What the Next Generation Wants out of STC

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009 | STC

Recently Michael Hughes, First Vice President of STC (meaning Guy in Line for President Next Year) wrote a post about what it’s like leading STC during this difficult time.

Michael says:

We tend to keep a core of loyal members (I love all of you), but that has created a demographic problem: A lot of us are older and will be retiring in the coming decade. We are losing our “next generation” of STC members. The upshot is that decisions about how to grow the society are being made by those who often lack the perspective of what the target population wants. Ouch!! OK, that one hits this sixty-year old boy too, so hold off on the flames.

You Talkin’ to Me?

I consider myself among the “next generation” that Michael talks about. Depending on whom you ask, I was born during the somewhat fuzzy transition from Generation X to Generation Y. I graduated from college about four years ago and have a grand total of five years’ experience or so in technical communication. If I’ve ever come across here as anything different (the most likely being even more ignorant than I really am), then you have my apologies for deceiving you.

I agree that the best people to know how to reach the (shall we say) newer generations of technical communicators are themselves. But is replacing the current leadership with a bunch of twenty-thirty-something, forward-thinking, tech-savvy hotshots the answer?

Maybe.

But if you change things completely, you lose the older folks’ experience and longer view, and they can be every bit as forward thinking as the subsequent generations. Some of us do ride behind the crest of the wave. (Not everyone can be in the front rank, right?)

I’m not volunteering for general STC duty. I’ve got my hands full as president of a chapter, and for now the community level suits me just fine. Perhaps if I can fix all the world’s problems on a local level, I can turn around and fix them on a general level. But don’t hold your breath.

The Current Offering

One of my aims as a chapter president is to find out what the current members want out of us. If we can give them what they want, we stand in a better position to attract previous members and new members. In our August board meeting, what people want was one of our focuses, and we used that to start planning our program of events for the coming months. We’re going to implement a questionnaire to get specific feedback from members.

As I’ve said before, I want support for the chapter level. The Leadership Community Resource (LCR) group is lining up mentors for the chapters, but an older member of my chapter says that this song has been sung before. I hope that STC follows up on this. But still, that’s my perspective as an officer and an indirect benefit for the rest of the members.

The thing that troubles me the most is that the majority of the things that are free with STC membership—the things STC advertises—have more to do with finding a job and career building than with improving our actual day-to-day work as technical communicators. Those kinds of things, like webinars and the annual conference, are costly if you have to pay for them yourself. So I don’t blame people for wondering what they’re getting out of a dues hike when they still have to pay for what they want out of STC.

Even the documentation that STC provided for leaders in the LCR suggests that of the costs to serve a member, one-third belongs to the publications. The other two-thirds amounts to what appears to be overhead (and the “find a job” kinds of benefits). True, many people join for the publications, but $175—or more, soon—is a lot to pay for a couple of subscriptions.

The Million-Dollar Question

This isn’t Sam’s Club or Costco. People don’t join STC to get discounts on a conference or webinars. They join to get direct, concrete benefits. It comes down to goods (I’ve got something in hand I didn’t have before) or services (you do something for me so I don’t have to do it myself or something I can’t do for myself). Publications fall into the first category, and community relations fall into the second. But that seems fairly limited.

So of course, as Michael suggests, a big question is what will get the next generation of technical communicators to join STC?

Now remember what I said before. I consider myself among the next generation. So when I talk about “what the next generation wants,” I’m speaking for myself.

I’ll acknowledge that the next generation wants lower dues (or for our employers all to pay dues for us). That’s one of the first things that will help draw people. I’ve read a lot of back and forth on that subject, and I acknowledge that “lower taxes” is the watchword of every generation. But for many people, it comes down to what you’re getting for your money, what goods you have in hand or how your life is being made easier by services.

At first, lower dues will be attractive only to those who want to belong to STC anyway. To reach those who don’t intend to join STC now, I think we need a couple of things: to drive innovation in our field and to foster community and collaboration among members.

