End-of-Year Networking Event and Annual Business Meeting

Please join us on Tuesday, June 21 to celebrate the end of our successful 2021–2022 program year!

During this networking event, we’ll share our chapter highlights and accomplishments, discuss chapter finances, and introduce you to the 2022–2023 STC Michigan Great Lakes chapter executive council!

When

Tuesday, June 21

7:00–8:30 p.m.

Where

Virtual using Zoom

Registration

Please register for this event on Eventbrite.

Alison Phillips Awarded the Distinguished Community Service Award

Alison PhillipsThe Distinguished Community Service Award recognizes STC chapter members who provide exemplary support, commitment, and service to their local STC chapter. This is the highest level of recognition of all STC community chapter awards, and to receive the award is the utmost honor. This year, our dedicated member Alison Phillips was awarded the Distinguished Community Service Award. Her citation reads as follows:

“For your exceptional contributions to the Southeastern Michigan chapter; leadership in establishing the Michigan Great Lakes chapter; and for continuously exemplifying professionalism, kindness, and concern for all members.”

In 2019 and 2020, Alison led the effort to combine the Southeastern Michigan and West Michigan Shores STC chapters, establishing the STC Michigan Great Lakes chapter (STC-MGL).

The STC-MGL council extends our hearty thanks and sincere gratitude to Alison for her unceasing commitment to our community. We deeply appreciate her and her service.

We recently had the opportunity to interview Alison. Please continue reading to learn more about Alison, her role in the community, and the motivation behind the chapter merge.

Continue reading “Alison Phillips Awarded the Distinguished Community Service Award”

Three Steps to Successful SME Interviews

Learn how to interview Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) like a pro!

Please join the STC-MGL and STC Ohio chapters for our next collaborative program “Three Steps to Successful SME Interviews” presented by Nicky Bleiel, STC Fellow.

Interviewing subject matter experts is one of the most important skills needed for success as a technical communicator. During this program, Nicky will discuss how to cultivate sources, write questions, and keep cool during an interview. You’ll learn what to say and what words to avoid–and how to conduct an interview asynchronously. Nicky has interviewed many SMEs, as well as tech comm luminaries (including David Pogue, Dr. John Carroll, and Kathy Sierra), and she will share her experience with you.

When

Wednesday, December 8, 2021

7–8:30 p.m. ET

Where

Online

Registration

Eventbrite

Cost

  • STC-MGL or Ohio STC Chapter member: $0
  • STC student member: $0
  • STC member: $10
  • Honorary organization members (e.g., UXPA): $10
  • Non-member: $15

About Nicky

Nicky

Nicky Bleiel is a Lead Information Developer at Innovative Systems. She is a Fellow and Past President of the Society for Technical Communication and has more than 20 years of experience writing and designing content for software products in a variety of industries. She has interviewed a number of experts in technical communication, including John Carroll, David Pogue, Kathy Sierra, and Nancy Duarte; and was Guest Editor of the all-interview “Legends of Technical Communication” issue of STC’s Intercom magazine. She is a popular speaker at many conferences, including the STC Summit, tcworld, WritersUA, CIDM, CPTSC, IEEE ProComm, and LavaCon; and has been published in STC’s Intercom, tcworld magazine, ISTC Communicator, and more. See nickybleiel.com for a list of her talks and articles.

Leading Successful Succession

Join the STC-MGL and the Ohio STC chapter for Leading Successful Succession, featuring Jennifer Goode, Ph.D.

Is a coworker changing jobs? Is a team member taking leave? Did you get a promotion? Is the boss retiring? Team member change is inevitable in the workplace, and you shouldn’t be ill-prepared. Proactively thinking about regular activities, standard approaches, and common resources can reduce ambiguity and provide clear direction when team member change actually happens. Come learn how to apply your technical communication skills to draft a succession plan for your own role in a hands-on workshop. Then, learn strategies to foster successful succession in your organization, no matter what your position or role.

