The ISTC Podcast

This is the story of the man who started the technical communication profession: Professor Reginald Kapp. 

For more information about the ISTC, visit our website www.istc.org.uk.

TCUK 2017 is becoming a distant memory now, with planning for the 2018 conference well in hand for 25-27 September. In this podcast we take a look back to Nottingham, and hear the reactions and thoughts of a few of the delegates and presenters who attended. Thanks to Marie-Laure Blanco, Frances Gordon, Phil Lane, John Kearney, and Andrew Mills for their kind contributions.

This year's conference venue is the De Vere Hotel, Staverton Estate at Daventry in Northamptonshire. Our title this year is 'The Pursuits of a Polymath' and covers the wide and growing range of skills and experiences demanded of technical communicators. If you are interested in submitting a proposal for a conference presentation, or for a workshop, please apply online through the webpage here. The deadline for proposals is 30th March 2018. We look forward to hearing from you.

The conference is also the venue for the ISTC's Annual General Meeting, and 2017 saw a major change with President's baton passing from Alison Peck to the new holder of the title, Carol Leahy. In this podcast, both Alison and Carol kindly shared their thoughts, experiences, and motivation for taking on the important role of ISTC President.

For more information about the ISTC and the TCUK conference, please visit our website www.istc.org.uk.

Recording of Ray Gallon's keynote presentation at Technical Communications UK Conference 2016.

Technological change advances at a dizzying rate, we are all inundated with a host of names and acronyms that we can barely manage. We’re urged to “be creative” at the same time that we must follow orders. Information changes in the time it takes to verify it. Welcome to chaos!

You can fight against the tide, trying to make order, or you can accept that we will never know it all, will never master it all, but we can deal with it all.

One of the major currents in the maelstrom is called Industry 4.0, and its combination of Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things promises to totally change the way we live. Technical communicators will not be exempt. We’ll still need technical information, but we aren’t going to be producing it “the way we’ve always done it.”

We’re going to glimpse ahead to how our industry is changing, even now, and how we need to adapt ourselves and our skills – for survival, for sanity, and for success in a world without documents.

http://technicalcommunicationuk.com/

The Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators is the largest UK body representing information development professionals. Its members create or manage information that has an impact on people. This includes creating user guides, manuals, installation instructions, operating and safety procedures, business processes, training materials and software user assistance. We encourage professional development, training courses in technical communication, standards, research resources and networking opportunities for our members and industry affiliates. The ISTC also promotes the value of technical communication and the profession.

Recording of Sarah Richard's keynote presentation at Technical Communications UK Conference 2016.

“From bit-of-a-scaredy-cat to banning words for the UK government”

Sarah started in a quiet team of editors and ended up banning Whitehall from using their favourite jargon on GOV.UK. Sarah will explain her journey from having to publish whatever lawyers and policy people said to running an agency that will only take on work if the process is agile and user-centred. It’s a tale of tears, sugar, late night pizza, not many kittens and tea*.

* plus how she introduces user-centred content into organisations.

http://technicalcommunicationuk.com/

The Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators is the largest UK body representing information development professionals. Its members create or manage information that has an impact on people. This includes creating user guides, manuals, installation instructions, operating and safety procedures, business processes, training materials and software user assistance. We encourage professional development, training courses in technical communication, standards, research resources and networking opportunities for our members and industry affiliates. The ISTC also promotes the value of technical communication and the profession.