Prez Talk for April 2014

By Manisha Khurana, STC India President

With changing economy and technology, it is important for technical communicators to stay associated with STC that is making technical communicators successful through a robust education, certification, and recognition system.

Today, STC is the only organization in the world for technical communicators that adjusts to changing times, recognizes the value of core skills for technical communicators, and has formed various Special Interest Groups (SIGs) to increase the value of technical communicators in various organizations. Members can attend the events organized by these SIGs to enhance their skills in the areas where technical communicators can contribute.

I have been attending the STC conferences, webinars, and local chapter meetings since 2005 and I have always learned some latest trends related to our profession. As a member of the STC India chapter, I also got some leadership opportunities where I could polish my leadership skills.

Now, I am really honored to serve as  president of the STC India chapter that has shaped me professionally through various opportunities. This year along with continuing our traditional initiatives, we are focused on reviving the SIGs, organizing more Webinars, and organizing annual conference with new features to increase visibility of the STC in India and to provide more value to our members.

We have revamped our Website and have started the chapter activities for 2014 in Chennai, Bangalore, and Pune. We had announced a poll in February 2014 to decide the venue and to take suggestions for 2014 annual conference. Based on this poll, the venue for our 2014 STC India Annual Conference is Bangalore. It was a very close competition between Bangalore and Pune. Finally, Bangalore won by a margin of 11 votes.

However, we are counting on you to make it a success. Therefore, you can mark your calendar in advance for December 5 and 6, 2014 when our annual conference is scheduled. This year there is also a price war going on in aviation industry. If you will plan early, you can also enjoy the benefit of low-cost fares.

We have a huge group of extremely enthusiastic volunteers and I am sure this year we will host a wonderful conference with many new initiatives.

We will have competitions throughout the year and all the winners of these competitions will be recognized at the STC India annual conference.

I am pleased to share that the STC India Chapter has earned the Community of Merit Award for 2013.

The citation on our certificate will read, “For improving STC visibility and professional standing in the community through a high number of quality initiatives, especially the Think-Tank and Debate contests.

Our Community will be recognized during the Leadership Day event on Sunday, May 18, at the summit in Phoenix. At that time, we will receive the CAA certificate.

This is wonderful news for us because we had so many new volunteers, but our teamwork paid off to win us this award for our efforts. Congratulations to all volunteers and members of the STC India chapter.

I look forward to meeting you at the 16th STC India Annual Conference on December 5 and 6 in Bangalore.