Category Archives: workshop

Announcing: Trends in Technical Communication Workshop – Advanced Technical Writing Techniques

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You’ll find a new training course on our Web site called Trends in Technical Communication Workshop – Advanced Technical Writing Techniques.

If you’ve read the technical writing blogs and magazines, you’ll have noticed a growing interest in new approaches to technical communication – asking whether all of the tried-and-tested writing methods from past decades still make sense today.

In this course, you’ll find out how Technical Authors in leading companies are now applying techniques from other disciplines (such as psychology, copywriting, usability and elearning) into the information they create. The course has been designed to be independent of any particular authoring tool, and to work in both a structured and unstructured authoring environment.

If you want to discover new approaches to technical writing, this one-day, hands-on advanced workshop is right for you.

To start with, we’ll be offering this course on-site or in-house (i.e. at our training centre in Central London), with public courses following later on. As an on-site course, the exercises can be based around your existing content.

For more information, see Trends in Technical Communication Workshop – Advanced Technical Writing Techniques.

Come and speak at our “Trends in Technical Documentation” talks

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Cherryleaf is curating and hosting a programme of talks on trends in technical documentation. At these sessions, there’s a presentation from a respected member of the Technical Communication profession, plus the opportunity to network with your peers.

We’re looking for people who would like to present a case study or share their view of the future trends in technical communication with their peers. It’s a great place to practice a presentation you’re preparing for a conference later in the year.

Each talk is hosted by Cherryleaf in central London, and lasts approximately two hours. Spaces are limited to 12 delegates.

The first talk was held on 24/1/2012: on What will be the future for Technical Communicators if everything ‘just works’?

The second talk is likely to be on technical authoring in The Cloud (if we can find an additional speaker).

If you’d like to explore the idea of speaking at one of these talks, then contact us and we’d be happy to discuss it with you.

 

What’s your software Help strategy?

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Whether for new business generation, enabling users to get the job done or simply to reduce support costs, Help is a vital tool for software businesses. Yet so few people take a strategic approach to it.

Today, all of the resources you need are at your disposal for you to enable users to achieve their best. The question is do you understand how?

We’re introducing strategy workshops for Documentation Managers and leaders of documentation projects who want to do more than just provide a traditional user manual/Help file.

These interactive strategy seminar workshops will look at the key issues concerning leaders of documentation projects.

Sessions can be developed on a bespoke basis depending on each individual client’s needs.

Contact us if this is of interest.

Should we run a course on how to write instructions?

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We’re thinking about running a training course for people who find they need to write instructions from time to time. It’s not aimed at professional technical authors, but rather managers and specialists in organisations who need to know the essentials of being able to write processes, procedures and tasks clearly and simply.

If you be interested in receiving updates on our plans for a workshop/training course on how to write instructions, then please fill in the form below. The workshop is likely to be held in London.

In the studio this week: An e-learning course on creating Web sites that get your message across

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We’re working on  project with Lesley Morrissey of Inside News to develop some online training courses on creating Web sites that get your message across. Inside News runs traditional classroom workshops on this subject, and now it wants to create online versions in order to be able to offer them around the world and reduce the amount of time tied up delivering them.

Lesley came down to our offices and we recorded the presentation using screencasting software. We’re now developing these recordings into a series of online training modules.

You can see a 2 minute extract below:

So judging by the initial comments of the drafts, I know that Lesley is chuffed to bits, but how about you? What do you think?

Join our special mailing list if you’re interested in our workshop on documentation as a emotional experience for users

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If you be interested in receiving updates on our plans for a workshop/training course on documentation as a emotional experience for users (also known as “Affective Assistance”), then please fill in the form below. The workshop is likely to be held in London.

What is Affective Assistance?

Technical documentation written today really doesn’t take into account the different states of emotion users can have, and this can lead to users bypassing it completely. It’s important to recognize a user’s “state of mind” and deliver content that is best suited to that state. It may also be useful to use techniques that can transition users from one state to another.

