Jargonophobia

Shaun Kelly makes good points at Shoap’s STS Blog.

I’d go a bit further. You’re doing a terrible disservice to an expert audience if you abandon jargon and weigh down your writing with “clear and simple” explanations of every term a layperson wouldn’t understand.

Kudos, Mike Hughes

Question: What do you call forty technical writers guzzling chianti and chicken parm?

Answer: A fun bunch!

We had some good conversations last week at the awards banquet of the local chapter of the Society for Technical Communication.

One was with Mike Hughes, who mastered the ceremonies and presented awards. He was recently elected second VP of the national organization,

A few facts:

• Mike tells his own story at User Assistance.
• He’s on track to lead the STC in 2009, just as the organization holds its international conference in Atlanta.
• He took home an award himself for his application of the “Long Tail” theory to computer help systems.
• In the STC, Mike is campaigning for a campaign: The STC must more effectively promote the value of what we do.

Next, opinions:

• Mike’s ideas about the forward march of the STC are on target.
• He defines value a little narrowly. (Some writers, including us, focus on a long tail indeed — buyers who know that “well-written, correctly punctuated documentation” is rare and valuable.)
• On at least one occasion, Mike has worn a tuxedo (though not long-tailed) and carried it off successfully.

FULL DISCLOSURE. For several years Mike has served as an academic adviser to Holly Harkness, a technical communicator married to the author of Strong Language.

Again, big SL props to Mike. Challenging times lie ahead, and we’re looking forward to STC leadership.