Previous TCUK conferences

Tuesday 27 September 2022

• 1:00pm-1:30pm: AGM (ISTC Members only)
• 1:35pm-2:05pm: UK Technical Communication Awards presentations. Videos of the Awards presentations can be viewed on the ISTC YouTube channel
• 2:10pm-2:40pm: Foundations in Technical Communication – Chris Hester
• 2:50pm-3:20pm: Confessions: How I Got Addicted to Information Architecture and You Might Too – Lief Erickson
• 3:30pm-4:00pm: Tech writers, chatbots need you! – Maaike Groenewege
• 4:10pm-4:40pm: Change and Content Practice – Larry Swanson

Monday 27 September 2021

• ‘Soft Skills in the new workplace’: presentation by C J Walker (followed by Q & A session)

Tuesday 28 September 2021

• 1:00pm-2:00pm: ISTC Annual General Meeting for ISTC members only ahead of the main conference
• 2:00pm-2:30pm: Annual Awards Presentations. Videos of the Awards presentations can be viewed on the ISTC YouTube channel
• 2:45pm-3:30pm: Webinar: ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution and its impact on Techcomms’: presentation by Ray Gallon (followed by Q & A session)
• 3:45pm- 4:30pm: Webinar: ‘Designing content in a time of urgent change’: presentation by Markland Starkie – Head of Content, government digital services team (followed by Q & A session)

Thursday 30 September 2021

• ‘The evolution of technical communications in video gaming’: presentation by Maria Loureiro

Tuesday 29 September 2020

• 1:00pm-2:00pm: ISTC AGM. This is open to members only.
• 2:00pm-2:30pm: UKTC Awards Ceremony.
• 2:45pm-3:30pm: Webinar: Matt Reiner – How to Rapidly Create Documentation Within an Agile Process.
• 3:45pm- 4:15pm: Webinar: Nancy Labri – Tech Writers Beyond Borders.

Tuesday, 10 September 2019

09:30-11:00

• 10 things about SVG and Technical Documentation – Tony Dzumaga

09:30-12:30

• Jack Denies, Ten Implies: The power of nonverbal communication – Chris Hester

11:00-12:30

• Inspire with Comics – Joaquim Baptista

13:30-14:10

• 10 most baffling experiences in my nearly 3 x 10 years career as a content creator – Margaretha Hopman

13:30-16:30

• 10 records – CPD record keeping – Zsuzsa Nagy & Derek Cooper

14:15-14:55

• 10 steps to streamlining your localisation: How we halved the production time for a 28-language documentation suite – George Lewis

15:00-16:30

• When correct and complete is not enough – how to give users reassurance – Charlotte Claussen

16:30-19:00 – Vendor exhibition and TCUK fringe events

19:00-21:00 – Informal Dinner followed by drinks reception

Wednesday, 11 September 2019

09:00-09:20 – Opening Speech and introduction – Derek Cooper

09:40-10:20

• Top Tech Comms Technocolgy Trends from the Past 10 Years – Matthew Ellison
• Smitten with strategy: What we get wrong (and right) about content strategy – Chris Hester

10:40-11:20

• What skills will technical communicators need for the upcoming years? – Ellis Pratt
• There are ’10’ types of people in this world… – Andrea Szollossi

11:40-12:20

• 10 Commandments of Technical Writing – are they still relevant? – Jean Rollinson
• DITA and Markdown – Alexandru Jitianu

12:20-13:10 – Lunch

13:10-14:00 – ISTC AGM. All are welcome to attend, though only eligible ISTC Members can vote.

14:00-14:40

• An explanation of safety notices and how to build them in Flare – Chris Burden
• Making the most of challenging situations, or How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Challenge – George Bakalios

14:50-15:30

• Docs as Code and DITA – George Bina
• Sign says 10 miles to Bognor – Liz Gregory

15:40-16:20

• ISO20607…Just another standard that tells you how to do your job, or not? – Margaretha Hopman
• What others think we do – why it matters and how to set them straight – Charlotte Claussen

16:30-17:10

• How to publish your docs every 10 seconds like Amazon – George Lewis
• 10 to Midnight: Solve the last-minute rush – David James Bailey

17:10-19:00 – Vendor exhibition and TCUK fringe events

From 19:00 – Drinks reception, Gala Dinner, Awards, Entertainment

Thursday, 12 September 2019

09:00-09:40

• What’s on Second? – Andrea Flolid
• Editorial support for SMEs delivers better targeted content – Ant Davey