Drive Innovation

For years, software vendors have been telling technical communicators how to do our job by what they give us. Unless we turn into programmers ourselves (admittedly, there are tech writers at all levels of programming skill), we’re at the mercy of companies like Adobe, MadCap, and ComponentOne. I would like to be proven wrong, but I doubt their strategies are formed by technical communicators. We are still limited mostly by software product managers’ concept of technical communication. And it’s the bane of our profession that project and product managers don’t understand tech comm.

STC should be taking the lead by developing ideas, maybe through a committee or task force, for the products that technical communicators need. We shouldn’t be leaving it up to non–technical writers to tell us how to deliver documentation and training. We should be telling them what we want in as united a voice as possible and let them scramble and compete to give us what we want.

Foster Community and Collaboration

Some loud complaints were voiced when STC retired the forums. I imagine that this is because many STC members wanted a place to connect with each other. Further evidence that people value STC for the community is the fact that I have heard people say they get the most value out of the SIGs, and those are virtual communities. STC membership is so spread out that it’s vital STC take advantage of and provide ways to network and build professional relationships virtually.

I think STC ought to facilitate mentoring among technical communicators and give us a way to show each other what we’re doing and get feedback about it. If these things are out there on a society level, I’m not aware of them.

I understand that we’re all professionals and time is limited. We can’t give everything away; we have ourselves and families to support. But think of all the open source development projects out there. People contribute to things because they’re interested and enthusiastic. Let’s make a place for enthusiastic technical communicators (there is such a thing) to come together virtually and really make a good name for our profession.

Another aspect where STC could bring members into teams and communities is to find projects for us to do. Task forces are often assigned to gather information and give input. They also ought to give members a chance to work on projects, showcase the profession, and add to their portfolios. As an organization using connections and influence, STC could find opportunities where individuals couldn’t. And people who don’t want to volunteer as officers because they see no return for their effort may be more interested in participating in projects where there is a concrete output, as well as enhancement to their expertise and portfolios.

If much of STC’s cost is overhead, maybe we need more communities, projects, and volunteer leaders and facilitators to guide things along and less paid staff. I hate to suggest that anyone lose his or her job, but it’s worth looking at to see if STC government could be reorganized to use more volunteers. (Sounds like a job for a task force.) Just a thought.

Show Me the Value

In recent months, the discussion usually comes down to value. In fact, the other night after our local chapter event, one of the members told me that she is the representative STC member for her team at work. Her employer is paying for her membership but no one else’s, and they want to know what they get back from STC for their money. They have every right to be asking that. I hope this year, our chapter makes long strides toward giving members something to say when employers ask them why they should pay for STC membership. This particular employer doesn’t see enough value in STC to pay for all of the employed technical communicators to belong.

Collaboration and communities are important for the future of STC because they are an important part of life for newer generations. Well known technical communicators are waving their arms and saying social media are the future (and the present) of our field, and if that’s the case, then it ought to be the near—even immediate—future of STC. I’m no social media cyborg, implanting artificial community in my life at every possible opportunity, but that’s where many people in the world are right now. The society also ought to be pointing the direction that tech comm vendors go in their development. We need to arrive at a happy place where employers will pay for their employees’ memberships and see concrete, positive results from that membership in their organizations.

As a member of the “next generation,” that’s what I want out of STC.

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14 Comments to 'What the Next Generation Wants out of STC'

CJ
September 22, 2009

Ben,

This is one of the best written, most articulate articles on the needs of the STC I’ve seen yet. Thank you for your insights. Not only are you concrete in your examples, you’re also constructive in your suggestions. I don’t think your age or generation matter a bit – if anything, it points out your talent for writing.

