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RE: Re: Seeking counsel - yet another difficult work situation (very long!)
Subject:RE: Re: Seeking counsel - yet another difficult work situation (very long!) From:Amy Smith/Westford/IBM <amy_smith -at- us -dot- ibm -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Thu, 23 Dec 2004 10:36:08 -0500
> and they're SUPPOSED to be granting you an audience for doing it. My
> problem is with approaching people -- SMEs in this case -- who may or
> may not want to be approached and may or may not want to talk to me.
Let's forget developer/writer dynamics for minute. Whether someone WANTS to
talk to you is irrelevant. You both work for the same company - a business
that is presumably interested in making a profit. You are both there to
contribute to the bottom line. This may involve working with (and talking
with) each other.
Do you yourself think, if someone approaches you with a question, "I REALLY
don't want to talk to this person and I wish they would go away!" Of course
not. You answer the question or help the person. (If you do, then we're
talking about a whole other problem here.)
I do not mean this to sound harsh, or to seem like I am berating the more
introverted people. But I'm sensing that, underlying the shyness discussion
is the "I'm a technical writer so I'm not worthy" feeling. We're not
talking about a cocktail party here, where, yes, people talk to whom they
want to talk to. And yes, I've been there/done that/have the t-shirt. I've
been deterred by some developers' less-than-warm demeanor. But I have a job
to do, too, and it is no less important than someone else's. So you learn
how best to deal with various personalities - who prefers email, who likes
having people drop in, who needs a phone call, or who lives and dies by IM.
Some of this will suit you perfectly; others will take more effort. I've
gotten a lot of my answers by chatting up people in the cashier line in the
company cafeteria. And in the ladies room.*
There is still one developer who intimidates the heck out of me; he's quite
critical of the doc. He is also one of the brightest guys here and knows
more about the product than most other engineers have forgotten. So I know
that, whenever I have to deal with him, it's worth it. It's painful, but
it's worth it.
*Ok, that only works for about half my co-workers. ;-)
Amy
**************************************************************
Amy Smith
Lotus User Experience/IBM Software Group
Phone 978.399.5009 | Tie line: 333.5009 | Email: amy_smith -at- us -dot- ibm -dot- com
"Any idiot can juggle chain saws. It's the day-to-day balloon animal-making
that wears you out." - Anton the Clown
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