Re: "rehearsing email", one last comment

[na-bor <NPARRY -at- COLGATEU -dot- BITNET>]

Faith,

I'm the yutz on this, meaning to send to you personally, but posting to the
list instead.  Anyway, it wasn't a flame, nor meant to be, and apparently you
didn't take it that way.  Good.

I'm not sure what the "proper" terms are for this, but the points you made, and
our exchange regarding those points, point (awk!) toward the fact that
communication is a dynamic process, and often requires several
send-receive-edit-interpret-send cycles.  It seems to me that nothing can
replace good faith and patience in the process.  No amount of technical finese
can substitute for a willingness to understand, and an honest effort to be
understood.  That takes patience and good will, added to technical competency.

The job of the tech-writer is difficult, more difficult than system design,
more difficult than the job of the teacher who has the benefit of interaction
with students directly.  If you don't burn out in the job quicker than a
special education teacher, you are automatically nominated for sainthood ...
and if you do win (sainthood), you still have the problem of writing your
acceptance speech.

Cheers,

Norm!

npArry -at- colgateu -dot- bitnet