Lifelong Learning: Implementing Best Practice in Business
“As a non-expert you are the ideal person to communicate with other non-experts.”
In this episode, Richard Pharro, CEO of APMG International, speaks to veteran technical communicator and STC President Aiessa Moyna.
Aiessa and Richard begin by discussing STC reaching the impressive milestone of 70 years in operation, and discuss whether the STC membership is valued by members just as much now as it was then.
Aiessa explains that seventy years ago, the usual practice would be to remain a member throughout your first Technical Communicator role and stay with the society throughout your career, even into retirement.
Present day, we discover that it's more typical to see members joining at transitional points in their career and aren’t always remaining members for decades.We also learn that recent advancements in modern technology have enabled members to connect with their community virtually which wasn't a possibility during the conception of the society; it's an important development in bridging networking opportunities for technical communicators.
Next, Richard and Aiessa consider the impact AI developments like ChatGPT will have on the work technical communicators do. Aiessa explains that AI technology has been around for a long time, and so far, she believes there's no evidence to suggest AI is superseding the jobs of technical communicators. Aiessa suggests that AI is great for repetitive processes and coming up with the first draft of content, but it may not be 100% accurate and therefore we will still need humans to quality check material before publication.
Finally, Richard asks Aiessa what attributes someone needs to be a good technical communicator. Amongst the list of attributes are “curiosity and inquisitiveness”, “good writing and editing skills”, and "organisation". Aiessa explains that while tools and platforms will always evolve, the set of core skills required to be a good technical communicator will always remain the same.
Listen in to our leading expert of the week, Aiessa Moyna, to learn more about STC, tips for being an effective technical communicator and much more
