald House and a user’s guide for ABCD (After Breast Cancer Diagnosis), Inc.

Miachelle DePiano – Candidate for Membership Manager
Miachelle DePiano, the incumbent membership manager, has been an active member of STC since 2007. She co-chaired the Arizona Science and Engineering Fair (AzSEF) Committee with Gloria McConnell in 2010. She chairs the 2011 AzSEF committee and is streamlining the initial round of judging the science reports.

Miachelle is a technical writer with Intel. She is a military veteran of the U.S. Army, and her military career was the foundation for her becoming a technical writer. She graduated from ASU in May 2008 with a B.S. in Multimedia Writing and Technical Communication. As a technical writer, she is interested in how social media are changing the industry, as well as how technological advances will change documentation creation and use. In addition to working for Intel, she is a freelance journalist and photographer for an East Valley publication and she is in negotiations for a book deal. She is married and has two children and three dogs. Photography is her current hobby.

Although audiences remember more from visuals than from other mediums, few technical communication professionals are given guidelines for creating graphics that will impact learning.

Our speaker for April’s meeting, Connie Malamed, will provide those guidelines!  During this interactive presentation, you will learn:

• how we process and perceive multimedia information
• ways to speed up your message
• how reducing extraneous cues makes graphics more efficient to process
• how to represent abstract concepts in concrete form using graphs, charts, diagrams, and tables
• how to clarify complexity

Door prize winner will receive a signed copy of Connie’s book, Visual Language for Designers: Principles for Creating Graphics That People Understand.

About the Speaker – Connie Malamed

Connie Malamed is a consultant, writer, and speaker in the fields of visual communication, online learning, and visual design.  She is the author of Visual Language For Designers: Principles for Creating Graphics That People Understand. She is also the publisher of two blogs: Understanding Graphics and The eLearning Coach.

Meeting Details

Tuesday,  April 12, 2011

5:30 Check-in & Networking
6:00 Dinner
6:35 Announcements
7:00-8:15 Program

Book Bonanza/Books Needed

For June’s meeting, we will be having a book “sale”. (More details to follow soon.)  If you are interested in contributing to this, please bring your Tech Comm-related books as well as other non-fiction and fiction books to the April meeting.

Dinner Options

Meat Entree: Chicken Enchiladas – Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas in a red enchilada sauce.  Served with beans and rice.

Vegetarian Entree: Grilled Avocado Sandwiches- Fresh whole avocado lightly coated with panko and topped with pepperjack cheese, pico de gallo, lettuce and cilantro mayonnaise.

All entrees include a tossed green salad, rolls, tea, coffee and dessert.

Location

Phoenix Airport Hilton, 2435 South 47th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85034-6410

Located just northwest of Route 143 and University Drive. From University, turn north on 47th Place, and the hotel is ahead about two blocks on the left.

Registration/Cost Information

Chapter Member via Pay Pal $18
Chapter Member paid at meeting $20
STC Member-at-Large $25
Non-member $35
Student $15
Program only $10

Rewards Program – Earn a Free Dinner

Starting with the Sept. 2010 meeting, those who have contributed $70.00 or more for dinner meeting attendance, “program only” attendance, or combination of the two, can earn a free dinner.  Rewards can be redeemed for one dinner meeting starting with the June 2011 meeting and ending with December 2011 dinner meeting.

New Member Incentive

Member and first-time guest this program year: $40 for two dinner/program

Not a member, but want to attend? We can match you with a member for one meeting this program year, at the discounted price. Contact Jan at programs@stc-phoenix.com if you are interested.

Registration Deadline

Thursday, April 7,  2011 at Noon. We cannot guarantee a dinner to late registrants, although there may be one available. Please be sure to ask. No-shows will be billed.

Register Online

To register for this event, please click here.