For what kinds of technical content, using what delivery methods, are you currently responsible?
- User manuals and quick reference materials in PDF (28%, 36 Votes)
- Topic-based help, delivered via web help or .chm (19%, 24 Votes)
- Static web content such as FAQs or marketing material (12%, 15 Votes)
- Training material delivered via traditional presentation software (8%, 10 Votes)
- Single-sourced content published on-demand (8%, 10 Votes)
- Instructional videos of processes and procedures (7%, 9 Votes)
- Dynamic web content, optimised for search and updated regularly (7%, 9 Votes)
- Something else (please elaborate with a comment) (5%, 7 Votes)
- Application demos or simulations with basic animation (4%, 5 Votes)
- Immersive, interactive content delivered in multiple formats (2%, 3 Votes)
Total Voters: 41
Start Date: June 19, 2012 @ 5:00 am
End Date: No Expiry
Which critical thinking skills should be mastered to be an effective technical communicator?
- Identifying problems and potential workarounds (19%, 23 Votes)
- Gathering information and identifying relationships among data (18%, 22 Votes)
- Adapting thinking based on experience and testing (14%, 17 Votes)
- Interpreting data to evaluate arguments (12%, 14 Votes)
- Prioritizing problem-solving tasks (10%, 12 Votes)
- Recognizing assumptions and values (10%, 12 Votes)
- Testing conclusions (8%, 10 Votes)
- Drawing conclusions from intepretations (8%, 9 Votes)
- Something else (please comment) (1%, 1 Votes)
Total Voters: 28
Start Date: June 12, 2012 @ 6:00 am
End Date: No Expiry
What skills, beyond tools and domain knowledge, are most important to success in technical communication?
- Time Management: ensuring all the work gets done (24%, 19 Votes)
- Diplomacy: creating consensus and commitment on a plan of action (15%, 12 Votes)
- Estimation: predicting level of effort, resources, and costs (15%, 12 Votes)
- Critique: giving and receiving constructive criticism (14%, 11 Votes)
- Persuasiveness: framing compelling arguments or rationales (12%, 9 Votes)
- Negotiation: reaching agreements that get you what you want (10%, 8 Votes)
- Other (please tell us!) (9%, 7 Votes)
Total Voters: 33
Start Date: June 6, 2012 @ 9:45 am
End Date: No Expiry
What kind of office floorplan works best for technical communicators?
- Private offices to encourage concentration (43%, 45 Votes)
- Shared offices with windows and some privacy (20%, 21 Votes)
- Cubicle layout with private meeting/phone spaces (20%, 21 Votes)
- Open cubicle layout with acoustical masking to balance privacy with collaboration (9%, 9 Votes)
- Other (please post a description) (8%, 8 Votes)
Total Voters: 104
Start Date: May 29, 2012 @ 10:30 am
End Date: No Expiry
What's your favorite TV show set in Chicago?
- The Bob Newhart Show (1972-1978) (33%, 7 Votes)
- Other (Please tell us!) (19%, 4 Votes)
- The Good Wife (2009-present) (14%, 3 Votes)
- Married with Children (1987-1997) (10%, 2 Votes)
- Kolchak the Night Stalker (1974-1975) (10%, 2 Votes)
- The Untouchables (1959-1963) (5%, 1 Votes)
- Good Times (1974-1979) (5%, 1 Votes)
- Family Matters (1989-1998) (5%, 1 Votes)
- ER (1994-2009) (0%, 0 Votes)
- Andy Richter Controls the Universe (2002-2003) (0%, 0 Votes)
Total Voters: 21
Start Date: May 14, 2012 @ 4:00 am
End Date: No Expiry