Documentation Managers peer group meeting

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The third Documentation Managers peer group meeting is scheduled for 2pm on Wednesday 13th January 2010, in Maidenhead, Berkshire.

Each meeting, one or two participants seek advice concerning a particular problem, or, possibly, the group discusses a previously agreed topic, under the Chatham House Rule of confidentiality.

This session is free of charge (there has been a notional fee for teas and coffees for the previous meetings).

Feedback on our 1st Documentation Managers/Leaders mentoring meeting.

If you might be interested in participating in future events, then do contact us.

Training Webinars/Webcast events for technical communicators

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We would like to invite you to a programme of training Webcast events  with us and our colleagues from the TechComm Alliance, where we will share our knowledge and advice that will make you a better technical communicator. We’re putting together a programme of the best speakers we can find – to improve your skills and knowledge.

Places are strictly limited, so pre-register now.

The number of delegates on each intake is restricted, this is to make sure everyone receives the best possible level of service, but please don’t forget places are sold on a first come, first served basis. Sorry, but rules are rules.

Feedback on our 1st Documentation Managers/Leaders mentoring meeting

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We hosted the first of our peer-group mentoring meetings on Tuesday, and I pleased to say the event went as well as we could have expected. We’ve attended and hosted sessions for other entrepreneurs, but this was our first experience of running such an event for documentation managers.  The interactions and the nature of the outcomes were the same as we’ve seen before.

The feedback from the participants has been positive too:

The whole afternoon was thoroughly enjoyable as well as informative. This is a unique forum for sharing experience and ideas. It’s the only forum where we can discuss management issues specific to our profession.

Regards,
Jacquie

Firstly, thank you so much for setting up the meeting – your efforts, and Ginny’s, are very much appreciated.

As feedback, I offer my thoughts and comments:

For the first session, I thought the topic was quite challenging. Thanks to your skilled moderation and guidance, and the terrific participation of everyone, some really significant and valuable perspectives were tabled.
It may surprise you that, although I am removed from the situation that was discussed, I found it surprisingly beneficial and therapeutic to hear what everyone had to say.
Hearing the wisdom and thoughts of yourself and fellow communicators cannot be overvalued. The effect of having a safe container and the elimination of any sense of isolation enabled healthy and open discussion and the resulting stream of delving questions were very thought-provoking.

The venue was ideal, too.

Heartfelt thanks and congratulations on an excellent idea executed with skill. Please consider this a great success!

I look forward to the next meeting.
Thanks again and best regards,

John

Thank you for organising the Peer Group Meeting yesterday. I would definitely recommend these meetings to Documentation Managers/Leaders. As advertised it provided a safe forum for the subject to share their issues and receive recommendations and suggestions from a diverse group of peers.

Kind regards
Amanda

“Many thanks to Cherryleaf for setting up this Documentation Peers Group. It is a wonderful opportunity to discuss professional ideas and issues amongst a group of like-minded individuals!”

Cheers, Briana

 

It was great to meet other documentation professionals and to discuss a real issue facing the industry. Much more fun that arguing about full stops in bulleted lists.

Mark

 
We are considering setting up additional Mastermind groups – in the UK and mainland Europe – so contact us if this would be of interest to you.

Potentially these may also expand to Melbourne in Australia and Raleigh-Durham NC in the USA – again, contact us if this would be of interest to you.

Workshop on on career development – an approach and key skills

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I’ve been asked to present a workshop at the STC TransAlpine Conference on ”career development – an approach and key skills”. This will be held on 8th June in Vienna. I’m a late replacement for a speaker who has unfortunately been taken ill.

We’ll look at:

  • Future trends in technical communication – where’s it all heading
  • Personality of success – for technical authors
  • Marketing yourself (with exercises)
  • Job hunting and networking (with exercises)

Delegates can also bring along their CVs/Resumes and I ‘ll critique them.