10:00-10:40

• Let’s make a podcast! — Ellis Pratt
• Interactive Intelligent Style Guide – George Bina

11:00-11:40

• Office working: Tips for an easier life – Martin Block
• Ones and zeroes: An introduction to managing documentation like code – Jen Lambourne

12:00-12:40

• A picture is worth a thousand words – so here’s 10 useful things to know about pictures – Chris Burden
• 10 STE myths busted – Michael Bergstrom

12:40-13:30 – Lunch

13:30-14:10

• Micro content, Chatbots, and Machine Learning – What do they mean for technical authoring? – Mike Hamilton
• Ten hundred topics? Try planning with mind maps – Liz Gregory

14:30-15:10

• Taking documentation from 00 to 10. Building HTML-based documentation from an infrastructure of PDF Help files – Ken Davies
• Don’t Panic! Applying 10 risk management principles to technical communication – Olly Kirillova

15:30-16:10

• There are 10 kinds of people in the world: Developers and Users – Jen Phillips
• It started at 10 – how technical communication guides us through life – Mark Monaghan

16:20-16:40 – Close of conference – Derek Cooper

Tuesday, 25 September 2018

09:30-11:00

• The content alchemist: how to turn technical information into marketing gold – David McGuire
• Call to Action! How tech writers can improve UX – Holli Hamilton
• The Build-a-Workshop Workshop – Chris Hester

11:00-12:30

• Mind the Gap: The Client Need vs. The Client Request – Marilyn Woelk
• Git(Hub) for Technical Writers: From Zero to Published Docs – Robert Kratky

12:30-13:30 – Lunch

13:30-16:30

• Design & Test a Chatbot Conversation – Toni Byrd-Ressaire
• How to Write in Plain Language – Frances Gordon
• Temperament-based Strategies for Excelling in the Workplace – Ben Woelk

16:30-19:00 – Vendor Exhibition and TCUK Fringe Events

19:00-21:00 – Informal Dinner

Wednesday, 26 September 2018

09:00-09:10 – Welcome from Derek Cooper, TCUK 2018 Conference Chair

09:10-09:50

• Lessons Learned on an Introvert’s Journey to Leadership – Ben Woelk

10:10-10:50

• Engineering high quality content through technical mentoring – David McCormick
• Case study from SCHEMA: Using ST4: Easy, Rapid, Success and Triumph! – Jörg Plöger
• Using Text, Images and Video in Technical Communication – Ferry Vermeulen

11:10-11:50

• It’s called Technical Communication for a reason – Rhyne Armstrong
• Polymathing 365 – Eran (Yuri) Kolber
• How to win followers & influence people: Tech comm lessons from writing about novels – Cecily Roberts

11:50-12:50 – Lunch

12:50-13:40 – ISTC AGM – All are welcome to attend, though only eligible ISTC Members can vote

13:40-14:20

• To make text as clear as possible, use Simplified Technical English – Mike Unwalla
• A STEM Sell – Derek Cooper
• Digital Self Defense – Tips, Tools, and Best Practices to Stay Safe Online – Ben Woelk

14:40-15:20

• Quiet Leadership – Why it works in proactive organisations – Derek Cooper
• Information is a gift: it should be small and heavy – Owen Flatau
• Four functions in the structure of technical documentation (and why they matter) – Daniele Procida

15:40-16:20

• Creating great customer experiences through outstanding technical support and content – Ciarán Dunne

16:20-19:00 – Vendor Exhibition and TCUK Fringe Events

From 19:00 – Drinks Reception, Gala Dinner, Awards, and Entertainment

Thursday, 27 September 2018

08:45-09:25

• From Docs to Bots: Find Your Passion & Get a Career Makeover – Toni Byrd-Ressaire

09:45-10:25

• A Casual Contributor-s Learning Aid for DITA Structuring – Shirley McDonnell
• If variety is the spice of life… – Alison Peck
• I’m just a technical writer. Actually, no. – Ant Davey

10:45-11:25

• The successful fraud – Chris Hester
• What’s the deal with structured content? – Ellis Pratt

11:45-12:25

• Who’s on first? – Andrea Flolid
• Intelligent Information – iiRDS – a new information exchange standard of Industry 4.0 and Internet of Things – Jörg Plöger
• The Value of the Polymath Communicator – Alisa Bonsignore

