Quick! Answer the following questions without putting a lot of thought into them. We want your instinctive, knee-jerk first response.

• Do you enjoy going to work each day?
• Are you excited about the projects you’re working on?
• Do you look for excuses to be late, leave early, or be off altogether?
• Are you in a bad mood more often than not?
• Do you feel like you have control over your job?
• How long have you been feeling like this?

If you answered ……

• “No”
• “Not particularly”
• “Yes”
• “Yes”
• “No”
• “Can’t even remember”

.….. keep reading. Whether you realize it or not, you’re probably displaying half the classic signs of burnout.

Now turn this around and, thinking about their outward behavior, ask yourself the same questions about each of your employees. Are you seeing the same thing in them? The answer is probably “yes.”

How We Sometimes Vocalize Our Burnout

Attend any technical communications conference, and you’ll come face-to-face with the frustration and exhaustion that technical writers are feeling.

• “I’d leave my job, but with all the layoffs that are still going on, I’d be afraid I’d be the first one laid off at a new company.”
• “I’m tempted to go work at Barnes & Noble like I did in college. With what my salary is working out to be with all the overtime I’m putting in, I wouldn’t be that far behind. And at least I wouldn’t have to take work home.”
• “They froze our salaries two years ago, but double our workloads each year.”
• “I’m doing my job plus the work of the two writers that they laid off three years ago.”
• “I haven’t done much technical writing because I’ve spent most of my time doing QA since they laid our tester off.”
• “I can’t get non-documentation projects. What few new opportunities there ever are go to the same Golden Children.”
• “Even though Fred just got laid off, I envy him. He has the chance to do something entirely new.”

To be fair, not all techcom writers and managers are miserable. And even those who are discontent and disenchanted aren’t completely miserable. If they were, they wouldn’t continue to stay where they are. But the signs of burnout are there. And as techcom groups continue to be understaffed and overworked, the signs won’t magically disappear overnight.

So what do you need to look for? We’ll cover the warning signs in the sections that follow.

Sick & Tired Of Being Sick & Tired

Where frustration may have been building under the surface for some time, attendance issues are often the first visible manifestations of a problem in ourselves or in our staffs. It likely starts with a general difficulty in rolling ourselves out of bed in the morning — a warning sign that only we can see. But getting up late snowballs into problems that managers and co-workers can see, such as:

• Getting to the office late most mornings
• Calling in sick for the day.

And whether or not you get to work on time, you welcome reasons to leave work early. The interpretation of those around us is that “they just don’t want to be here.” In part, that’s true. Often, there’s more to it than that. If we dig deep into our own behavior, or if someone asks us enough probing questions, we discover that we don’t feel like it matters if we show up for work or not.

In listening to technical writers, their reasons for feeling this way are varied and reflective. First, there are personal issues, which can be physical or emotional. For example, chronic stress and anxiety are well-documented causes of illness; the immune system weakens and a person starts battling a wide array of health problems like frequent colds and infections, headaches, muscle pain, chronic fatigue, sleep disorders, high blood pressure. Or, we may know on a subconscious level that we need a radical life change but are far from realizing it on a conscious level in order to do something about it.

Aside from personal issues, there are work-related issues, such as:

• Unhealthy team dynamics
• Ineffective management
• Poor communication and organizational issues
• eing passed over too many times for new projects or responsibilities
• Suggestions going unheard
• Feeling rushed past in status meetings
• No response to e-mails
• Managers not stepping up to address problems with other groups
• Boss chats more with other co-workers

This list goes on. So you begin to feel that if no one notices your presence when you are at work, you might as well stay home because you don’t want to be at work.

High (Stress) Times, High Emotions

The emotional components of burnout are trickier to deal with. By the time they start becoming noticeable to those around us, the core issues are so deeply rooted that the feelings can be difficult to overcome:

• Persistent irritability
• Quick tempered
• Feeling unappreciated, taken advantage of, “put upon”
• Persistent hopelessness (“What’s the point?” “Nothing will change, even if I do.”)
• Detachment (“Who cares?” “Let whatever happens happen.”)

In speaking to those who have dealt with burnout, a lot of these emotional signals come from feeling out of control. And these feelings can be triggered by any number of events at work. For example:

• Constant interruptions that impede someone’s ability to concentrate long enough to finish new documentation can be a source of irritability.
• A continuous stream of last-minute projects given to you regardless of all the other projects and deadlines you’re currently contending with (sometimes called “dump and run”) can make an employee feel taken for granted.
• Frequent ill-considered and poorly communicated changes to project tasks or schedules, especially those that leave you with less time to complete a task, can trigger angry outbursts.

And when concerns, white flags, and arguments about productivity-hindering problems are consistently ignored, we eventually fall silent in detachment or in a pool of depressed hopelessness.

Equally damaging is what we tell ourselves after we try to make sense of something that has happened at work — creating a version (a story) of what happened that may be different from what occurred, and which is clouded by our emotions and perceptions.

If we already feel disconnected from a manager or an employee, small and inadvertent actions take on larger meanings unintended by the person who made them. In a conversation, we read more into what someone says and react based on our reading and not on what they actually said . Often, our response is inappropriate and the other person is left asking, “What just happened here?” This is because all of us, at one point or another, tell ourselves little stories about what the other person meant (not said) in the split-second between their side and our side in the conversation. (For more about this, see the book Crucial Conversations .) Combine this cognitive processing with a dash of irritability, a fistful of feeling unappreciated, and a wheelbarrow full of hopelessness, and a burned-out person becomes even more so. If they don’t feel like open and honest communication is possible where they work, the feelings keep piling up.

When too much of this stuff happens, these behaviors become part of the daily routine. It gets to the point where we don’t even know what is specifically bothering us, which makes us stay irritable and get crabby with anyone and everyone. All we know is that we don’t like who we are when we’re at work.

Stale As Week-Old Bread

Compared to the burnout signals we’ve already discussed, the last three can be somewhat easier to tackle.

Boredom — For the most part, boredom is a clear sign that we’re not feeling challenged by what’s in front of us. Whatever the task or project is, it has become mundane, routine, rote. We’re pretty sure that we could do it in our sleep if we could get away with taking naps in our cubicles. In extreme cases, it could be argued that boredom is an indicator that someone has lost their zeal for their chosen profession and may be in need of a radical change. Regardless, it boils down to the same things: what we’re doing isn’t challenging, stimulating, or all that interesting anymore.

Procrastination – As a common trait for so many writers, procrastination can be indicative of a number of things: time management issues, boredom, project-management practices or lack thereof, and inefficient workflows. A project or task may seem too big, and an already frustrated person may give up sooner than someone else would and try to push the work off as late as possible (perhaps secretly hoping a colleague will come along and mercifully take it over). If a project is cumbersome, unwieldy, or accomplished by way of a very inefficient process, we may again put it off rather than have to deal with, say, the repetitive work that is often part of inefficiency.

Forgetfulness — When we’re too burned out and too overwhelmed by dueling priorities and nightmarish project calendars, forgetfulness sets in. Without talking things out, and maybe finding out that the forgetfulness is a symptom of too much going on at once, the interpretation of those around us boils down to “his/her priorities are not in line with my priorities.” In our haze, we don’t even realize until late in the game just how much we are forgetting.

