Avoiding
the Turk
By Walter
Hanig, President
Fellow
members,
By the time you read this, some of my colleagues may have been notified that Ericsson no longer requires their services. I may be among them. (This downsizing is public knowledge; it was printed in the San Diego Union-Tribune.)
When the announcement was first made, I naturally thought about my odds of staying. My reflections led to the following list (not prioritized) of characteristics, behaviors, or actions that I think will help any technical communicator enhance her or his chances of staying employed.
- Be
dependable. Do what you committed to do—or a little more—on
time without being reminded. Keep everyone who is affected by your work
informed so they can plan their time and not worry about your task.
- Be
professional. Work well with others; follow the processes as much
as possible; keep cool during the firefights. Expect changes and be
flexible. [See
last month's column on professionalism.]
- Satisfy
your external and internal customers. Treat your SMEs and other
reviewers as you treat external customers. When you don't include their
comments, explain why. They'll understand that your decisions are not
arbitrary. If you're lucky, they'll appreciate that technical communication
is a complex skill involving audience identification, task analysis,
information architecture, and usability—for a start!
- Help
others succeed, both inside and outside your department. Help the
other writers and editors. Help the testing group; help training; help
marketing. Not only will these groups remember your contribution, you'll
learn from them.
- Help
your boss. Learn his or her job and make it easier.
- Get
credit for what you've done. If you're doing a great job and nobody
knows, you're interchangeable with those doing a mediocre job. Offer
to represent your team (if you're in one) in project meetings. Write
an article for the company newsletter. Create a company newsletter.
- Know
your product! Understand and publicize how your product (manual,
help file, Web site, brochure) contributes to your organization's goals.
Think and speak in business and customer-service terms.
- Provide solutions when you identify problems. Identify ways to make your products better. Don't ask for permission; just provide an example, preferably accompanied by an endorsement from an internal customer.
Of course, even if you do all of the above, you cannot control the organization's headcount. Your goal is to be the person about whom everyone, not just your boss, says, "She's the last technical communicator we can afford to lose!"
These are my musings. What skills do you think make a communicator invaluable?
P.S. The Turk, in football, is the person whose job is to inform players they are being cut from the team. On "cutdown" day, he's the guy they want nothing to do with.
