them responses to "them engineers"

Subject: them responses to "them engineers"
From: Catherine <uma_catherine -at- usa -dot- net>
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Date: 25 May 00 09:33:46 IST

Wow! That was quite a discussion that I sparked off with my mail "them
engineers". I should ask dumb questions more often! :-)

I got many inputs on the issue of respect but very few, doubtful inputs on
processes. Most processes in my organization are at CMM Level 4 and I intend
taking documentation processes to that level too. A formidable task, but I
think I'll manage.

One input that I used successfully to tide over the crisis at the beginning of
this week was from Meg Halter "...not react when folks get nasty or when you
feel they are stepping on your turf. Be pleasantly low key, almost
unemotional, and respond to their comments. Often they really do mean to be
helpful. The important thing is to not add emotional fuel to the exchange." It
made a lot of sense to me.

Eddy Skau, I agree with what you say "Remember that you must be respected as
an individual first, and then let that spill over into your profession." You
put it more clearly with "You want respect? EARN IT! nobody's gonna serve it
to you on a platter." Ouch! Can you suggest how a lone technical writer can go
about earning the respect of 500 engineers in her first 5 months in a company.
A bit far-fetched, don't you say?

I'd rather adopt Martin (Smith)'s stand "I have simply come to accept the fact
that I will have to prove myself each time I begin working with a new group of
people."

Justin and some others advocated bribing with chocolates and note-taking. It's
true that tech writers mostly find themselves in a support function (not so
while making courseware). So, we should "bend" sometimes when engineers don't.
Bending is not the same as being ingratiating. By being ingratiating, we never
earn respect nor can we respect ourselves.

As Chuck Martin observed, we are "as critical to the success of a project as
any programmer. More often, we're ordered to "fix it in the docs," especially
when programs are created by programmers who have no training or skill in
interface or interaction design."
I found that interface design was not an area where anybody seemed to expect
any inputs from me. I pointed out to the right people certain flaws in the
user interface. As a result, now reviewing the user interface is part of my
job specs. I'm glad about that. What I'm pushing for now is to see if I can be
involved not just in the review but in the design of the interface.

About Connie Giordano's comment "Now, if we could earn the same paychecks and
the same recognition by the high mucky-mucks, we probably wouldn't need to
vent so often." in response to Eddy's "Thou shalt not covet thy engineer's
status."
It doesn't bother me that engineers earn more than me for the simple reason
that when they were busy slogging for their heavy engineering degrees I was
lazing around devouring novels. And I never regretted that. :-) All I need is
enough to build that library I've been dreaming of. Being with one of the best
paymaters in town, salary is the last thing that causes me to vent.

I hope some of you have read this far. I have another dumb question. How does
one sell the idea that the correct use of articles makes text look better to a
boss who seems to manage fine without them. Please don't suggest I look for
another company. I'd rather handle it first.

Thanks,
Uma


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