The platform – thinking strategically

When asked what I would aim for if elected President of the East Bay STC chapter this year, I wrote objectives and goals. I stated I felt an important objective for me would be to help “…develop leadership depth for EBSTC through strongly encouraging broad-based participation in chapter activities and affairs... With the active leadership and participation of seasoned and new members, we are going to be ready for the Year 2000. “I was thinking strategically.

The dream – adapting the vision

Then in May, I went to two professional meetings. While in Atlanta, I visited the Martin Luther King Center and was reminded that Dr. King didn’t say, “I have a strategic plan.” He said, “I have a dream!”

Then, in Anaheim at the International STC Conference, I participated in sessions with gifted technical communicators with a vision for our profession reaching well into the 21^st century... Their dreams were coupled with concrete, ambitious plans for personal professional growth, for our evolving profession, and for reaching out to the larger community.

The dry concept of strategic planning had to be united with vision or a dream and with enthusiastic, co-coordinated leadership by seasoned and new members.

The reality – working for the East Bay STC Chapter

So, we decided to work at a plan and a vision for the East Bay STC chapter.

! Imagine…Fourteen energetic East Bay STC chapter members confined for more than four hours in a conference room on a beautiful Saturday in June. In the room are Andrea Ames, Jeanie Egbert, Laura Fisher, Dave Harlander, Judith Herr, Kelly Mathews, Mary McGreal, Lynn Regan, Gwaltney Mountford, Bruce Robinson, Orlando Turrietta, Kelly Walker, Diana Wilcoxson, and Ken Wilson. Each is committed to contributing to our chapter and our profession.

Those gathered worked with dedication and insight from 9 am to well after 1 pm at defining and recording a vision for a great year for the chapter and the profession. We prioritized the many objectives and activities we identified, made decisions about some details of how we would work together, and came up with a plan for the year. We ate some, laughed some, and got to know each other better as we figured out how to co-ordinate our targeted efforts..

What would each of us do to make sure our vision and dreams become reality by the end of the year? How would we make our various efforts fit together without endless meetings or debates? And, how with so many good ideas, would we dole out our limited resources – time and money? We talked about and began to answer all of these questions.

We are ready to work together to enhance visibility for our profession; to provide professional growth and educational opportunities for our members; and to ensure an atmosphere for networking and a little fun,

And, to repeat – we need a little help from our East Bay STC members and friends to make it happen. A volunteer opportunity is ready to dream through, to plan, and to do. All you have to do is ask….or say yes when we ask you.