When the boredom, procrastination, and forgetfulness are ours, it can sometimes take a while for us to see it in ourselves — or a close colleague to point it out to us.

Dealing With Our Burnout Warning Signs

To deal with our own warning signs, we need to be honest and introspective. We need to write down our thoughts at those times when we’re trying to decide whether or not to go to work. Having these issues staring back at us on paper gets a different thought process going, helps us see patterns in what we’re telling ourselves, and helps us identify the problems that are troubling us and who we can talk to about them.

Additionally, we can start writing other thought-provoking lists — a popular approach used by professional/personal development coaches. For example:

• Jot down what you like and don’t like about your job.
• Identify the kinds of things that your counterparts at other companies are doing that you wish you could do, too.
• List outside activities and organizations in which you participate, then list what you like about those involvements and the things that make you feel fulfilled.
• Create a “someday maybe” list of things you’d like to do at some point in your career.

Look over these lists. Are there things that you could incorporate into your job now or the foreseeable future? Are you using skills outside of work that you could also incorporate into your current job? Can you split and organize your list into two parts, such as:

• The five things you want to do in the next 12 months (or you’ll never forgive yourself)
• The “someday maybe” things

Are there things on your to-do lists that you can eliminate because they’re outdated goals, have become too rote, or can be delegated to someone else? With time, reorganization, and reprioritization, you’ll begin to see your stress go down and your enthusiasm increase.

How Managers Can Help

Essentially, to help deal with warning signs in employees, managers need to:

• Open the communication lines.
• Ask questions that will draw out real (not monosyllabic) answers in a non-confrontational way.

Some variation of the questions discussed in this article can be an effective starting point. Some managers bring in coaches or send employees to team-building workshops. Others simply go to lunch periodically with each employee, because getting out of the office and onto “neutral territory” cam be very effective in getting people to open up. These neutral-ground conversations are a way to get problems out in the open and a chance to reveal employees’ interests, what skills they’re currently developing, what they do in their free time, and so forth. You simply never know where the next big idea or perfect solution to a nagging problem is going to come from.

What’s absolutely crucial is to get concerns out in the open. When an employee has someone with whom to exchange ideas back and forth, their problems don’t always seem to be as insurmountable as they did when they were locked up inside. Understandably, some behavior can’t continue. If solutions are identified, some may need to be put on hold ( e.g., flex hours, alternate work weeks, and telecommuting) for a short period of time in which the employee must “play by the rules.” Otherwise, the perception is that unprofessional conduct is rewarded. But rather than simply cracking the whip, consider combining the need for order with some empathy — such as giving an employee time in their schedule to take a crack at prototyping a new or improved deliverable.

Some open and honest dialogue, with clear results, can lead to a happier person in the long run — whether that person is you or an employee.

Rut-Buster Reading Recommendations

Berglas, Steven. Reclaiming the Fire: How Successful People Overcome Burnout (2001, Random House Publishing Group).

Cameron, Julia, Mark Bryan, and Catherine Allen. The Artist’s Way at Work: Riding The Dragon (1999, William Morrow & Company, Inc.).

McMeekin, Gail. The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women: A Portable Mentor (2000, Conari Press).

Patterson, Kerry, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler, and Steven R. Covey. Crucial Conversations: Tools For Talking When The Stakes Are High (2002, McGraw-Hill).

Tharp, Twyla. The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It For Life (2003, Simon & Schuster).

So you’ve given it a lot of painstaking thought. It’s decided. It’s time. Time to move into management. After all, you’ve worked hard to get where you are. You’ve paid your dues working through the various levels of technical-writing jobs, and survived all the promotional requirements to get through each position, and so on. As a senior-level professional, you’re at a crossroads. How do you prepare and are you absolutely sure you want to make this transition?

Clearly, not everyone is cut out for management. For some, the thought of being responsible for more than one’s own work is unheard of….sometimes even frightening. For others, management is a logical stepping stone into an entirely new career.

This article is a collage of ideas and experiences from some people who’ve made the leap from writer to manager. Although it’s not a step-by-step guideline, it provides some compelling insight as to what individuals might expect as they transition into the management ranks. Even if you are an experienced manager, you might find these ideas helpful.

• Preparing for the Transition
• Inheriting a Staff
• Establishing a New Staff
• Developing your own management style
• Realizing Your Accomplishments in a Different Way
• Learning to Delegate
• Getting Other Managers to Treat You As a Peer
• Accepting Something Less Than You Can Do Yourself
• Dealing with Co-workers Who Formerly Worked With You
• Giving the Monkeys back
• Learning How to Evaluate Performance

Preparing for the Transition

Before you accept a management job, it’s a good idea to carefully evaluate your current job responsibilities and compare them to what might lie ahead in a management capacity. Depending on where you work, the newfound differences can be startling, even exasperating. Consider the following comparison of a typical writer’s responsibilities compared to that of a typical manager.

Writers—Typically, they: plan individual writing projects; gather information for projects; interview subject matter experts; write, edit, and configure documentation on multiple mediums; serve on other project teams; test hardware and software; attend appropriate meetings.

Managers—Typically, they: plan projects for others and delegate them; contribute to strategic planning; prepare and manage budgets; facilitate information gathering across organizations; manage people individually and as a team; write and deliver performance reviews; evaluate and select tools and technologies; interview and select job candidates; train new employees; address employee conflicts; rate performance; hire and fire; attend and conduct meetings.

At first glance, one might argue that managers simply do more work than writers. In reality, both likely perform equal workloads. It’s just that managers are usually responsible for a lot more things — most of which individual contributors rarely get involved. Clearly, in an ideal setting, it takes both writers and managers to successfully produce the expected ongoing results.

With all that said, how does one prepare for a management position? Some suggestions include:

• Clearly understand the job’s expectations. Talk to your human resources representative and the hiring manager to outline the objectives. Make sure there are no hidden agendas or tasks that aren’t clearly labeled for the overall position.
• Even if you have a management degree, consider taking a management class, seminar, or refresher workshop.
• Subscribe to trade journals and newsletter publications that address management issues.
• Talk to other managers to get a perspective on what works and doesn’t work for them. You can learn a lot from other peoples’ mistakes and successes.

Above all, keep an open mind and don’t let anyone discourage or sway you away from becoming a manager if that’s what you really want. Like all jobs, it’s going to take preparation and a lot of perseverance. Once you’ve made the plunge, you can set the pace and channel your efforts to effect the management experience you’re hoping for.

Inheriting a Staff

In many cases, new managers step into a ready-made position, complete with staff, slews of corporate policies, practices and procedures. Clearly, you will want to tailor the position to your own personal style. To accomplish this, there are a number of things you can do, including:

• Get to know each staff member individually. Set up private meetings to go over roles, responsibilities, happiness with the job, and so on. If you already work with the people you’re now managing, due to your new role in the organization, you should still speak with them individually to get a different perspective on their views and opinions. People will open up.
• Unless you already know how the former manager did specific things, it’s in your best interest to find out, especially if you’re completely unfamiliar with the company or organization. There’s something to be said about continuity or keeping the “status quo,” at least while you’re starting a new job within an established team. The key is to continually address new ways of improving operations as you mold the job to your own management style, discussed later in the article. There’s an old saying that if something’s not broken, don’t fix it. Then again, some experienced managers firmly believe that to get to the next level of success, you need to break the unbroken to move forward. This is particularly true when you’re trying to improve an old, yet seemingly efficient process that could be made better.
• Meet regularly with your staff as a team to find ways to improve operations.
• Introduce your staff to your management style and discuss expectations.
• Continuously ask for suggestions, keeping all staff members involved.

