The Largest-ever Gathering of Technical Communicators in India

See Also: Reactions to the Conference

The Leela Palace, Bangalore witnessed history of sorts through December 13-14, 2002. About 230 participants from all over India attended the 4th Annual Conference of the India chapter of STC. The theme of the conference was "Wearing Many Hats: Different Roles for Technical Communicators." 

In his electrifying address, Bhaskar narrated how the coming age will see technical communicators using technology to ensure "right information access to the right people." The need to digitise information for different formats—from PCs to palmtops, from watches to clothes—would be the upcoming challenge. The new systems, Bhaskar predicted, would be based on language-independent paradigms and have a self-healing nature. These systems would respond to voice or touch or brain signals, and be designed for illiterates, thereby requiring to be infinitely user-friendly.

Bhaskar's talk was followed by the presentation of awards for the Technical Communication Competitions organised by STC India. This was the first technical communication competition conducted by STC India. The competition attracted 33 entries in the various categories. Seven of the entries won an Award of Merit each. Bhaskar Pramanik and Dr. Saul Carliner, Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of English and Communication at the City University of Hong Kong presented the awards.

Dr. Saul Carliner then delivered the keynote address of the conference. Saul spoke about metrics for measuring technical communication products on different parameters such as productivity, quality, and effectiveness. He listed situations to illustrate how different standards-recognising bodies measure differently. Saul presented eight lessons to consider when developing metrics for a technical communication group. "How do you assess the effectiveness and productivity of your work? Admittedly, it isn't easy, and there are no simple approaches, but it can be done. Learn from the metrics used to assess the productivity and effectiveness of software engineering, training, marketing communications and technical communication. Although these issues do not specifically direct how to assess your effectiveness and productivity, they provide an important foundation that you can use to develop methods that work within the organisation," said Saul.

Saul also said that what works for one may not work for another, simply because the parameters used to measure quality change. He felt that differences in type of project and people's attitudes impact the overall effectiveness. "Against this background," Saul said, "if technical communication deliverables could generate revenue, contain expenses, or ensure compliance with regulations, they are delivering the stated value."

Peter Yorke (i-flex, Bangalore) and Parwathy Mirlay (Xpressions, Bangalore), guest speakers, spoke on the need for technical communicators to be brand ambassadors for their firms. Peter spoke about how technical communicators can develop themselves as brand ambassadors to promote the company. Parwathy talked about how a corporate newsletter helps bind employees together.

Tom Whitlam from Hexaware, Chennai shared his experience in usability testing of software and user manuals. 

Prashant Natarajan from Siemens, Bangalore shared tips on designing and delivering usable online Help systems. 

Deepika Patni-Hopf from Mahindra-British Telecom, Pune made a  presentation on preparing winning business proposals. 

Jyoti Sanyal, a guest speaker and author of the Statesman Style Book, delivered a well-researched and articulate talk on the East India Company connection to technical communication in India. His presentation drove home some hard truths about Indian writing in English. 

Another guest speaker, V. Sairaj from Cognizant, Chennai, presented an extremely useful perspective on how technical communicators don multiple hats in their everyday work. 

Another presentation that scored extremely high on participant's involvement was Savita Rao's talk on knowledge management. Savita (from Sun, Bangalore) illustrated how knowledge management influences the design of information in technical writing. Savita won the Best Speaker award for her presentation.

Asha Mokashi from SCT, Bangalore talked about how technical writers can play a role in enhancing software quality in their organisations.

Visiting guest speaker, Hanspeter Siegrist, CEO, STAR Group, Switzerland, spoke about globalisation strategies and how technical communicators can help make the localisation and globalisation process easier.

Giridharan J. and Seshadri P.S. from Ramco, Chennai, shared strategies, ideas, and best practices for technical communicators in training and creative roles.

Ramesh Aiyyangar from VERITAS, Pune shared tips and guidelines to write for periodicals.

In a second presentation, Dr. Saul Carliner shared eight lessons for Web designers based on his research that relates museum exhibit designs to website designs.

The best part of the conference, as argued by most participants, was the ideal opportunity to network. In all breaks, lunch or tea, one could see everybody engaged in animated conversation with peers they had just encountered virtually and were meeting physically for the first time. These breaks were also used by two software resellers, Infomatics and QueBec, to advertise their products.

The conference also hosted a peer discussion on the theme of the conference. Sandhya Shyam Prasad from Intel, Bangalore opined that one must switch multiple roles, and as a technical communicator, one should identify the role currently required. Makarand Pandit from Technowrites, Pune argued that it was time to expand the size of the head and wear more hats by branching to different industries. Peter Yorke felt that while variety was the spice of life, it was important to wear only one hat at a time. Ramkumar Ramamoorthy from Cognizant, Chennai balanced the debate by stating that flipping hats often helps broaden experience, and that when returning to the same hat after a while, the varied experience garnered from the different roles along the way help fill out that hat better.

The conference also witnessed a technical communication quiz, set and conducted by Frederick Menezes. About forty teams, comprising three delegates each, participated in a written test. The best four teams qualified for a live final. In an interesting duel, the team comprising of Suchitra Govindarajan, Kalyanaraman Iyer, and Raj Eknatheeswaran emerged winners. The team comprising of Pawan Nayar, Edwin Skau, and Uday Chava came a close second.

Along the sidelines of the conference, entries to the technical publications competitions were displayed. The notice board served as a good hunting ground for job providers and seekers to meet each other. 

