[Feb-2010] Prez Talk

– Michelle Cherian

2010… We have started this year with a bang, and at the end of January we can proudly say we have a 70+ strong army of volunteers to work and bring to you our various initiatives. When you see this first issue of INDUS online, our new Web 2.0 format of INDUS is a reality, thanks to the work of our extremely talented INDUS team, uploaded on our brand new STC portal, thanks to our webmaster Sridhar Machani, and phase II of the portal will already be in progress.

Our survey tells us that Delhi is the location for our next conference, and we are counting on you to make it a success. Our aim is to take STC to as many areas of India as possible. We have a huge group of extremely enthusiastic volunteers and STC veterans who promise us that they will extend all help required to make the conference this year a success, and we do expect you guys to pitch in too. As the saying goes, “An organization is only as good as we make it!” and we are relying on our strength as a team. We do know that many of you travel on a personal budget for the conference, so it is our endeavor to bring you better quality regional conferences to give more of you an opportunity to attend an STC event closer to your home.

We are still fighting to bring down the membership fees with small wins at present, and hope to bring it down further in the days to come. We are trying our level best to return the best value to the member, and have opened up our mailing lists and groups to non-members in an effort to popularize and share knowledge with a larger spectrum of our community. We do encourage you to actively contribute in any way you can to help us be successful in these initiatives.

We have begun a series of programs such as Corporate Communications, Instructional Design, Usability and User Research, Editing, Management, and Mentoring in addition to our learning sessions and webinars. Each of these programs will have a separate mailing list, a discussion group, workshops, webinars, and training programs. We also plan regional conferences and career days in several cities. We will have competitions throughout the year, and a wide range of scholarships, education and internship programs so we can reach out to students and educate them about this wonderful profession and grow a new generation of technical communicators that are the dire need of every company today. Our veteran Mak Pandit, takes the STC India Library on for another year and adds to the scope of our activities.

We are in initial talks with the STC Toronto chapter to encourage competitions between the chapters, as well as arrange guest lectures via webinars, and collaboration in general between the two chapters. Sumedhe Nene our Mentorship manager is helping us make this a reality.

While browsing the internet the other day, I came across this poem, by M. E. Nebraska  which really emphasizes how we want to work this year… the power of working in a team and leveraging the expertise of each one of us to take our chapter forward!

NO “I” IN TEAM
– M. E. Nebraska

Of course everyone has heard the old saying “There is No ‘I’ in Team,” But who understands it? Do you?

Would you give your ALL for your team?
Would you give up time for you,
But give more to the team if it would benefit the team?
Would you lay it all on the line for your team?
Would you gladly cheer from the sidelines for your team?
Would you take the time to say positive things to every teammate?
Would you be willing to be open-minded enough
To see everyone’s point of view – your coach’s included?

The one thing that “I” can do for a team,
Is to contribute the most “I” possibly can for my teammates.
Whether that is being a leader, a supporter, a motivator,
An instigator, an inspirator – what “I” need to remember
Is that my part as a contributor helps my team the most.

When every “I” can come together as “we,”
Is when a team becomes successful.
When “I” am willing to do whatever it takes
To open my mind and see what is truly best
For my team, is when “I” become successful.
And that’s what “I” wanted in the 1st place, isn’t it?

Do you have what it takes?
Dig in.
Contribute.
Open your mind,
Play the game.
Then, you will win.

Michelle Cherian

President – STC India Chapter
On behalf of the STC India Admin Council – 2010