This too is technical communication

[Beth Agnew]

This is again a problem of PR. As professional communicators, we have skills
in communication facilitation, capturing information, and clarifying things
that very few other people possess, but which come in very handy in a
meeting or minutes situation. The problem is that those functions are seen
as menial administrative duties, and those who perform them as simply
clerks.

Corporate Secretaries (who provide governance and communication functions
for Boards of Directors and Corporations) used to be called Professional
Secretaries until they got tired of always being confused with
administrative secretaries. 

Until there is an active and ongoing effort to get the message out about
what we do and who we are, there will be many who have no idea what a
technical writer can do for a company.
--Beth


-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+beth.agnew=senecac.on.ca at lists.techwr-l.com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+beth.agnew=senecac.on.ca at lists.techwr-l.com] On
Behalf Of Dori Green
Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2007 3:14 PM
To: techwr-l at lists.techwr-l.com
Subject: RE: This too is technical communication

Taking meeting minutes is a fine job for a TW or TC.  We're often the only
member of a team who's remotely qualified to do so.  I facilitate our
quality management system team meetings and take and prepare the minutes, no
problem.

Being told that we're only there to record the minutes, or type them up, is
getting into dangerous territory... <snip>