Express Computer, India's leading IT business weekly, was the media partner for the conference. Other conference sponsors included QueBec Computing, Infomatics, and Technowrites.

Reactions to the Conference

The 4th Annual STC India Conference was a success, and different people had different reasons, smiles, and even grouses to carry back home. Here is a sampling of some reactions.

The STC India Conference was a great experience for me as I have wanted to meet the chapter since I first heard about its formation, and I am happy to finally have the opportunity to do so. As per me, the conference is an outstanding success. The success measures in attendance with over 50 percent growth from last year and by every other barometer: the programme was strong (I learned a lot, especially from the presentation about the effect of the East India Company on technical communication today), the venue was terrific, and the networking was superb. STC India is a vital chapter with intelligent, sociable, and hospitable members and guests. Each one of them made me feel welcomed at the event. - Dr. Saul Carliner, City University of Hong Kong

I enjoyed the STC India conference, and, believe me, it is the best conference hosted by STC India till date. The quality of sessions and their number is better than previous years. I especially liked the talks by Asha Mokashi and Dr. Saul Carliner. - Suvarna Pandit, TASC Consulting

I believe that the conference has lived up to its stated purpose. I have attended many STC Conferences and find the content strength and arrangements as the best or on par with the best. I love these conferences for the refreshing experience they provide—of moving out from your firm and meeting and networking with some of the best brains in the industry. 
- Neeraj Bhatia, VERITAS

I found the conference useful, and it has lived up to its theme. I could find new meaning and multiple dimensions that we can traverse to become more successful technical communicators. If one word were to best describe the conference, then that would be "informative." - Neelam Singh, Oracle India

I found the conference gripping and better than the last year. I carry back home knowledge of some of the latest happenings in technical communication as I could sync up with people in our line. The papers by Savita Rao and Jyoti Sanyal were very useful. - Vidya, SAP Labs

For me the conference was a mixed experience. While I liked V. Sairaj's and Dr. Saul Carliner's presentations, and carry home more visibility and best practices on following a systematic approach towards things, I believe the conference did not live up to my expectations as most topics were too basic. - Jitesh, Aditi

For me the conference was more about the fantastic venue, with a waterfall gurgling its welcome when you walked into the inner part of the hotel. The conference was nicely organised, especially the framed photograph with all the attendees, that everyone got! 

I loved V. Sairaj's presentation: the slides, the manner of presentation, the way Sairaj spoke was excellent. Most other presentations did not live up to true expectations. I believe the best part of attending these conferences is in the opportunity to meet with so many people, especially from the TWIN list, whose names you know but whom you haven't ever met. From this perspective, I was disappointed at the turnout at the dinner as few technical writers turned up there! 

What irked me the most was when presenters would artificially add the theme of wearing different hats in topics that may not directly be related! 
- P.M. Alfred ( in a mail to TWIN)

I believe those who did not attend the conference did not miss much! Whatever they missed were more of the grand venue, the nice ambience with opulent pillars, verandahs, waterfalls, lush lawns, et al. I was let down by most presentations and found them too basic reminiscent of "Introduction to XXXX" type books. There was lack of depth in topics and a forceful connect to the theme. 

What I liked was the chief guest's speech providing insights to the future of IT, and the opportunity to meet people I keep hearing from on the TWIN mailing list. - Geetha (in a mail to TWIN)

It is easy to crib about the glass being half empty, but difficult to collect and fill half of the glass with the desired potion. The conference may not have fulfilled all the expectations of all the participants—because they would never be fulfilled. But for a moment, why not sit and assimilate what you have been able to gather—like a working bee that gathers the nectar. Rather than thinking of what you have not been able to do, why not check how you could effectively use something that you have learned in this conference. Difficult? Well... that is how you can fill the empty glasses. So lets say "Cheers!"

The registration desk at the entrance of the Grand Ballroom was crowded. Whispers of the number of registered participants were overheard: some said above 220, some guessed it to be above 250, while a few others said about 50 members had to be stopped from coming to the conference since the hall was full. Phew! That is a phenomenal success. Technical Writing, which was supposed to be an emerging profession, seemed to have arrived in India. You could see people checking their bags, some adjusting the labels and looking around for known faces, mapping faces to names from the TWIN list. Laughter, claps, shouts could be heard and the place had become live—abuzz with activities. 

Of course, the pertinent question that is asked in all these discussions is: why hold a conference? Or, why attend a conference? 

Yes, it is networking—meeting people whom you know by name, and also meeting strangers. But it is not just networking with people, but also sharing knowledge. In this age, when we speak about tacit knowledge, such conferences are full of tacit knowledge. Possibly somebody could try and document the tips that each of the speakers spell out. It could be an important document at the end of the tenth conference. Conferences are where you get to know of ideas. Saul's theme of visiting the museums made me think about the conditions of Indian museums. I feel that Indian museums need serious technical communicators to liven the dead investment. Any takers? Conferences are where you can look at the exhibits of companies and communications products—maybe some enthusiasts could take notes—to ensure that they follow the same processes. 

There is so much to gain from the conference that is difficult to digest that people can think that it as a "waste." Maybe people must be taught how to attend Conferences. Possibly I should pen a "dummies" book on how to appreciate conferences. Anybody ready to sponsor? Yeh dil really maange more! - Sunil Gokhale, i-flex (reacting to some mails to TWIN)

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