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