Making It Happen

When we met four months ago to discuss the plan for the 5th conference of the STC India Chapter in Pune, in December 2003, little did we expect that it would end with happy, satisfying memories of a job well done.

Conference Dossier

We had an able and active Program Committee with enthusiastic, passionate and committed members who shared equal responsibility. The planning stage involved intense and frequent brainstorming sessions, until we settled on a plan that was practical and aligned with STC objectives. Our aim was to give participants maximum returns on their time and money.

This conference was different in many ways. We tried some new things, and improvised on earlier experiments.

Learning focus: We had one-day workshops before the conference. We experimented with conducting two separate workshops in parallel. This was successful. Both workshops attracted many candidates from all over India and were booked to capacity. Feedback about the workshops also testify to their popularity and success.

Personalised Kits: We had participants’ names printed on the conference kit this time. Due to the time involved in the printing process, we could not print folders for participants who registered in last four days or on the spot. But we did print names of almost 85% of the participants.

Cultural Orientation: The idea of starting with a classical dance worked well! The performance was based on the expression of the “Nav Ras” (the nine moods, Joy, Fear, Fascination and so on). This too was a good example of communication, using body language and facial expressions.

Professional Orientation: Ganesh Natarajan shared his thoughts about the bright future of Indian Technical Writers. In his natural style he set in the foundation for a successful conference.

Handpicked Presenters: We did not call for papers this time. Instead, the speakers were invited to talk about specific subjects. Some speakers chose their presentation subjects, some others selected their subject from a list we sent them. The subjects had to offer something of interest to everyone, from novices to veterans. The conference did not have a specific theme (though we had to give a written theme to the press). We tried to cover a wide variety of subjects at the conference, instead of narrowing down to a specific theme.

Breaking the Mold: We invited guest speakers to speak on subjects not considered so far. This included Satish Gokhale and Sakina Bedi. Both presentations were well received. Sakina Bedi is a consultant pioneering innovative ways for teaching the blind. She demonstrated some real devices used for teaching the blind during her presentation.

Learning Multiplex: We had two parallel, two-hour workshops during the conference. This meant that we needed two fully equipped presentation rooms at the same time. We had to ask people to split for the workshops and then assemble back for the next common presentation. We broke for lunch before the workshops, and for tea after. It went without a hitch!

Show and Tell: We had a newsletter team prepare a special Conference Newsletter. The team published one issue on each day. The first issue covered the pre-conference workshops and the second one covered the happenings of the first day. They actually put it together in eight hours.

Facilitating the Hunt: The Employment Booth was a hit! There were more than 50 resumes on display, and lots of job opportunities. Some companies even conducted their first round of interviews on the spot. Many people who could not attended the conference, presented their candidature via employment booth folders.

Trophy Display: We thought that displaying the winning entries of the STC India Chapter competitions was as important as holding the competitions. We arranged for those entries to be displayed in their default formats (online and printed). Issues of Intercom and Technical Communication were made available for non-STC members to browse through, to motivate STC subscriptions.

Democracy Wins: We almost didn’t have the dinner, which proved to be such a grand success on evening of the first day. During planning, I was of the opinion that it was not related to technical communication, and was a formidable extra cost at that. Fortunately, the advantage of teamwork came to the fore. The committee overrode my objection, and their decision turned out to be on the ball. The dinner was an instant hit with the participants. It was an excellent networking and socializing opportunity for all of us. I noticed its effect the next day. Everyone showed up refreshed, ready for more, and best of all… they were all friends by now. 

So Much to Do, So Little…: Time was one resource we had to manage strictly. We could not allow speakers to field more than two or three questions. Some speakers could not field any questions due to lack of time. Participants were, however, encouraged to take their queries offline, and the Open House, quiz, and debates helped enable audience participation. In the end, we managed to complete the conference in time, and everybody was happy.

Murphy Cameo: ‘If things can go wrong, they will’ …Murphy’s law seemed to be about as robust as the one on gravity!. The Keynote Speaker, Bonni Graham’s flight from New York to Mumbai was delayed by a few hours. All the travel arrangements from Mumbai to Pune proved futile. Fortunately, Peter Yorke mobilized his resources and Bonni reached the conference hall just in time to make her presentation. Knowing that she would be tired from her ordeal, we had prepared to reschedule her presentation. But when she arrived, she was determined to go ahead with her address.

Many Hands Make Light Work: I may not be able to list the names of everyone who made this conference a success, because there were so many. This included the program committee, STC India’s Administrative Council, the registration team, the newsletter team, the speakers, and those numerous generous volunteers who came forward to help.

Patronage: In the end, success depends on the participants! Despite our planning, a few things still went awry. But we had an accommodating and mature audience. They not only covered our mistakes, but actually boosted our morale with encouraging comments every now and then.

Fringe Benefits: The conference gave me the opportunity to address a press-conference for the first time in my life. We received very good media coverage before, during, and after the conference. I developed bonds with some of the most experienced professionals in the field and learned from their experience. Well, I guess I learned a thing or two myself!

Karmic Investment: This conference has been a confidence booster! Moving forward, we are sure that we can host a bigger event and experiment a few more new things. I guess that’s what learning is about. About putting it back into practice.