And lastly, don’t forget to have fun. Per budget constraints, plan outings and functions outside of the work setting to reward and recognize people individually and as a team. A little, ongoing recognition goes a long way, especially in today’s corporate climate.

Establishing a New Staff

If you are fortunate enough to land a management position with the freedom to create a new staff from scratch, there’s a number of things you must carefully consider.

Scope of your organization—Are you going to be responsible for just documentation, or are you expected to address training, testing, QA, and other functions?

Workload—How many people are you going to need in order to accomplish all the duties outlined in your scope? Detailed project plans are the key here. Not only will they unveil how much work is to be done, you will have established a guideline by which to monitor a worker-to-workload comfort zone. This can help you down the road—especially whenever you need to request additional resources.

Budgets—Are you ready to become a number cruncher? First, find out if this is really your responsibility. Most organizations use financial professionals to track the numbers related to overall expenses.

Permanent staff vs. contractors—Considering the scope, workload, and budgets, how realistic will it be to maintain a long-term staff?

Working relationships with other teams—What are all the other teams and organizations with which your team will interface? Have they worked with a documentation team before and how willing are they to include your team in all phases of the organization’s project life cycles?

Once you’ve addressed these and other tough issues that may arise, you can go to work selecting your team members.

Developing your own management style

What exactly is a management style? When I first became a manager, all the upper-level managers I reported to boasted endlessly about how they developed their management style and insisted I do the same. Instead of providing valuable guidance, some of them would make observations about my demeanor and cheery camaraderie with my writers. I can recall comments such as, “You can’t expect everyone to like you,” and “You’re far too worried about making everyone happy.” The fact is, I was developing a management style, be it good or bad, without even knowing it. And far be it for my “superiors” to even realize that my style was actually working positively for me at that point in time.

You can find all sorts of books, web-based articles, and so on about this subject. You can go to schools, get management degrees, attend seminars, and even work with countless management consultants. But what many managers have found is that their management style often boils down to a few main ingredients, namely: open communications, organization, and a personality that ties it all together. Consider this. If you tend to be a tyrant and a dictator, chances are, no “Management Etiquette” or procedural one-size-fits-all guideline is going to improve your effectiveness. On another note, if you’re a passive, easily influenced person who approaches your day-to-day activities without any organization or purpose, chances are you’re going to fail and your management style, whatever it is, won’t help you, either. Sound confusing? It really doesn’t have to be. The point is that despite your personality, demeanor, or even your temperament, if you can effect open communications in every avenue of your work (with your employees, with your peers, etc.), conduct your work in an organized manner, and glue it all together in a civilized manner, your overall style will emerge.

Developing a management style isn’t rocket science or anything new for that matter. And, it’s not something you do once and never modify or improve upon. Like everything else, a good manager always looks for ways to improve things, including his/her own management methodologies.

One seasoned manager who interviewed for this article says that a big part of her management approach consists of putting each of her employees in a box (categorically speaking, of course). There’s the novice box, the rebellious box, the whiner box, the bully box, and so on. Because no one reacts to policies or procedures in the exact same way, this manager deals with each box differently to effect the results she needs. “You simply cannot treat everyone the same way. You have to figure out who you’re dealing with, and treat them accordingly,” she says. Also, she goes on to say, “Always deal with rebellion head on; otherwise, it festers and can infiltrate your other employees, resulting in a treacherous, deteriorating work environment.”

Again, considering the key elements (communications, organization, and personality), as you develop your own style, keep the following in mind:

• Promote open communications within and across your organization.
• Implement non-threatening ways to periodically track performance without micro-managing people. Remember: they have their jobs and you have yours.
• Be willing to accept something less (or even better) from your employees than you could do yourself. (More on this topic later.)
• Don’t be a pushover, but also don’t be a tyrant or a bully. People WILL end up hating you, which can adversely affect your career down the road. People might still end up hating you no matter what you do, but at least you will have created an ethical management style that you can live with.

Realizing Your Accomplishments in a Different Way

Typically, most of us working as individual contributors without the added stress of management responsibilities come home from work each day feeling we’ve accomplished something. Perhaps we designed a new help system, fixed a software bug, wrote a technical article for a newsletter, or edited a stack of marketing materials a day early. Whatever the accomplishment, we feel good about it. Really good. That sense of having started and completed something makes what we do all the more rewarding. When people transition into management, they sometimes find that those feelings of accomplishment occur less frequently. Instead of starting something and completing it the same day or week, tasks become long term, taking weeks or even months to complete. For some, this can quickly become frustrating, even depressing. For those of us who thrive on that daily adrenaline rush we get from accomplishing something, this frustration can often tempt us to slip back into our pre-manager, individual-contributor activities, putting the management factor by the wayside. For a new manager with this tendency, this has to be resolved to successfully move forward in a management capacity.

If we step back and look closely at what management is really all about, we quickly realize it’s about driving projects and accomplishments at a higher level. It’s about bringing talent together to coordinate and streamline the numerous activities of other people. It’s about taking that talent and determining who is best suited to do certain things, and delegating assignments accordingly.

As new managers, we eventually begin to realize our own accomplishments and successes through other people. As one manager put it to me so matter-of-factly, “The reality is that other people finish stuff. As a manager, you notice your successes in a much different, broader way. If you can’t get used to that, management is not for you.”

Learning to Delegate

For those of us who are used to doing everything ourselves, we find it most difficult to turn others loose on a variety of tasks, thus making our transition into management a long and winding road. But once we finally accept the fact that we can’t do everything single handedly, we learn to delegate.

Some basic suggestions on achieving this include:

• Start every new management job with project plans.
• Interview each employee individually.
• Ask your employees what they like most about their jobs and the organization.
• Ask them what they feel the organization does best and worst.
• Ask them what they would change.
• Ask each person what he/she does best.

Most times, people working under new management will open up and freely offer their opinions and suggestions. You will find that some will even talk positively and negatively about other people in the organization. During these sessions, be sure to carefully keep things in perspective and above all, confidential. The ultimate goal is to get an understanding of each person’s professional strengths, weaknesses, career goals, and so on in order to utilize their talents in the best possible manner.

Getting Other Managers to Treat You As a Peer

Whether you’re new to the company or organization or have been employed there for a while, there might be times when other team managers (e.g., your peers in software development, support, engineering, and son on) choose to exclude your team from crucial project-planning activities. Whether this is intentional or an oversight, when this happens, we know all too well the consequences. Documentation gets involved late in the project cycle, causing delays in the writing process, publication deployment, and overall slipped release dates.