12:25-13:20 – Lunch

13:20-14:00

• Developing User-centred Content in an Agile World – Sarah Thomson
• Beyond the Book – Tech Comms for the Digital Generation (and Beyond) – Andrew Mills
• Increasing User Assistance Visibility – Karla Reis

14:20-15:00

• Cybersecurity and documentation: security considerations for authors – Bridget Khursheed
• I have to create mobile apps too!? – Phil Lane
• Jack-of-all-trades – John Lee

15:20-16:00

• Effective and Engaging: The Key to Making Better Videos – Matthew Pierce
• Working with third-party content. What are the challenges? – Jennifer O Neill
• Branding Yourself as Indispensable – Marilyn Woelk

16:10-16:40 – Conference Close: Derek Cooper TCUK 2018 Conference Chair

Tuesday, 26 September 2017

09:30-12:30

• Topic-Based and Structured Authoring – Keeping it Simple – Neil Perlin
• The fun side of technical communication – Derek Cooper & Sammi Lauesen
• Live mentoring / what is technical communication? – Charlotte Claussen

12:30-13:30 – Lunch

13:30-16:30

• Topic-based writing in the molecular world – Rahel Anne Bailie
• How to stay on topic when on stage in a world where a 4 minute YouTube video is the standard in attention span – Marie-Laure Blanc
• How to Create High-Quality Video Tutorials (the Easy Way) – Andrew Mills

16:30-19:00 – Vendor Exhibition and time for TCUK Fringe Events

19:00-21:00 – Informal Dinner

Wednesday, 27 September 2017

09:00-09:10 – Welcome from Derek Cooper, TCUK 2017 Conference Chair

09:10-09:50

• Topic-based Authoring – is it for me? – Mike Hamilton

10:10-10:50

• Going Module: Turning Legacy Docs in to User-Story-Based Content – Robert Kratky
• Plunging into the waters of US – Maja Engel
• Work Smarter, Not Harder: Reorganizing your team for the new world – Wayne Brissette

11:10-11:50

• We’re Going Mobile! Great! Wait… What Does That Mean? – Neil Perlin
• Topic-Based Authoring Tools: Adapting to Organizational Evolution – Joanna Kusiak
• Dealing with jargon and technical terms – Frances Gordon

11:50-12:50 – Lunch

12:50-13:40 – ISTC AGM – All are welcome to attend, though only eligible ISTC Members can vote

13:40-14:20

• Re-use Strategies for Topic-based Authoring – Matthew Ellison
• Resistance is futile! How automation can improve your docs – and your life – Graeme West
• Documentation as a self-service support – Ellis Pratt

14:40-15:20

• Give your content wings – How to improve your documentation skills – Jörg Plöger SCHEMA
• The Glossary is Dead, Long Live the Glossary! – Holli Hamilton
• To Video, Or Not to Be – That is the Question – Eran (Yuri) Kolber

15:40-16:20

• Optimizing API documentation: What we can learn from developers – Michael Meng & Stephanie Steinhardt

16:20-19:00 – Vendor Exhibition and time for TCUK Fringe Events

From 19:00 – Drinks Reception, Gala Dinner sponsored by Imprimatur Limited, Gala Dinner wine sponsored by TWi

Thursday, 28 September 2017

08:45-09:25

• Why topic-based writing and plain language need each other – Frances Gordon

09:45-10:25

• Best Practices of Documentation Migration Projects – Eran (Yuri) Kolber, On Target Communications
• What I wish I’d known before doing user research for the first time – Jen Lambourne
• It’s in the Game – The art of Creating a Helpful Video Game Guide – Andrew Mills

10:45-11:25

• The Convergence of Marketing and Technical Communcation – Stefan Gentz, Adobe
• Driving DITA off the map – Jang F.M. Graat
• The Future of Mobile Learning – Danielle M. Villegas

11:45-12:25

• Surviving the agile enterprise: case study from the trenches – Karen Mardahl
• Effects of visual signalling in screenshots: an eye tracking study – Michael Meng
• Mechanical engineering and Industry 4.0 documentation – Thomas Schubert & Angela Peter

13:30-14:10

• Five Cascading Style Sheet Techniques That Every Technical Writer Should Know – Mike Hamilton
• Audience Analysis: A smart way to understand our customer – Praveena Sabarish
• How to win friends as a technical author, and influence development of software – Mark Dennett

14:30-15:10

• Topics for teenagers – Alison Turner
• Creating content and output for mobile and embedded devices – Phil Lane
• Creating Integrated API Documentation Experiences for Users – Chris Smith & Rob Woodgate

15:30-16:10

• There must be a better way! – Alison Peck
• Automatic Documentation for Software – Andrew McFarland Campbell
• Our way is not the only way – a reuse and single sourcing model – John Lee

16:20-16:40 – Raffles, Thank yous, and Conference Close: Derek Cooper, TCUK 2017 Conference Chair

An asterisk (*) indicates that the workshop or presentation was part of the special focus track: From Novice to Expert – Writing Your Career Path as a Technical Communicator.

