STC-Phila. Metro Chapter

Society for Technical Communication

End-of-Year Picnic is Outside and In-person!

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Join us for our first outdoor gathering of 2021 as we reacquaint ourselves with colleagues and friends at our end-of-the-year picnic.

It should be a glorious day to gather in person and celebrate our remarkable accomplishments this year. We set remarkable milestones and presented informative, and well received programs. It’s time to celebrate these accomplishments and finally have fun.

Sat., June 26, 2021 from 12:00pm – 3:00pm

Alverthorpe Park, Mini Golf Pavilion, 483 Forrest Avenue, Jenkintown, PA 19046

A few event information:

  • This event is FREE to all attendees and their families.
  • Please register the total number of people in your party so we know how many will attend.
  • Drinks will be provided, but guests are asked to provide their own food and snacks to keep physical contact minimal.
  • Please wear masks if you are not fully vaccinated or can’t stay socially distanced.
  • Please bring a blanket or lawn chair if you wish to sit on the lawn, but the pavilion provides several picnic tables.
  • Please tell Park Rangers, when you arrive, you are attending an event at the Mini Golf Pavilion.

 

 

Okay, no more diplomacy!

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This chapter doesn’t seem to understand that with no one at the helm to at least represent the chapter, we have no chapter. We’ve had our nominations open for 3 weeks, and so far, we only have one viable candidate for treasurer, and no candidates for president. We’ve run out of interventions and “Plan Bs”. Mergers with other chapters can no longer be considered. This is a last gasp for breath.

This is a travesty considering that just three years ago, we were the STC community of the year. Even this year, we won a Pacesetter Award for our streamlining efforts and won a Gold level Community Achievement Award, and had a recipient of the highest award the STC gives—the Distinguished Community Service Award (DCSA) given to one of our chapter and council members. The current STC Secretary is a longtime PMC member, and we have PMC member on the STC board as well. We’ve had several PMC members rise through the ranks to the STC board, and one member was even the VP and president a few years ago. PMC means leadership—so why can’t we bring in just one more?

The president role as it stands now is a significantly reduced role. You have several veterans who are ready to step off the board who will train and support you. Even the treasurer candidate is a strong veteran of our council who has been in a leadership position in the past.

Haven’t you always wanted to try to put your organization and leadership skills to the test? This is a safe environment where you can grow, learn, and make mistakes, knowing that people will catch you. Having the President of an STC chapter on your resume helps open doors, both professionally and within the society. Participating in STC CAC also helps you bolster your leadership skills. Even if you don’t want to be a manager at work, this is an opportunity to bolster your own self-confidence while serving others who share your same passion for your field.

BOTTOM LINE – all we are asking is for at least one person who is not just an STC member but is also a PMC member to step up to project manage a few events for the 2021-2022 year. You don’t even have to have as many events as before. Help to make the executive decisions for the chapter with your council’s backing, and hold things together. That’s it. We’ll train you, and give you the tools you need.

With an impassioned plea, step up today. Our nominations form is still open, and we’ll keep it open until 5/29. If we don’t have anyone stepping up by then, then we’ll have to start proceedings to start closing the chapter down.  This is not the desired outcome. Step up now!

The Secret to Saving the STC-PMC Chapter? You!

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If you have ever been a member of an organization, work-related or not, that you liked–you know how it makes you feel: accepted, wanted, appreciated, and gives you a sense of belonging. Now, if you knew your organization was to disband then how would you feel? Sad? Dis-heartened? Even afraid, maybe? Well, this could happen to STC’s Philadelphia Metro Chapter. How can the possible closing of the chapter be avoided? You! You can happen. You can make it possible for the continued life of the chapter.

How? Simple. Run for an elected office or step up to volunteer for an operating committee: Membership, Programming, and Communications.

This year, the chapter transformed from a four-person elected Board to a two-person elected Board with multiple volunteer at-large director positions. This is the minimum that the chapter can survive with. If we do not maintain this Board, then the chapter will either disband or be merged into another. Help us keep our chapter alive!

How can you do this? Nominate yourself or a fellow tech communicator to one of the two elected positions: President and Treasurer/Secretary. The other At-Large Director positions are volunteer, but the entire council works together to coordinate webinars, get-togethers, CONDUIT, and other activities bringing outstanding educational topics to the membership. And the good news is all positions are for a one-year term.

More good news! Nomination deadline has been extended to May 15th. Go ahead, nominate someone – even yourself! And bring it!

If you have any questions or want more details, contact Jen or Danielle.

