There is only a matter of days left to enter the UK Technical Communication Awards for 2017 (30th June deadline)!
Need some inspiration?
Find out about Rob Woodgate, winner of last year’s ‘Best Procedural Communication’ award, who has some words of encouragement for you…
What was your winning entry from last year?
My entry was a 6-part blog series on scaling documentation, which you can find here. The series covered what scaling is, how it applies to documentation and techniques for scaling different parts of the documentation process.
What made you enter the UK Technical Communication Awards?
It was suggested to me by an ISTC colleague, and I figured I had nothing to lose. I didn’t expect to win!
What difference has winning the award made to you/ your business?
I’m now more confident that what I write about, and the way I write it is useful for both my industry peers and for clients. From a business point of view, I met and talked to a lot of people at TCUK because of winning the award, which in turn has led to a greater number of good working relationships. As a consultant, my business is all about reputation and network, so winning the award has definitely made a difference.
How has winning the award impacted on other projects you are working on?
The award gives me an extra level of reputation to live up to when I’m writing! But if you’re not always striving to get better then you’ll fall behind, and the award is a constant reminder, in a good way, that high standards are important.
Tell us a little about you/ your business
I’m a Documentation and Knowledge Manager who specialises in making knowledge work harder for my clients, especially in agile environments. In reality, this means helping them create a single version of the truth by aggregating their knowledge in 1 place, and helping them put processes in place to allow their staff to easily create and manage new knowledge. You can find out more about what I do on my LinkedIn profile.
What would you say to someone who’s thinking of entering the UK Technical Communication Awards for the first time?
Go for it! You’ve got nothing to lose, and potentially a lot to gain. I’ve never entered my work for an award before, and I only did so due to the encouragement of an ISTC colleague (who I won’t name because she’ll get embarrassed, but she knows who she is!). I don’t expect awards or official recognition for what I do, be it my professional documentation or as in this case my personal blog. Nonetheless, this award has been an absolute career highlight, and I’m so glad I put my work forward. If you’re reading this and thinking “I’ve got no chance”, that’s exactly what I thought too.
How to enter
To enter this year’s awards, click here.
The awards are the industry’s key platform which recognises the value of clear, concise and effective information relating to scientific or technological products or services. The entry deadline date is Friday, June 30th, 2017 and you can enter as many categories as you like, with each entry costing £25 for ISTC members and £40 for non-members.
Awards will be presented during the Gala Dinner at the Technical Communication UK conference on 27th September in Nottingham’s Crowne Plaza Hotel.
Good luck with your awards entry…