Documentation Awareness Seminar

[Barb Ostapina <Barb -dot- Ostapina -at- METROMAIL -dot- COM>]

Warren Singer wrote:

<SNIP>
I thought of approaching this seminar by focusing on 2-3 relvant topics
that would be of interest to R&D and would also help advance the cause of
documentation. The one's I have in mind are:
-  The documentation cycle - the purpose of this is to raise awareness of
the importance of documentation in all stages of the product design.
-  The Review Process - this concerns how review is provided to writers,
i.e how to provide feedback.
-  Mapping the communication network - looking at how decision making and
product information is communicated through the various departments and
sub-departments. The goal of this is to situate the documentation
department within this decision-making tree and look at ways of
streamlining the communication process and storage of information.
Does anyone have ideas or suggestions about what to include in the seminar?
I'm really interested in getting as much feedback as possible on this topic
and any suggestions will be appreciated.
<END SNIP>

++++++++++++

I understand and appreciate what you're trying to do. My one big
suggestions is to make sure you "market" this seminar by saying what's in
it for the R&D folks. I am not an R&D sort, but I suspect that if I were
one and read an announcement of the seminar that contained language like
you wrote above, I'd not be enticed to attend. It sounds too much to your
benefit and not mine. Perhaps you could use phrases like "How the
documentation process can make your job easier" or "Getting your
documentation suggestions through the thick heads of those technical
writers" or some such thing. It's my marketing and sales background leaking
out here, but it's pretty important to what you're trying to do. I'd really
like to hear how the seminar goes... let us know. And GOOD luck!

--Barb
barb -dot- ostapina -at- metromail -dot- com
...speaking only for myself.