One major key to avoiding all non-communicative scenarios is to make sure your staff is engaged in all crucial planning activities from the get-go. This requires open communications among all parties involved. If you are establishing a new documentation department from scratch, getting the buy-in, recognition, and acceptance from other “established” peer organizations can sometimes be particularly difficult. To deal with that situation, consider the following:

• Prepare, maintain, and deliver a presentation about your team and the integral role it plays in the overall project schemes. Be prepared to give this presentation more than once and to a variety of tough audiences.
• Be prepared to illustrate the documentation life cycle and how it closely inter-relates to other initiatives, such as development, engineering, and support.
• Use quotes from prestigious publications such as trade journals, white papers, and newsletters that support the importance of quality documentation and the value-add it brings to the table.

The more prepared and convincing you are, the more widely accepted you’ll be — even by your toughest critics.

Accepting Something Less Than You Can Do Yourself

Many years ago, one of my former, less-than-favorite managers actually taught me one very important lesson. Repeatedly, he’d preach, “Steve, one key to becoming a successful manager is to be willing to accept something less than you could do yourself.” That advice has stuck with me and helped me through a number of challenges while managing a variety of people over the years.

It goes without saying that managers, by and large, want and expect the very best from their people. The best performance, great attitudes, the highest work ethics, and the best possible end results. While most experienced people have no problem producing magnificent work for their respective companies, newcomers often have to overcome a variety of hurdles before they can become as productive or even as skilled as more experienced workers. Therefore, it is incumbent upon managers to be aware of the various levels of expertise on their teams and find ways to apply those various degrees of expertise accordingly.

As managers, those of us who put high expectations on ourselves are likely to set the same or similar standards on all the employees who support us, including the newcomers. There are times, however, when we as leaders need to step back and give people time to grow and perfect their craft. And everyone I interviewed for this article agreed: micro-managing is not the answer. People need both space and guidance at the same time. True, if we assign a project to a senior-level professional, it’s logical to expect something of higher quality than from an entry-level person. The key is being able to recognize when less quality is still good and acceptable to meet the project requirements.

So when is it appropriate to accept work that might be of lower quality compared to what you (the manager) or another senior professional might produce? And how do you set the guidelines for this determination? Consider these suggestions:

• Set clear standards that all employees—experienced and novices alike—must follow. This might include (but not be limited to) established, pre-existing company- or department-level processes, such as:
  • Writing Guidelines — Typically, these address areas such as content requirements, sentence structure, grammar, company acronyms, punctuation, person, tense, and so on.
  • Training Development Guidelines — These standards might include a methodology that everyone must follow to generate computer- or web-based instruction.
• Make sure that everyone on your team understands the guidelines, receives the proper training to use them, and abides by them.
• Keep an open mind to creativity. People in creative jobs will always find different ways to add their personal spin and flair to the work that they do. Not everyone works the same or approaches things in the exact same way.

After you have established clear standards and ground rules for everyone on your team—from entry-level novices to seasoned, experienced workers—proceed with making assignments. In doing so, keep in mind the complexity of each project and each employee’s experience level.

When a less-experienced person works on a project, depending on your resource availability, it’s always a good idea to assign a senior-level person as a mentor. That way, it can help the learning process and give the newcomer a sense that they’re on the right track. When it comes time to review a less-experienced person’s work, that’s when the standards and guidelines come into play. If they meet the requirements yet don’t quite measure up to what an experienced person might produce, but STILL accomplish what is needed for the project, that’s where the philosophy of accept something less kicks in.

Sometimes there’s a fine line in disseminating when it’s acceptable and unacceptable to accept lower quality work, especially from novices. As a manager, it takes practice but it’s a worthwhile exercise. One thing to consider is to always encourage people to perfect their craft but be sure to praise them for their milestones along the way.

Dealing with Co-workers Who Formerly Worked With You

Becoming a manager over people who were once your peers can present a whole new set of problems. In many cases, managers find that existing friendships are harder to maintain, become compromised when friends begin taking advantage of the situation, or become closely scrutinized when other employees make accusations about the manager. All too familiar issues like partiality, favoritism, and the like can begin to surface and fester.

Some people who interviewed for this article claim that in order to maintain long-lasting friendships with people they now manage, they had to make clear, obvious distinctions between their work relationships and their social relationships with employee-friends. Doing so took some drastic action. In particular, one manager stopped all one-on-one social interaction with each of her employee friends. That meant not going out to lunch together, no mid-day breaks alone together, and so on. Although tough, these shifts in social interaction helped to maintain the manager’s credibility. Things got so bad for one manager, he ended up severing all social ties with his employee friends. Although a drastic decision, it was a necessary evil considering the personalities and the pressures that were involved.

One thing all managers agreed on was the longer you wait to keep friendships and work relationships separate, the worse things can get in the long run. Nip it in the beginning and start on the right foot. Maintain close friendships outside of work……..not inside. At a minimum, don’t make personal friendships with employees so obvious.

Giving the Monkeys Back

Clearly, one characteristic of a good manager is knowing how to fully utilize the skills and competencies of the people on his or her team. Doing so requires meeting regularly to discuss project plans and to delegate tasks. Quite often, during these face-to-face meetings, new managers find themselves walking away with more action items (monkeys) than the employee. This should not be the case, so how does this happen?

Sometimes, savvy employees find tricky ways to unload existing tasks and/or avoid acquiring new ones. If they can’t dump tasks on their co-workers, they’ll often try to somehow unload them on their managers — especially new, unsuspecting, gullible managers.

Several years ago, I inherited a staff of writers and software programmers who were developing publishing applications for a corporate-wide conversion effort. Although one of the programmers handled the contract arrangements for our leading software vendors, when I took the job as his manager, he immediately insisted I take over that responsibility. He would constantly tell me how I needed to call this vendor and that vendor, how I needed to evaluate and process this contract and that contract, and so on. In essence, he found an opportunity to take monkeys off his back and put them on mine. Not knowing any better, I obliged and immediately became burden with a slew of complicated tasks that I knew little about. After all, he knew all the contacts, was familiar with the process, and was able to handle the communications stream and decisions with the contracts single handedly. What was I to do now?

After a lot of deliberation and anger, I confided in my boss. Outraged by my employee’s conduct, my boss offered to correct the situation for me. But I knew that in order to establish my own credibility and authority as a manager, I would have to solve this one myself. So I collected my thoughts and arranged a private meeting with the employee to “give the monkey’s back to him.” At first, he was resentful, but after I so eloquently presented my position on teamwork, he got the message.

Although this worked out in this instance, obviously it’s not always unreasonable for a manager to take action items after reviewing a situation with an employee. But knowing how to identify the monkeys and how to give them back is absolutely a necessary skill.

Learning How to Evaluate Performance

One of the touchiest issues a manager will ever address is personnel performance. Not only are company requirements usually working against you (e.g., that dreaded, age-old adage that every manager must identify at least one bad performer per year), there’s also the fear of being too subjective instead of objective in your rating process. What’s a manager to do?

For starters, performance appraisals should never be a surprise. If appraisals are done correctly, each employee knows where he or she stands at any given point in time. To ensure that’s the case, evaluations need to occur not once a year, but many times per year. For example, some companies give appraisals every quarter, while others conduct them on a semi-annual basis. As a manager, it is incumbent upon you to devise an appraisal methodology that is conducive to your targeted goals and schedules.