Jennifer GoodeJennifer Goode is a senior STC member and instructor of technical communication at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, where she is the director of the online master’s program in technical communication management. With over 20 years of professional experience in government, non-profits, and for-profits, she also consults in the areas of instructional design and strategic human capital performance, measurement, and improvement.

When

  • Wednesday, October 13, 2021
  • 7–8:30 p.m. EDT

Where

Zoom

Registration

Eventbrite

Cost

  • STC-MGL or Ohio STC Chapter member: $0
  • STC member: $10
  • STC student member: $0
  • Non-member: $15
  • Honorary organization members (e.g., UXPA): $10

Fall 2021 Virtual Open House

Welcome to the 2021-2022 STC-MGL program year!

Join us on Thursday, September 30 for a virtual open house. The virtual open house is a great opportunity to learn about our incoming council, get an overview of our upcoming program plans, share ideas for the direction of our STC-MGL chapter, and ask questions. Anyone is welcome to join.

We look forward to this year ahead, and we hope you will join us!

When

Thursday, September 30, 2021

7–8 p.m. EDT

Where

Virtual using Zoom

Registration

Please register for this event on Eventbrite by EOD Wednesday, September 29.

STC-MGL 2021 Election

The STC-MGL election for the 2021-2022 program year is scheduled to run from Friday, May 14 through Monday, May 31, 11:45 p.m. EDT. All current STC-MGL members are eligible to vote.

The STC-MGL Nominating Committee has announced the final slate of candidates for the 2021 STC election:

President

  • Katherine Baeckeroot (Pavlovic)

Vice President 1*

  • Kylie Jacobsen

Vice President 2*

  • Wes Schoenherr

Secretary

  • Stephanie Hubble

Treasurer

  • Alison Phillips

Nominating Committee

  • Maryann Bowen

There is additional information about each candidate on the ballot.

*To improve leadership succession planning, STC-MGL will have two vice presidents per year. The following program year, Vice President 1 succeeds the President, and Vice President 2 succeeds Vice President 1.

How to vote

You will receive an email to your STC registered email account on Friday, May 14 with instructions for voting.

 

STC-MGL Call for Nominations!

Nominations are now open for the STC Michigan Great Lakes chapter’s July 2021–June 2022 program year!

Would you like to volunteer for a chapter leadership position, or do you know anyone who would make a fantastic addition to the STC-MGL leadership team? We encourage you to send your nominations or questions to nominations@stc-mgl.org. Please note that candidates must be current chapter members.

The following positions are open for nominations:

  • President
  • Vice president
  • Treasurer
  • Secretary
  • Nominations committee

For more information about these roles, go to the Get Involved page. All these opportunities are great resume boosters and ways to gain connections within the STC and professional community.

The election will take place in May.

Please let us know if you want to learn more!

Meet our President, Peggy Frizzo

STC-MGL President, Peggy Frizzo
STC-MGL President, Peggy Frizzo

Over the past year, our President, Peggy Frizzo, has worked tirelessly to ensure our transition into the newly combined Society Technical Communication, Michigan Great Lakes chapter was successful. Among her many tasks, she hosted programs, virtual coffee meetups, worked on the website, and improved process flows by streamlining work.

We are so grateful for all that she’s done for our chapter!

So that you can get to know her better, Peggy recently took some time to share information about herself, her job, and her experience as an STC member. Keep reading to learn more!

Continue reading “Meet our President, Peggy Frizzo”

Join Us for Tech Comm Trivia!

Want to get together with other technical communicators and test your tech comm, grammar, and STC knowledge?

On Tuesday, March 23, STC-MGL is hosting a virtual tech comm trivia event! Join us for an entertaining evening that will surely test your knowledge and teach you something new. The person with the highest earned points at the end of the night will receive a $20 Amazon gift card.

When

  • Tuesday, March 23, 2021
  • 7-8 p.m. EDT

Where

Zoom

Cost

  • Students: Free (please register with student email)
  • STC-MGL members: Free
  • STC members or non-members: $5

* Honorary members for the evening: employees of the sponsoring organization and members of partner organizations (UXPA, CHI, and ASTD)
Registration

Please register for this event on Eventbrite here.