2012-2013 Speakers & Programming

Do you have a topic you are passionate about and would like to share with the chapter? Are you speaking at an upcoming conference and want to test your presentation? Or, is there a past speaker you would like to see return or a past topic revisited? Contact the Greater Pittsburgh Chapter today!

Space has been reserved at Duquesne University in the Student Union where noted, but if you or the company you work for would like to host a meeting or a tour of their facility, we would be open to that as well.

2012-2013 Schedule

April 2013 Meeting

Ginny Redish, technical communication icon and author of the book Letting Go of the Words, will be the guest speaker at the April meeting of the Greater Pittsburgh Chapter.

Meeting Overview

Purposes, Personas, Conversations - Practical Techniques for Everything You Create

One of the most important contributions of technical writing has been the realization that everything we write is part of a conversation between author and reader. And as we have all moved from paper to screen, from large screen to small, from static writing to dynamic exchanges, conversation has become even more important as the way to think about writing (and all product design).

Come spend an interactive evening with Ginny Redish, working through real examples to see the power of the conversation model. You’ll see how to make sure that your purposes are measurable, specific, and focused on your readers  / users / site visitors. You’ll see the value of always having those people with you (even as “mini-personas”).

And you’ll see how walking those personas through their conversations helps you get the right interaction, the right design, the right copy to both satisfy their needs and achieve your goals. You’ll come away with new tools for everything you create – from emails to blogs to web content – even to hardware and apps.

About Ginny Redish

Janice (Ginny) Redish helps clients and colleagues with content strategy, plain language, writing for the web, and all aspects of creating successful user experiences.

Ginny is sought after as a speaker and workshop leader. She is known as a dynamic instructor, and this same enthusiasm and clarity are hallmarks of all her books. Ginny’s latest book, Letting Go of the Words – Writing Web Content that Works (2nd edition, 2012), has received rave reviews on Amazon.com and in blogs.

All of Ginny’s work is based in research from cognitive psychology, linguistics, rhetoric, and other fields. Her own research studies on usability, accessibility, older adults, and the role of plain language in ballots have all brought out research-based practical guidelines that many people value.

Ginny’s work has brought her numerous awards, including the Ken R. Rainey Award for Excellence in Research from STC.

An STC Fellow and former member of the STC Board of Directors, Ginny greatly enjoys working with STC communities.

Visit Ginny’s web site: www.redish.net
Follow @GinnyRedish
Connect with Ginny on LinkedIn

Thank you to ComponentOne for sponsoring this meeting! Click the Doc-To-Help logo to learn more about ComponentOne.

Our New Vice President

The chapter has a new board member! We put out a call for board members and volunteers at the end of 2012 and David L. Caruso is stepping in as Vice President for the Greater Pittsburgh Chapter. Join us in welcoming David aboard!

About David

David L. Caruso currently serves as social media workgroup chair for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and web content manager for the Office of Mine Safety and Health Research. He is a senior member of STC where he is outgoing Information Design and Architecture SIG manager and incoming VP for the Greater Pittsburgh chapter. He earned his MA in Professional Writing from Carnegie Mellon University in 2001.

Blue Pencil Blog

Janis Ramey has written a brief note remembering a former STC Pittsburgh member, A. Stanley Higgins. Read it here: In Memory: A. Stanley Higgins