Insofar as what areas to rate your people on, most companies have pre-established guidelines. However, if you can be specific and tailor expectations and results to custom fit your team, by all means that is the way to go. As you do, you must carefully consider the level of experience you’re rating. For example, it’s quite common to rate an entry-level employee higher for doing a level of work that’s normally expected from a senior-level person. On the flip side, it’s possible to rate an experienced person lower for doing excellent quality work for something that is normally expected from a lower-level employee. Quite often, there’s a fine line in determining what’s fair. The key is having some clear guidelines to keep things in perspective.

In Closing

In addition to all the things we’ve discussed throughout this article, be constantly aware of politics. As a new manager, it’s easy to put blinders on and think that politics cannot affect you or your organization. They can. The trick is to keep up with politics. Remember: the people who support you are also relying on you to keep them informed, not only on a project-to-project level, but also at a corporate and organizational level. Make sure you know what’s going on within and outside of your organization. Make sure you’re properly engaged and aligned with your upper management, including your boss, his/her boss, and his/her boss. Make sure you’re invited and available to attend all the right things, from meetings to social functions, and so on. Over time, this will ensure a successful groundwork for developing close working relationships with all your peers.

When you first ventured into the tech writing ranks, marketing the department was likely the furthest thing from your mind. You already had work to do, so marketing was somebody else’s job.

But now that you’re in a position where you are reading newsletters like TechCom Manager , you probably have some concern about marketing. You might even need to be a tech comm marketer to ensure your documentation department survives. To have internal and external customers solicit your services is not always a given, even within the same corporation. At the company where I am Tech Comm Manager, we have a decidedly free-market economy, where the business units can either use our services to provide manuals to their end customers or not. Consequently, marketing our department is actually in my position description. How we market our services to our internal and external customers is the focus of this article.

Here we will discuss marketing by:

• Quality of Your Goods and Services
• Stepping out of the Box for Your Customers
• Saying Yes to Your Customers
• Connecting with Your Customers
• Telling About Yourself
• Showing Value Added
• Your Full Documentation Team

Market by the Quality of Your Goods and Services

Assuming you have already been entrusted with documentation work, task number one is to do this work well…so well that your customers have no thought of going elsewhere. On one of our largest outside customer’s last major projects with us, they were so satisfied with our lead writer’s work, that in order to get a new contract, they required us to assign the same writer as technical documentation coordinator over the project. So in effect, because of this writer’s superb ability and professional relationship with the customer, not only was he creating and delivering manuals, he was also marketing our department’s services better than any sales call or glossy brochure ever could.

Market by Stepping out of the Box for Your Customers

One of our major internal customers developed what seemed to be an annoying habit: They began engineering bootleg products to meet specific customer needs quickly, rather than following the company’s slow, laborious product-development process. For a time, our tech comm group strictly followed procedures, telling this department we could not produce a manual until they performed the necessary product-development functions. Then one day, it dawned on me that our stringent approach wasn’t a good way to market our documentation services. So, for these “unofficial” products, we started producing semi-standard manuals. As a result, both our internal and external customers have received these products with enthusiasm. Our writer on the last bootleg project said she has never experienced such cooperation from the requesting engineers. They actually provided their technical reviews on-time (or early), said amazing things, such as “Your wish is my command,” and even returned phone calls promptly. Bottom line: They needed this material for their end customers and really appreciated our writer’s out-of-the-box efforts to provide a quick delivery.

Market by Saying Yes to Your Customers

Of course you can’t say yes to everything. If an assignment requires a lot of unpaid work or it’s out of the contract’s scope, this can lead to overruns, which must be avoided. But when so many small requests by customers today are met with run-arounds or worse, if a request can be met easily, the good-will can be priceless. For example, one of our staff received this note in response to a relatively small task: “ Tech Comm was the one department in the company that we can always count on to help us out – and not just tell us no. ” Obviously, this wasn’t the last time we heard from this internal customer.

Respond affirmatively to the occasional unreasonable emergency . You have every right to tell your customer to forget it if they suddenly need the work done next week instead of next month as scheduled. But if you want to turn the crisis into a marketing opportunity, somehow try to get the work done early and bail your customer out. Usually, customers will not forget such service and will return for repeat business. If you aren’t willing to address these situations, customers will likely find someone else to meet their aggressive demands.

Market by Connecting with Your Customers

Speak your customer’s language . If you are working with a customer who has a million acronyms, at least try to learn and use the key ones. Lose your own internal terms and use the customer’s. If a customer refers to the DHC and PTS being due 16 WACA per the SOW and TLM, do your homework so you know what they are talking about.

Get to know your customers. Some tech writers have a remarkable network of internal and external customer contacts who like working with them. Not only do writers provide them good work, they’ve also built relationships the customers enjoy and want to foster through continued business. So, learn your customer’s name and remember it. Also, use informal and formal surveys to learn what your customers want. Then, do all you can to give them exactly that.

Go where your customers are. To market our documentation services, other tech comm staffs and mine have traveled not only to local facilities in the area, but also to California , Texas , Alabama , Toronto , Detroit , and Chicago . By doing so, we took advantage of two phenomena, including:

• The perception that the expert is from far away.
• When you travel a long way, people of various levels are more willing and able to set aside time for you.

Market by Telling About Yourself

Communicate your department’s capabilities, formally and informally.

• Develop a user-friendly Intranet or Internet page detailing your services and make it easy to email requests to you using interactive forms.
• Be proactive with potential customers who might benefit from your services. Offer to talk with them about how your capabilities match their needs, and submit a proposal for how you can serve them.
• Make yourself visible. Network among your potential customers. Just seeing you might remind some customers about the documentation project they had to get done but never get around to. Personal presence can offer its marketing reward—don’t neglect it, even if it is unnatural for you.
• Highlight key capabilities of specific staff. For example, we found a degreed mechanical engineer who wanted to be a tech writer. After he developed his writing skills, I made sure our internal mechanical engineering groups for which we were providing engineering manuals knew that we had “one of them” doing the writing.

Market by Showing Value Added

Show a value-add for your service, even if it means occasionally swallowing your purist tech-comm pride. We have all run into individuals who think that all we do is “make documents look pretty.” So, to best market your services, help them understand that you can do much more–such as create original documentation based on raw engineering data for delivery in various media. The best way to convince them of this value-added is by doing it. If you get that first chance, surprise them with the depth of your deliverable.

But some will just want you to make it pretty, and as long as they pay for it, what does it hurt to humble yourself and give them what they want? One of our internal customers wrote, “While I don’t mind the actual writing of the document, I find that my formatting tends to be a little flat. I am hoping to get your special brand of magic on a couple of documents that I will be producing in the coming weeks. I was extremely impressed with your staff on the last project.” Even though this was kind of like saying we made it look pretty, he came back, opening the door to more substantial work.

Market as a Full Documentation Team

What does the quiet wordsmith laboring in the far corner of your cubicle farm have to do with marketing? Staff in tech comm departments know people the manager doesn’t know. Encourage your staff to speak up about their department’s capabilities, avoiding the temptation of leaving all the marketing to the manager. I have people in my group who are better marketers than I am. One of my remote staff members is so confident of his ability to market his services, he says that if his current workload is pulled away, he would have no problem beating the bushes for more. You don’t need to send your quietest, most reclusive writer out on marketing calls, but expect him or her to do some informal marketing as part of his or her everyday work.

