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Technical Communicators in Nontraditional Roles April 2005
Larry Kunz
Senior Technical Writer
VERITAS Software
TechnicalCommunicators
inNontraditional Roles
Technical Communicators in Nontraditional Roles April 2005
What’s a Nontraditional Role?
Any job not typically associated with the technical communicator’s craft
For example....
• Writing customer proposals
• Hiring yourself out as a project manager
Technical Communicators in Nontraditional Roles April 2005
Why Talk about Roles?
• Adds value for the organization
• Increases your own value
• Develops a key survival skill– For individuals– For organizations
Technical Communicators in Nontraditional Roles April 2005
The Research
• Jamie Conklin research project
• Findings available soon
Technical Communicators in Nontraditional Roles April 2005
Choosing the Right Role
• Know the business• Know your skills and interests• Work with your clients or with your boss• Pick something manageable to start
Technical Communicators in Nontraditional Roles April 2005
Case Studies• Policies & Procedures *• Sales & Marketing *• Proposal Writing• User Interface Design *• Instructional Design *• Software Development• Analysis/Project Management• Volunteer Work
* STC SIGs exist for these roles
Technical Communicators in Nontraditional Roles April 2005
What’s the Upside?
• Visibility
• Recognition
• Broadening skills
• Satisfaction
Technical Communicators in Nontraditional Roles April 2005
What’s the Downside?
• Who has time for this?
• I’m setting myself up for a fight
• Will it really make a difference?
Technical Communicators in Nontraditional Roles April 2005
Discussion
Technical Communicators in Nontraditional Roles April 2005
For Further Information
• See the KeyContent site:– http://www.keycontent.org/tiki-index.php?page
=NonTraditionalRoles
• Case studies
• Research results (coming soon)
• Other info as it becomes available