STC-Phila. Metro Chapter

Society for Technical Communication

Counting Down to CONDUIT Unconference 2021

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Conduit 2021: Presenters, Moderators, and Topic Suggestions

Thanks for your interest in CONDUIT! This year, we’re having a virtual “unconference.” We will break out into rooms, and in each room there will either be a presentation or a discussion. At the beginning of the conference, attendees will sign up for the presentations and discussions they want to attend. That’s where you come in!
We are looking for volunteers to be presenters and moderators. Presenters will give traditional presentations. You may present any topic related to technical communication. Moderators will keep the discussions going by asking questions and making sure everyone stays on topic. If you volunteer to moderate, you can suggest a discussion topic, or we can assign a topic to you.
If you are not interested in being a presenter or moderator, but you have a topic in mind that you would like to discuss, you can suggest a topic, and we will assign a moderator to it. So what are you waiting for? Sign up here, and join us for an exciting unconference conference! Who’s in?

Did You Miss It? We Have Your Solution!

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If you missed our webinar, Adding Disney Imagineering to Your Technical Communication Toolbox, presented by Lou Prosperi, you’re in luck! We recorded it and are happy to bring it to you.

But first things first! We’d like to thank Lou for volunteering to take time from his busy schedule to present this informative, introspective and fun presentation. Once you learn how the Disney Imagineers express the details of the experience they want Park guests to have and then relate those details to your technical communication, it all falls into place.

Do you follow the process you etched in your strategy? Do you continue to try to make things better? Does the outcome of your work illuminate or dampen the goals of your communication? These are similar questions that arose from this webinar. So, if you missed it, all you need to do is watch the recording to be transformed to the journey between Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom and your technical communication.

Student Membership and Scholarship Competition – Deadline Extended!

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The Society for Technical Communication – Philadelphia Metro Chapter (STC-PMC) is offering free student memberships and a $500 scholarship for 2021!

This sponsored membership and scholarship program assists students who are pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree and intend to seek a career in technical writing, editing, graphic design, interface design, web design, or some other job in technical communications.

The program has two parts:

  • Multiple STC-PMC student memberships ($75 value), awarded based on an application form and short essay response.
  • One $500 scholarship to a selected student’s university. This cash award is based on a student’s demonstrated participation in and contributions to the STC-PMC community.

Read a recent Drexel student’s perspective on the benefits of joining STC-PMC

Who Is Eligible?

  • Full time undergraduate and graduate students attending college in the greater Philadelphia area (Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Mercer, or New Castle Counties).
  • Students who have completed the first academic year of their undergraduate or graduate program and have at least one semester remaining before degree completion.
  • Students who have an interest in the technical communication field.

How Do I Apply for the Sponsored Student Memberships?

Prepare the following items:

  • A 300-500 word essay response to the question, “Why do you want to join STC-PMC and how do you expect to benefit from your membership?”
  • A résumé or equivalent information.

Complete the the STC-PMC Student Membership Application Form.

When Is The Deadline?

Applications must be submitted by March 20, 2021. The STC-PMC Membership Committee evaluates all applications.

How Will I Know If I Won a Student Membership?

Winners of the sponsored student memberships will be notified via email by the end of March.

How Do I Compete for the Scholarship?

Winners of the sponsored student memberships are eligible to compete for the $500 scholarship based on their participation and involvement in STC-PMC activities from April through June 2021. Throughout the spring, the STC-PMC Membership Committee evaluates student members’ contributions to STC-PMC activities for scholarship consideration. A list of suggested activities and specific opportunities to volunteer will be provided to sponsored students.

Good luck!

Are You A Technical Imagineer?

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If you have ever been to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida, you know of the free-fall ride, Twilight Zone’s The Tower of Terror. What attracts people to this ride? The “terror” of the unexpected? The view of the park when the top doors open before the ride drops? Or the realistic time warp you enter as soon as you come to the front door of the old Hollywood Tower Hotel. As guests stand in line, they walk through the eerie, neglected hotel gardens before entering an old, dusty and cobwebbed lobby. They are then escorted to the library where “lightning flashes outside the window and a black-and-white television comes to life where Rod Serling introduces the plot of today’s episode of The Twilight Zone. Afterwards, guests enter the dark boiler room to board their maintenance service elevators which serve as their ride vehicles.” As the elevator doors close, there is no turning back.

Guests may feel anxious, scared, even excited. Why? Because Disney Imagineers have placed them directly in an episode of The Twilight Zone. They are no longer watching a television show. They are IN a television show. This is the creative talent of Disney Imagineers. Guests are swooped into another timeframe, another world or another story. The experience comes to life with superb architecture, period paint colors, décor and artifacts. Guests are immediately transported through time. And this is just the waiting line. Does your technical communication do that?

Join us for our February webinar, February 25th at 7:00pm, Adding Disney Imagineering to Your Technical Communication Toolbox, presented by senior documentation and curriculum manager, Lou Prosperi. His webinar explores several practices and principles used by Walt Disney Imagineering in the design and construction of Disney parks and attractions, and how those practices and principles can be applied to technical communication and information development to help us effectively communicate with our audience.

Registration is now open and FREE! Don’t miss this opportunity to learn, dream and create like a Disney Imagineer.

Ref: August 4, 2019. Savannah Sanders, tBlog, Everything You Need to Know About The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

 

 

And the Winner of the STC-PMC Membership Raffle is…

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Congratulations to Andy Gwiazda as the winner of our membership raffle. He will receive a $25 Amazon gift card, which essentially enables him to a free membership this year, since chapter membership dues are $25. We would like to extend a special thanks to everyone that participated in chapter events this year. It has been a challenging year, but we are looking forward to a better 2021!

Upcoming events include our February virtual webinar, date and time are being finalized, and Saturday, April 21st for our virtual CONDUIT 2021 Unconference. More details will follow in subsequent weeks so keep an eye on the website, your email and social media. If you have an idea for a CONDUIT topic or would like to facilitate a discussion, send your information to president@stc-pmc.org.

And don’t forget to spread the word about our organization! Don’t keep us a secret! If you have been following us on social media but are not a member, please go to our membership page to read more information!

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