Conclusion

Being a tech comm Marketer can be exciting or frustrating, successful or disastrous, and will often be threatening before it is rewarding. If you don’t do the marketing, it probably won’t get done. Even if marketing your documentation department is not in your position description, why not give it a try? With persistence, you’ll be rewarded with new opportunities for you and your department.

At first glance, technical communication (techcom) and technical marketing communication (marcom) appear to be very different genres. Where traditional techcom strives to help people use products, marcom seeks to make people realize they need products. Techcom instructs, while marcom persuades, and this distinction affects everything from the genre’s focus, to its content, and medium.

On the other hand, when executed well, these two genres share important similarities. They both deal with technical, complex subject matter. They both pay close attention to their target audiences, and they both benefit from a concise, accessible writing style.

Given these similarities, it makes sense that many organizations get technical communicators involved in marketing work. But what are you getting into when the marketing department looks to your techcom team for help? And what do you do when a writer on your team expresses an interest in marcom?

In reality, it can be tricky to distinguish the opportunities from the risks. This article examines two challenging situations for techcom managers, pointing to the risks you are likely to face and the opportunities you might realize.

Providing services to marketing

• Managing a lateral move to marketing
• Enjoying new efficiencies and benefits

Providing Services To Marketing

For many companies, cross-department collaboration is common. In this environment, marcom opportunities may come to your techcom group as a new stream of assignments. In addition to supporting the creation of user guides, online help, reference material, and tutorials, you might add white papers, proposals, presentations, and press releases to your team’s repertoire.

Through these assignments, you will collect new contacts to manage. On top of facilitating communications with engineers, developers, and customer-support staffs, you will need to be aware of relationships with product marketing managers, marcom managers, sales reps, production managers, and designers. It is also possible that some of these new contacts will be external contractors.

This will exert new pressures on you as a manager because:

Resource scheduling becomes more complex, requiring you to juggle more and shorter timelines.

• There are many more stakeholders to satisfy.
• Your team members will need more support from you as they move out of their comfort zones.

Your team will also face a host of new pressures. As a result, they’ll need your support as they:

Work through new review and approval chains.

• Manage more projects on shorter timelines.
• Develop different writing styles.
• Master new tools.

As you manage this change, you need to revisit the details of your performance management plan. In a techcom department, you may use a number of metrics to gauge performance. When it comes to marcom, if you do not adjust your measures, you will create counter-productive situations.

Consider those senior technical writers who are accustomed to producing each finished help topic in about three hours. When they write a datasheet, they may spend more than 40 hours on two pages of text and a few diagram concepts. The rule at work here is that marcom assignments take more time to write less . You need to coach writers through this adjustment or you risk negative morale and serious self-esteem issues.

At a mechanical level, the focus of techcom and marcom is quite different, which can be a major adjustment for your team. In techcom, we ensure our work is clear, correct, concise, and complete. We take pride in knowing it is so.

In marcom, the focus is different. One marketing executive explained that “it’s always got to be clear and concise–that’s a given. Compelling and convincing are also important in marcom. Other than that, make sure it’s believable and achievable.” In fact, marcom materials that are complete and accurate to the last detail can be dangerous and counter-productive in the hands of a sales rep or on your web site.

Despite the challenges, the potential payback for becoming a marcom service provider can be compelling. The work may provide a new revenue stream for your department, and in some companies, marcom projects have impressive budgets behind them.

Bringing marcom assignments into your group can also strengthen your approach to motivating and retaining talented employees. The creative elements of marcom are great rewards for some writers, and the increased visibility afforded by marcom assignments can inspire higher performance. Marcom can also give established writers new opportunities for development. There is the challenge of deepening their industry-specific knowledge, writing with different purpose, and clarifying messages before crafting text.

When you introduce marcom assignments to your team, you can also manage the risk associated with transferring someone out of your team to do marcom full time. For example, a writer can try his/her hand at researching and writing a white paper before making a bigger career change.

Managing a Lateral Move to Marketing

When Ellen (not her real name) signed on to be a technical communicator at a software development company in Waterloo , Canada , she knew she wanted more exposure to marketing work.

She explained, “I value the discipline that I learned through technical writing, and I developed a lot of important skills there, but the work didn’t speak to my creative nature.”

During the first few months at her new job, Ellen edited a number of proposals for the sales group and put her creative nature to work in front of the marketing group. Her manager described those early days with the group by saying, “Ellen was articulate and forthcoming with her opinions and could really sell people on what she said.” It was not long before Ellen left the technical communications group to join the marketing group. She continues to be thrilled with her job. Today, the sales team reaps the benefits from fresh content, improved process and tools, and communications with a more consistent tone.

Not all transitions are as smooth. Some writers discover they do not have the right skill set for marcom. Others find they just cannot flourish under the new pressures and expectations. As one of Ellen’s managers would say, “there’s often a sense that the grass is greener [in marcom]. But I’ve seen a number of writers go that direction, and it hasn’t always turned out to be a better career path.”

As a manager, you have two important responsibilities when a writer on your team contemplates the “greener pastures” of marcom. Start by looking at the transition from a broader corporate perspective, rather than restricting your view to within your own department. And, provide a reality check about life as a marcom writer.

Taking a Corporate View of the Transition

Step back from your team and look at your organization as a whole. You might dread the day you lose a top performer to the marketing group, but it could be exactly what your company needs.

Would your marketing group benefit from these characteristics?

Deep product knowledge:

• Good relationships with subject matter experts
• Strong project management skills
• Keen awareness of audience
• Practice in document management and text reuse

Most marketing groups would derive great benefit from these traits, and it is no surprise that high-performing technical communicators possess a mix of them. When you consider the needs of your organization, you may decide it is best to let some of this expertise move out of your techcom team and in to the marcom department.

Providing a reality check

Another part of your responsibility is to base the decision on a realistic assessment of the opportunity—you need to provide a reality check so that writers know what they are getting into.

For many technical communicators, marcom holds the promise of glamour. The artwork, color, compelling copy, and high-end production make it look exciting. If you ask anyone in marketing, overall, they will tell you it is exciting. But when they describe the entire experience, they will likely tell you it is also stressful, dynamic, and high-pressure.

As part of your reality check, make sure the writer understands how different the work environment will be. Marketing groups often work long hours, late nights, and weekends. While some people enjoy the cohesive team that can result, others find it unbearably stressful.

Another part of the reality check centers on timelines. In techcom, timelines are often measured in months, with milestones measured in weeks. In marcom, it is not unusual to have deadlines within days, even hours! And because marcom usually involves a mix of several short and mid-length projects at any given time, there are many more milestones to juggle. For a techcom writer accustomed to scheduling around longer engineering cycles and fewer projects, the marcom pace can be completely overwhelming.

The quantity and quality of feedback can be another source of culture shock for the techcom-writer-gone-marcom. When it comes to marcom, more people in the company have a keen interest in the message, wording, and design. For the writer, this means more feedback from many different sources, with many different ideas.