Election Nominations and Volunteer Nominations 2021 – 2022

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As many of you know, STC-PMC re-imagined the structure of our Administrative Council in 2020. A year has passed and thus far we think the process has served our members well. It is time once again to elect a new slate of officers – President and Treasurer/Secretary, as well as bring in new volunteer Directors-at-Large. To that end, we are looking for nominations for the following roles:

  • President (elected): The role of the STC-PMC President is to represent the chapter for the STC and to act as its liaison to the Society. The President serves as an advisor/project manager for the entire chapter, leading the Council team in delegating and completing chapter activities that help to educate, network, recruit, and maintain the chapter membership. The President determines and sets the main plan for the programming year, and communicates the information to the STC office liaisons and other STC presidents. The chapter President supports the Treasurer and the Directors at-large in their activities and helps to ensure that the activities succeed, including running regular meetings to ensure that things are running smoothly. The President is also responsible for facilitating the STC applications for Distinguished Service Chapter Awards, Community Achievement Awards, Associate Fellow nominations, and Community Pacesetter Awards.
  • Treasurer/Secretary (elected): The chapter treasurer is in charge of tracking all incoming and outgoing monies for the chapter. The bulk of this work is tied to chapter activities, such as monthly meetings, expenses, and conference expenditures. The Treasurer and President have debit cards associated with the checking account. This enables them to buy things for the chapter without requiring reimbursement, although receipts must be submitting for all transactions, and those transactions are reconciled with the chapter’s bank account on a monthly basis. The treasurer is also responsible for the submission of the yearly budget to the STC Office, and submitting any short tax forms on behalf of the chapter. The treasurer’s role is important as that person helps the chapter understand how to budget for the activities they want to do. The Secretary part of the role involves attending all the STC-PMC Council meetings, and keeping notes based on the meeting agendas.
  • Directors at-Large (volunteer): A Director at-Large is part of the Council team who, in turn, supports the President’s initiatives for the program year. The Council team shares the responsibilities for running the chapter. These responsibilities include:
    • membership
    • programming
    • publicity/promotion
    • conference/sponsorship
    • academic outreach
    • mentoring
    • business partnerships
    • chapter digital management (e.g., website, emails, email contact list, etc.)
  • All Directors-at-Large can participate in any of the chapter’s three committees: Membership, Communications, and Programming. To ensure effective job sharing, however, they must participate in two Committees. Furthermore, responsibilities will rotate or change on a regular basis as the President assigns, so no one person is on the hook for always doing the same thing. This is a great opportunity to build leadership and soft skills with support from your fellow Directors, not to mention to help shape the chapter going forward.

Nominations are due May 12th, with elections beginning the following week. While you must be a current STC-PMC member to run for an elected position, anyone can make nominations or volunteer to be a Director at-Large. If you enjoy being a member of STC-PMC, how about seeing what a few hours a month of your free time can do to keep the chapter going strong?

Click Here to Submit a Nomination!

Got questions? Email Jen Heller Meservey president@stcpmc.org.

Don’t Have a Meh May. Make it Memorable!

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For the past 15 months, we have merged virtual meetings, conferences and get-togethers into every aspect of our lives. Now that it seems life is slowly returning to normal, virtual meetings are not going away. So before you panic when asked to give an online presentation, register for our May webinar, From Meh to Memorable! Create IMPACT in Your Virtual Presentations, May 20, 2021 at 7:00pm, by Beth Anne Ashley, founder of DemoNOW Consulting, and a 20-year veteran performing business and technical presentations for IT Management, Executives and End Users. Beth Anne empowers technical presenters to transform ordinary presentations into engaging customer experiences. Through hands-on educational training webinars and workshops, she helps organizations align business understanding with technical capabilities to improve their virtual presentation skills. Her key areas of focus include: product messaging, solution consulting, and customer relationship building. Her mission is to help you present your best self!

Beth Anne will discuss the art of delivering clear, concise, and compelling presentations, and it is a skill that only develops with practice. Discover innovative techniques to increase interaction with your virtual audience by incorporating the DemoIMPACT methodology into your next online presentation.

This session blends business understanding with technical capabilities to sharpen your virtual presentation skills. Learn proven methods to increase engagement with your online audience. Improve your ability to effectively communicate during webinars, client meetings and speaking engagements.

Key takeaways:
• Gain practical insights for engaging with a remote audience to create a lasting impact
• Enhance your personal strengths as a technical presenter
• Develop a more confident mindset as a virtual speaker

Don’t miss your opportunity to gain better insight into making a simple business presentation an audience experience. Registration is now open for this FREE webinar, but space is limited.

Learn more about Beth Anne’s company, DemoNOW Consulting.

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