Tuesday, 13 September 2016

09:30-12:30

• Using evidence and data to have tricky conversations * – Sarah Richards
• System safety and the Technical Author * – Graeme Dowdell
• From Paperweight to Conversation Piece: Building a Portfolio You Love (and Love to Talk About) * – Chris Hester

12:30-13:30 – Lunch

13:30-16:30

• Be the Captain of Your Career * – Chris Hester
• How to Write a Case Study * – Alison Reeves
• Mobilize Your Content: Create EPUBs and Kindle Books – Toni Ressaire

16:30-19:00 – Vendor Exhibition and time for TCUK Fringe Events

19:00-21:00 – Informal Dinner

Wednesday, 14 September 2016

09:00-09:10 – Welcome from Derek Cooper, TCUK 2016 Conference Chair

09:10-09:50 – Keynote: From bit-of-a-scaredy-cat to banning words for the UK government – Sarah Richards

10:10-10:50

• And…Action! How to get started with creating instructional videos on a budget * – Leanna Visser
• How Agile is your Parachute? Or, is there life beyond Concepts, Tasks, and References? * – David Farbey
• DevOps documentation: Manage documentation in a shared ownership environment – George Lewis

11:10-11:50

• Moving into API documentation writing * – Ellis Pratt
• From Technical Communicator to Instructional Designer * – Sean Marlow and Sally Haywood
• Adding strings to your bow: branching out into usability design and content strategy * – Cristina Belli & Maja Engel

11:50-12:50 – Lunch

12:50-13:40 – ISTC AGM – All are welcome to attend, though only eligible ISTC Members can vote

13:40-14:20

• How German Manufacturers Create Technical Documentation with ST4 DocuManager – Joerg Ploeger
• Where do tech comms managers come from? * – Erin Vang
• What do viewers want from videos? Updated Research and Findings – Troy Stein

14:40-15:20

• Technical Writing and Instructional Design: A great confluence! – Madhu G
• Advanced interrogation techniques: Extracting information from engineers – Irit Arkin
• What’s right for me, permanent or contract? * – Glyn Turk

15:40-16:20

• Life on a Beermat – Chris West

16:20-19:00 – Vendor Exhibition and time for TCUK Fringe Events

From 19:00 – Drinks Reception, Gala Dinner, Gala entertainment

Thursday, 15 September 2016

08:45-09:25

• Keynote: Let us Say “Yes” to Our Presence Together in Chaos! – Ray Gallon

09:45-10:25

• Making Agile Work for YOU! * – John Garison
• How intelligent information is going to change the world – Stefan Gentz
• Strategist, Consultant, Trusted Advisor: Which Are You and Why Does It Matter? * – Rahel Bailie

10:45-11:25

• A three-eighths Gripley by any other name (see also: terminology management for technical authors) * – Liz Gregory
• Rockstars, not typists! Expanding your influence in tech organizations * – Erin Vang
• Eliminating Support Tickets – Simon Anstey

11:45-12:25

• Backspace to the future: plain text in the 21st Century – Raymond Gillespie
• Can’t see it? Augment it! Creating and delivering content for Augmented Reality – Andrew Head
• Asking the right questions for product management – knowledge management for an unstructured world * – Deborah Stevens & John Spenceley

12:25-13:30 – Lunch

13:30-14:10

• It all started with BS-4884: the courses, colleagues, and copy that have characterised my 20-year career as a technical communicator – Darren Mitcham
• Pushing Syrup through a Straw: When Content Exceeds Capacity – Rahel Anne Bailie
• From what was, to what might be: Matching career and practice trajectories * – Adrian Warman

14:30-15:10

• You’ve Got Style, Darlings – Chris Hester
• What’s at Stake? – An introduction to stakeholder management and creating positive working relationships * – Tina Hoffmann
• Mapping your path in tech comms: Surviving the early years – Louise Fahey