Often, the nature of the feedback is more subjective, which can make it more difficult to address. In techcom, we take comfort knowing a task is correct or not, and it is usually straightforward to test. But when feedback includes statements like “I don’t like that shade of green,” or “it sounds too technical, where’s the pizzazz,” there is no easy test.

Despite differences like pace and feedback styles, moving to marcom can still make sense. Technical writers offer many transferable skills to the art of marcom, and moving employees within your organization can be a powerful way to enrich your human resources.

Enjoying New Efficiencies and Benefits

Whether you transfer a writer from your group into marcom, or start providing services to your marketing group, a new and important connection can be established. You and the members of your team will have more frequent contact with the people in marketing. When you use this contact well, you will create new synergies for your organization.

Marcom and techcom groups face many common struggles. It follows that they benefit from common solutions. In particular, marcom and techcom groups will both see gains from:

• Consistent tone, language, and editorial standards
• Solid document and content-management approaches
• Reusing content for different purposes and mediums

Usually, marketing departments collect a wealth of concrete data about customer groups. For technical writers, this information improves audience analysis, and ultimately, can increase customer satisfaction.

Typically, techcom groups have practical expertise around templates, standards, and content reuse. In marketing, this translates into better content in less time, a unified corporate voice, and smarter workflows.

Techcom and marcom groups bring unique perspectives to your company’s products and services. While marketing intelligence should illuminate your product’s position in your industry, technical writers often possess a deep understanding of the technology. Combine these elements and one possible outcome is a powerful positioning statement that not only supports your sales reps, but also has the technical depth to direct engineers.

Conclusions

When you put a user guide and a glossy brochure side-by-side, the idea of getting techcom writers involved in marcom writing can look like a stretch. Differences seem to abound.

• Techcom writers tend to focus on detail, structure, and accuracy. Marcom writers tend to focus on speed, creativity, and emotion.
• Techcom focuses on features—how we understand and exploit them. Marcom illuminates a product’s benefits and instills in us a desire for them.
• Techcom writers flourish under stable priorities and longer-term assignments. Marcom writers must succeed under shifting schedules and short deadlines.

Nonetheless, technical writers can and do excel in the world of marcom. This is in large part due to the transferable skills that strong technical writers possess. These key skills include an accessible writing style, a keen awareness of audience, deep product familiarity, and an analytical approach to project and document management.

Marketing writing can also provide exciting growth opportunities for writers as they develop different writing styles, adapt to new environments, and gain increased visibility within the organization. It also raises their awareness about corporate strategy. And since better marcom leads to easier sales, which translates into more revenue, it gives techcom writers another way to have an impact on the bottom line.

Regardless of the individual attractions to marcom, it will be important for you to look at both the needs of your organization and the career path of the writer in question. From your company’s perspective, the most exciting promise is the synergy that can result from improved cooperation between the marcom and techcom groups.

With a channel open between the two groups, each stands to benefit from the other’s expertise. As a techcom manager, it is part of your responsibility to facilitate this exchange. What strengths have you developed as a techcom manager that you can use to build new bridges within your organization?

What does it take to start your own technical-writing business? Chutzpa! Insanity! I began mine by getting a loan from my local bank for my first computer to set up a home office. It was a Micron desktop 386, the fastest computer in town! That was nine years ago. I now have a nice office, a sizeable staff, and all the work I can handle, most of the time.

• Start Big or Start Small
• Develop Relationships
• Remain Flexible and Ready for Change
• Develop Relationships
• Go For It!

Start Big or Start Small

Not everyone starts his or her own business the way I did. I started small and have maintained somewhat steady growth over the last nine years. My background is in education. I have a degree in English and Journalism, but I worked as a technical writer with a local company for a few years, and later as an independent contractor before starting my company. I made the decision to form my business while working as an independent contractor. That is when I formed Precisely Write, Inc., a real corporation. I wanted to look and feel like a real company and to separate my company and personal assets.

So I took the dive. Another thing that motivated me to start my own company was my past experience working for large companies. I knew I hated company politics —the meetings about meetings, the undermining by co-workers of other co-workers, all those types of situations that go on in large companies.

At that time, a friend of mine was working as a technical writer in New York. We had been sending copy back and forth to each other for editing before giving the final versions to our clients. Since we were already helping each other, I proposed we start a company together. We worked as partners for about five years before going our separate ways due to family issues. (My partner now had a new baby and needed to devote more of her time to family.) However, as a company, clients sometimes expected me to be more than a one-woman show. So at first, I had to put in some pretty long weeks — sometimes 80 hours — to keep up with the demands. After I incorporated the business, I spent the next eight years working from my home office.

Many of my current contracts come from companies that don’t have a technical publications department. And, even companies that do have such a department may not have the tools, the expertise, or the resources to complete a project on time and within budget. This is when a technical-writing company like ours can fill that need. Managers and CEOs are appreciative when you help them meet a deadline and stay within budget.

Remain Flexible and Ready for Change

Technical writing has changed and will continue to do so according to client needs. Anyone starting a technical-writing company will need to realize this and remain flexible enough to keep up with current trends. This includes keeping your staff well-trained in the newest software and in the latest practices.

Years ago, a tech writer was a tech writer. Now a tech writer must also be a graphic designer, an editor, a proofreader, a content modeler, and must really work to stay on the cutting edge. The team I have currently assembled are high-level experts at software documentation, but we have recently moved into single sourcing and content management. So in addition to writing, my staff has to know all these things, along with XML, SGML, and all the other ‘MLs.

In the past, most of our clients just needed user manuals, Quick Reference Guides, and online help. Now, in addition to needing written documentation, they are seeing the value in content management tools as a way to organize their vast amounts of information and allow them to produce more deliverables with less effort and expense.

Companies have so much documentation they’ve had to find ways to reuse information and to manage their content as a business asset. Single sourcing is one way to write the information once and use it for many different documents and media types. This saves time and money and helps them get products to market on time. Content management helps put all the pieces of content in a database for easier retrieval, and keeps all content consistent throughout the organization.

Public companies are now being required to document almost everything they do and how they do it. So, we also work with companies to complete their Sarbanes-Oxley documentation so they stay compliant with those requirements. With the FDA and other regulatory bodies breathing down the necks of corporations, consistent information is a must.

Develop Relationships

I belong to organizations such as Women’s Business Enterprise, Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, Society for Technical Communications, Content Management Professionals, Women & Hi Tech, and the local chambers of commerce. I attend as many conferences, seminars, and conventions as I can afford and fit into my schedule.

There are plenty of opportunities to get your name out there through press releases, trade shows, and local chambers and boards. I’ve found that, for me, the large conventions aren’t always very beneficial, but we’ve made some contacts from them that we hope will turn into future business. It’s important to keep in touch with any contact you make. But the best way to get new business is through client referrals and just plain old-fashioned hard work. Clients need to see a return on their investment and nothing provides a better return than the fact that we truly care about them and deliver what we say we will deliver.

When you need fresh ideas, networking, training, or any type of support from others in the technical-writing field, there are several organizations to turn to, such as the STC, CM Pros, and organizations for small and minority businesses.

Go for it!

