atw: Re: New Topic - How much of our expertise are we willing to pass on?
- From: Peter Martin <peterm_5@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, <austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:59:00 +1100
hackers@xxxxxxxxxxx:
You wrote:
> Hi
>
> For 9 years I have been following the posts and in the first 6 of those I
> contributed
> often/occasionally. For a while (had a child, did part time/short term
> contracts/not
> dead yet) I read only.
>
> I have been reading all, but have been?not alarmed?but confused about who
> benefits/gains knowledge when some of the disussions grow into, what on line
> at least,
> DOES look abusive. We pride ourselves on being communicators ( I thought that
> what we
> did was broader then just the ability to create a flawless procedure or
> technical
> drawing.) Technology is great, BUT, for a really good discussion AND TO LEARN
> FROM EACH
> OTHER, does it work? Face to face I know can work. Why not, if there is a
> major
> disussion of interest, don't we say --- lets skip this any further on line,
> and get
> together in some cheapish place and discuss it face-to-face. I believe that
> this is
> still a better learning (exchange of ideas/knowledge/likes/dislikes .life
> experiences)/arguing environment than on-line.
>
> Anyway, I was going to ask what the professionals thought about trainiing
> others in
> thier workplaces, full time or contract in thier companies to at least
> recognise what
> communicatiion is and how to decide the best medium etc. How many of you
> would like the
> people you work with to be more skilled and how many would feel it to be a
> threat??
>
> I know that most of you are technical writers, but that is a hugely broad
> spectrum. How
> much of what you do is training your clients to maintain what you have
> created and move
> on?
>
> If some of your clients began to be more able, would you consider this a good
> thing OR
> a threat?
I find the simple act of having to try to explain work methods to others, or
perhaps train them in them, the more I am forced to re-examine the methods I'm
using (or have fallen into). That's important. If all any of us ever do is
keep on doing what we've done before in the same way without being pressed a
little into analysing and re-examining our methodology (or even our
philosophy), the deader we get, the less effective we become, with the risk of
being less employable.
The "side effects" if you like of passing on information are, to my mind, an
essential part of a process of improvement, even if you are trying to convey
that information people who aren't candidates to "replace" you in work. And
I'd even argue I get to be more effective in my work if I'm surrounded by all
kinds of other non-writers who at least have some understanding of how I work,
what I'm trying to do, and why I do it the way I do.
The alternatives are to continue in a vacuum as it were, with little pressure
for change other than the challenge of say, a change in deadline or a cut in
budget.
Of course, face-to-face exchanges can often (not always) be more rewarding or
effective. But relatively few of us get to work in environments where these
are everyday possibilities. The majority of TW worksites might involve 1, 2
or 3 writers at most.... a large number in my experience are single-operator
jobs.
In my view, working alongside people who have increased understanding and
skills is only going to improve things. It may improve productivity for a
start. And if it does that, it may give rise to being able to take up
opportunities I normally couldn't take up. So many times I've working on
"conventional" documentation because it's a.) required and b.) all that can be
afforded in the time involved. With greater understanding and expertise
amongst the people I work with, the greater is the opportunity for getting
things done within deadlines, and maybe trying out a new approach, or for
simply doing some extra things with docs that I wouldn't normally be able to
try.
Put simply: If you don't discuss, argue and teach, you miss the chance to
learn more.
-Peter M
peterm_5@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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