15:30-16:10 – Keynote Speakers Closing Panel

16:10-16:30 – Raffles, Thank yous, and Conference Close: Derek Cooper, TCUK 2016 Conference Chair

Tuesday, 29 September 2015

09:30-12:30

• Keeping up with life! or, how to put “Getting Things Done” into practice – Karen Mardahl & John Kearney
• The Bid Manager and the Technical Communicator: Whose line is it anyway? – Fi Parker & Martin Clark
• WordPress – Under the hood – Rhyne Armstrong

12:30-14:00 – Lunch

14:00-17:00

• Content Experience Leadership: Transforming Your Organization for Content Excellence – Andrea Ames
• Creating Mobile Apps without Coding – Neil Perlin
• Building a DITA pilot project – Magda Caloian

17:00-19:00 – Vendor Exhibition and TCUK Fringe events

From 19:00 – Informal Dinner, Entertainment, Drinks Reception

Wednesday, 30 September 2015

09:00-09:10 – Welcome from David Farby, TCUK 2015 Conference Chair

09:10-09:50

• Validating Your Dreams – Chris Atherton

10:10-10:50

• Panel discussion: education and training for technical communicators – Alison Peck, Rhyne Armstrong & Ellis Pratt with David Farbey moderating
• Promote, Innovate, Repeat: maintaining documentation quality throughout organisation change – Doug Dennis
• Developing (unsupported) support – Bridget Khursheet

11:10-11:50

• The Changing role of the Tech Comm professional – Abhishek Jain
• Unpacking and applying the Tech Comms Toolbox – John Kearney
• Business Case, Budget, and Beyond – kicking off a successful project – Rachel Johnston

11:50-12:45 – Lunch

12:45-13:30 – ISTC AGM. All are welcome to attend, though only eligible ISTC Members can vote.

13:30-14:10

• Achieving the Right Colo(u)r – Ron Blicq
• Help in the User Interface – a case study in first user interaction and embedded Help formats – Ellis Pratt
• Taking technical writing to the next level at SAP – Dr Anja Kellermann & Kelly White

14:30-15:10

• How German Manufacturers create Technical Documentation with ST4 DocuManager – Jörg Plöger
• Does your gender really make you a better communicator – Carol Leahy
• Keep It Lean: manage projects using Kanban TOCs – Mattias Sander

15:30-16:10

• Breaking Our Own Boundaries – Nei Perlin

16:10-19:00 – Vendor Exhibition and TCUK fringe events

From 19:00 – Drinks reception, Gala Dinner, Gala entertainment

Thursday, 1 October 2015

08:45-09:25

• Boundaries? We don’t Need No Stinking Boundaries! or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Change – Andrea Ames

09:45-10:25

• Patterns in language for part-of-speech disambiguation – Mike Unwalla
• Visual Search and Augmented Reality as part of your content strategy – Berry Braster
• Dynamic Content Publishing – Farhad Patel

10:45-11:25

• Five Content Controversies – Frazer Bain
• Stop trying to paint your hallway through the letterbox – Chris Atherton
• Putting experience to the test: moving from Tech Comm to Software Testing – Raymond Gillespie

11:45-12:25

• Get Out of Your Office: Conducting Effective Site Visits – Rhyne Armstrong
• US regulations on instructions for use – Ferry Vermeulen
• Source Control for Technical Communicators – Marjorie Jones

12:25-13:30 – Lunch

13:30-14:10

• Find out how SDL helped to develop the car of the future – Paulo Newman
• DocOps – Agile Content Development in Practice – Nils Bier
• Ten downsides to DITA and ho you avoid them – Darren Mitcham

14:30-15:10

• Faster than Agile – live DITA Documents – Jang F.M. Graat
• Liberating Tech Comm: How moving to agile empowers technical authors (case study) – George Lewis
• Beyond instructions: reference-heavy documentation – Zsuzsa Nagy

15:30-16:10

• What’s the next Boundary to Break? – Andrea Ames, Chris Atherton & Neil Perlin

16:10-16:30 – Raffles, Thank-yous and Conference Close – David Farbey, TCUK 2015 Conference Chair

The ISTC produced a short video recap of the TCUK15 conference as part of its marketing for TCUK16.

The three clips below are shared from Magda Caloian’s blog ‘Think DITA’. Magda was one of the TCUK15 workshop leaders. You can find posts by her about her workshop there too.