The STC Canada West Coast chapter held the second meeting of its revived and renamed Tech Comm Café (formerly the Consultants and Independent Contractors group) on August 13, 2014. Attendance was more than double the previous month’s, and it was great to see both new and familiar faces. The group included both recent graduates of technical communication programs and seasoned veterans wanting to stay in touch with their professional community.
In an informal café setting, we each had a chance to introduce ourselves, discuss job leads, and enjoy a casual and lively exchange of ideas and information. Conversation ranged widely, and the Q&A brainstorming session touched on employment agencies, networking tips, content management tools, automated tables of contents, quick-reference guides, a recent city-wide work project, and multiple job leads.
Pam Drucker helped keep the discussions on track with rigorous but cheerful timekeeping, ensuring that everyone had equal time to be heard, and her idea for speed networking, borrowed from another popular professional event, was a great success. In fact, after the meeting officially adjourned at 8:00, most people stayed to continue chatting and exchanging business cards. That, and a suggestion from one of the participants that we meet more than once a month, show that the new Tech Comm Café is off to a great start.
The next meeting is on September 10. We hope to see you there!
Date: Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Time: 6:30–8:00 pm Pacific Time
Location: BG Urban Cafe (formerly Bread Garden), 4575 Central Blvd., Burnaby, BC, V5H 4J5
Agenda:
- Introductions. Take 1 to 2 minutes to introduce yourself, your background, current activities, reasons for attending, a favourite networking tip. A good chance to try out that new elevator speech!
- Job leads. If you know of a job opening or you’re looking for work, share it with the group.
- Brainstorming Q&A. Ask about a work-related problem and discuss potential solutions.
- Future meetings. Give your opinions on where, when, how often to meet, and topics you’d like to discuss.
- Speed networking. Spend 2 minutes with a new contact, exchange business cards, and discuss your professional backgrounds and goals. When the timer chimes, move on to a new contact and keep expanding your network.
Heather Sommerville is a senior technical writer and editor with over 20 years of experience delivering clear, concise writing for business and technical audiences. She is an STC Associate Fellow and has served in many volunteer positions with the STC Canada West Coast chapter.
You betcha, the new Tech Comm Café has launched big. Expect more great reports like this. (Thanks, Heather!) Better yet, just show up. It’s informal, engaging, and open to all. Seating is limited so get there early to avoid the squish.