As a fellow chapter president, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how we can add value for our members at the community level. Why stay if you can’t feel this? I think the general feeling in our community, far, far away from the American HQ, is that most of the value they see comes from their chapter affiliation (with a helping from the publications). Community is so important. Even with the rising dues, many of our members have said they will continue just to remain in this amazing community – I really hope this is a trend!
Out here, we don’t have to worry about MadCap or Adobe dictating our job roles, we have to define the whole field of technical communications to an audience who doesn’t know it even exists! And yet, most of our discussions are not about how to get a job, they’re about how to advance the field and gain recognition for it.
This is what I love about my affiliation with this community: the genuine dedication to this field that I see expressed over and over. And the way the community provides a chance to contribute to our field in ways that are not always logical to someone who only looks at the financial gain. It brings us together in a way job hunting alone could never do. And I think it makes technical communications a better profession.
To me, this is what the STC is about. The job searching help is a nice bonus when you need it, but the bread and butter is the opportunity to contribute something that betters both us and the community we work in.

[Reply]

Ben Reply:
September 23rd, 2009 at 3:22 pm

“To me, this is what the STC is about. The job searching help is a nice bonus when you need it, but the bread and butter is the opportunity to contribute something that betters both us and the community we work in.”

Amen. Excellent statement.

[Reply]

Margaret
September 22, 2009

Ben:

I, too, think your post is an excellent description of where STC does or could provide value to its members. As a long-time member who has generally paid for my own membership. (Society dues is not a perk for contract writers), not everything STC offers is useful or affordable.

My local Atlanta chapter provides a good mixture of programs, including an annual Currents conference program, and I’ve been on the LW SIG and other SIG lists. Intercom articles often provide more useful job-related information than the scholarly research in the Journal. I would also have liked to to have attended more STC conferences.

I love your idea of tech writers driving software development. As a contractor, I used whatever tools each employer had available when I worked there. It made me a versatile quick study, but not necessarily a better tech writer. I rely on STC for information on new tools and technologies (like XML and DITA) that I haven’t used yet, but may be expected to in my next contract job.

The challenge for STC is to economically provide services to a field of technical communications practitioners whose skills are growing to encompass a spreading list of sub-specialties and more diverse media every year.

[Reply]

Larry Kunz
September 22, 2009

This is a fantastic post!

I’m a bit surprised, though not at all disappointed, to hear you say that STC should foster community. We Baby Boomers have long prized this aspect of STC, and frankly I was wondering if it would matter as much to the next generation.

Like Margaret, I think the idea of tech writers driving software development is great. Wish we could get started on this one today. (And really, why can’t we?)

It’s illuminating to hear what you find valuable in this organization, because you represent the customers of STC for the next two to three decades. I think I speak for all of STC leadership when I say “We’re listening!”

Thanks,
Larry Kunz
STC Strategic Planning manager

[Reply]

Dan Beall
September 22, 2009

As the Product Manager for ComponentOne Doc-To-Help, I’d like to say that our development is driven by technical communicators. Most of the product direction is fueled by customer and community feedback as well as our internal writers (and I also got my start as a writer). Your concern is taken very seriously here, so I offer you and anybody that reads this the opportunity to give us feedback.

Feel free to email thoughts directly to me at danb@doctohelp.com.

[Reply]

Ben Reply:
September 23rd, 2009 at 3:28 pm

Dan, thanks for pitching in and proving me wrong, at least where your company is concerned. I haven’t used Doc-to-Help personally, though I got a demo in the mail, got as far as installing it, and intended to do a review on it. I haven’t gotten around to trying it, mostly because I don’t have the time to give to an in-depth tryout, which is what it would deserve. It’s encouraging that a documentation software company is letting the users drive features, which is something many of us wish the teams we work with would do more of.

[Reply]

Michael Hughes
September 23, 2009

Thanks not only for your own perspectives, but for collecting the comments of others as well. This is useful input.

[Reply]

Ben Reply:
September 23rd, 2009 at 3:32 pm

Thanks to you, Michael, for posting your thoughts on your blog. The staff and officers have gotten a lot of abuse, especially when the news of STC’s financial problems first broke. It’s not fun to be saddled with the task of fixing problems introduced by others’ decisions. You gave us a more human side to the collective face of general STC leadership and what you’re dealing with as you work out the difficulties and get the society past the immediate issue of survival.

[Reply]

Lisa Pappas
September 23, 2009

Ben,
Great post and I concur on many points and those of my colleagues who’ve replied.

When I was a newcomer to the field (low those many years ago!), I did draw value from STC for finding a job and learning more about the profession, the possibilities and facets. What I didn’t anticipate going in but now value immensely is the community. I do belong to a chapter, but, honestly, more out of loyalty. Professionally, I have much more in common with my SIG communities (I specialize in accessibility).

And I agree — Change everything, and you lose long-time members and their historical and domain knowledge. Again, as a novice, I reached out to technical communication mavens — those published in Intercom or the Journal or folks I heard about through other members.

But there’s also this key opportunity to “teach up,” if you will. I guest lecture once or twice a year at graduate schools (in tech comm or human factors), and the tech saviness of the students is dizzying. Their openness to the newest technologies and knowledge of open source tools, shared with we seasoned veterans, can help us reinvigorate our own careers.

I like your idea of volunteer task forces — we have day jobs and families, so long-term commitments restricts the recruiting pool. Task forces with specific goals and timelines are a more realistic mechanism. Running the organization of STC with volunteers — IMO — is not realistic. Volunteers have to pay the bills and cannot be fully committed to operations. Yes, we can run chapters and virtual communities through volunteer work — not a lot of hard deadlines. But to effectively and efficiently run a large Society, I believe that we need a staff experienced with running a non-profit association. Fortunately, the senior STC staff have just those skill sets (ever ask Lloyd what he did before he retired? And Diana — don’t get me started ).

Regardless of where our opinions may differ, I heartened by the passion evidenced in your post. You care about this profession and the members of this organization. By building on that shared passion, I believe we can survive this economic morass, emerging as a leaner organization more valuable to its members.

[Reply]

Ben Reply:
September 23rd, 2009 at 3:35 pm

I threw in the idea of cutting back on staff merely as merely that: an idea. It was based on my ignorance of what it takes to run an organization of this size and what can be done by full-time staff vs. what can be carried by volunteers. Thanks for your perspective and for sharing your experiences.

[Reply]

Jose Amayo
October 1, 2009

Nicely stated, Ben.

As a 33-year-old TC, I concur with many of your views. I am the VP of the Pittsburgh chapter, and we are struggling to keep our members involved. I am trying to actively expand from our traditional member demographic and it is a challenge. We cannot afford to alienate our existing members. The key is that both our older and younger members value the community, most.

I was surprised to read a couple of respondents who were, in turn, surprised about younger members valuing a community. Look around! It is everywhere! LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, ReddIt, etc. Social media is exploding throughout all demographics, but has completely saturated the younger population. They crave it like a drug. Now the reasons for this, and whether it is good or bad, is a discussion for another day. The fact remains that STC must make the most of this opportunity in order to reach this “next generation.”

[Reply]

Ivan Walsh
October 11, 2009

Hi Ben,

Good post. Well balanced arguments.

My 2 cents is that the STC need to get some external consultants to come in and make recommendations.

Hard to believe that they can’t use the resources at hand.

I thought of signing up but then saw this 9 stage application form:

https://access.stc.org/JoinSTC/

It shouldn’t be this hard.

Ivan

[Reply]

Deanne Wilson
October 18, 2009

Hi Ben,
Wow, it’s like you are inside my head! You have very skillfully written a post that echoes all of my thoughts and concerns about the STC at the community level.

I am the Edmonton Liaison for the Alberta chapter (the main body being in Calgary), and one of my goals has been to engage more of the “younger generation”, including all those fresh minds (and non-members) attending the tech comm program at a local university.

Our questionnaire is in the process of being developed and will be distributed to all members of the Alberta chapter, as well as all tech comm students in the province.

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