While working from a home office for the first several years, I worked through remodeling projects, through the noise that comes with a growing family, and I worked pretty much all the time. Finally, I decided I needed to separate my personal life from my professional life. That’s when I decided to move into a separate office space. Almost as soon as I hung out my first shingle, my business took off. I increased sales by about 300 percent in the last year. I had heard from other small business owners that this happened to them, too. So I’m glad I took a chance and did it. It has really paid off.

The reasons for starting my own company are very clear to me — I get to do my own thing, I’m free to assemble a very good staff of people whose talents I value and admire, I have the option to grow as much or as little as I want, and most of all, I am the best boss I’ve ever had.

Ruth Nickolich is the founder and president of Precisely Write, Inc., a technical communications company. She is in her tenth year of business, enjoying 300 percent growth in sales in the last year. She is WBENC certified and is a member of several professional organizations. Ruth has written user, maintenance, and training manuals for software, hardware, electronics, medical diagnostics, automotive, banking, real estate, insurance, and pharmaceutical products. She is currently involved in implementing content management projects. Ruth is a member of STC, CMPROS, Women & Hi Tech, and is a board member of her local chamber of commerce.

Effective communication is a manager’s greatest tool in rallying groups toward a common cause. From the annual department address to daily email, careful audience consideration is vital in determining how accurately audiences receive messages. Even the most engaging statements lose meaning when barriers to effective communication foster misconception and confusion.

While many managers typically hold listeners solely responsible for how they receive or interpret information, true leaders are more cognizant about potential communication barriers. As a result, leaders often question their assumptions about the “right” way to communicate and strive to better understand the ways their subordinates interact with one another.

For many years, scholars have studied barriers to effective communication based in simplified terms, putting culture and gender among the greatest inhibitors. While no individual is bound to set generalizations, specific characteristics can impact personal interaction and business objectives.

Through this article we’ll examine:

• Global Communication Barriers
• Gender Communication Barriers
• Tools for Managers to Overcome Barriers

Global Communication Barriers

Managing a diverse workforce spread across the globe presents unique challenges for today’s managers. Time difference and the impact of limited technology to remote locations can contribute to an already difficult communication environment, fueling a potential misstep. Despite these obstacles, managers must be sensitive to various cultural values and traditions associated with the employees they manage.

Rodger Axtell, author of “The Do’s and Taboos of Body Language Around the World,” observes many minor communication generalities that, if ignored, can be considered insulting to your workforce. For example, Japanese culture favors consensus decision-making, taking great effort to engage all members before a decision is reached. Conversely, many Latin American cultures value the hierarchical-based decision-making process as a show of authority. Understanding these perspectives can assist a manager in selecting the best approach when delegating tasks.

Local perceptions concerning project management must be considered when collaborating with teams from various cultures. Many Indian workers tend to believe that the level of importance placed upon a task dictates how follow-up will be received. Projects that receive only email inquires are generally not as critical as those that warrant a phone call. Indian culture also considers “no” be to a harsh refusal and preference is given to more ambiguous responses to invitations. Many Eastern European nations place a higher value on patience and far less on punctuality. Often, they will keep western business partners waiting, but do not openly engage in conflict, as it is deemed rude and a matter best left for private discussion. Many Arabian and Asian cultures place a high value on maintaining dignity through the concept of “save face.” These cultures respect responses of humility and sensitivity, allowing the other to regain equal standing in the wake of conflict or embarrassment.

In many areas where English is not the primary language, certain phrases take on different meanings. For example, a manger following up on a task might say, “Is the report for Project A done,” which would generally receive a positive response regardless of the true situation. This is because the word “done” does not necessarily indicate finality, but rather indicates “in progress.” Even the word “yes” takes on new meaning in various regions. Marcelle DuPraw (National Institute for Dispute Resolution) and Marya Axner (Leadership Development Consultant) found that the meaning of “yes” varies from maybe, I’ll consider it, to definitely so, with many shades in between.”

Gender Communication Barriers

Cultural differences can be daunting enough to overcome without also making allowances for tendencies in gender communication. While there are no absolutes and individual differences in communication types vary across employees groups, general identified trends can assist managers in elevating simple gaps in communication styles.

Robin Lakoff, author of “Language and a Woman’s Place,” studied differences in how boys and girls are taught and reinforced to communicate throughout their early childhood development. Essentially, Lakoff observed that girls are taught to use passive, empathetic voices and are more encouraged toward active listening. Boys, however, are encouraged toward competition, using forceful, active tones.

Reinforced by local society values, these communication styles can be carried into the workplace, where minor conflicts can lead to frustration and animosity. Observe a group of colleagues tasked with solving a problem. Generally, women ask more questions before initiating work, while men typically exhibit tendencies to immediately resolve issues, thus discovering necessary details as the work progresses. Some men may see the inquiry from female coworkers as indecisiveness, while women may assume men already have the understanding needed to complete a project.

Deborah Such, a nonverbal communication and networking coach, explains subtle differences in the ways men and women communicate. She describes a scenario where a man and woman are conversing. It would not be uncommon for the woman to nod continuously while the man is speaking. “To her,” Deborah points out, “she is merely encouraging him to continue speaking; but to him, it is a sign that she agrees with everything he is saying.” This scenario illustrates how slight differences in understanding contribute to misunderstanding. To counter this, one must periodically engage the listener for feedback and comprehension.

Leadership challenges can also arise from the differing approaches that men and women take to vie for control during collaboration and team-building activities. Typically, to establish rapport, women seek to build relationships on a personal level, sharing stories and relating to male colleagues as they would male family members. Men generally prefer to jump to the bottom line, envisioning the final goal at hand. In, “Customize Your Career,” Roz Usheroff explains, “Women tend to be more collaborative in the workplace, putting relationships first while men routinely challenge and expect to be challenged.”

Tools for Managers to Overcome Communication Barriers

The key to bridging communication gaps begins with awareness and understanding. Once identifiable patterns emerge, specific tactics can be used to mitigate conflict and reinforce effective communication. Some of the following tools are familiar, but certainly merit repeating.

• Use Simplified Language (The K.I.S.S. Principal). An HR director at a large firm was tasked with communicating an improved bonus plan to employees across the globe. Being the consummate professional with lofty accreditations, he carefully drafted a message to convey the good news. Unfortunately, his supercilious language was misunderstood, giving employees the impression that the new plan reduced their bonuses.
• Use Repetition for a Theme. Think about Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Dr. King used repetition to convey a fundamental principal that continues to resonate with audiences over forty years later.
• Avoid Using Gender-Specific Metaphors. Typically, men prefer analogies of sports or war to convey emotion into meaning that ultimately may be lost by some female colleagues. Therefore, try to use traditionally gender-neutral examples whenever possible.
• Employ the Most Effective Technologies Available. Consider whether using the phone will have more impact than an email. Message boards and web-based posting options allow more reserved team members equal opportunity to contribute to discussions. Also, web-based video conferencing or Pod Casts are a cheaper alterative to travel and can facilitate non-verbal communication, greatly contributing to impact and meaning. Select the right communication tool for the right task, and not necessarily the most efficient one best suited to your work habits.
• Seek Outside Training. Engage consulting experts who specialize in diversity training based on region, nationalities, or gender. Provide a documented policy for employees to review, discuss, and adhere to.
• Be specific about timelines and due dates for deliverables. Concepts of time vary between cultures. Outline a clear set of deliverables with milestone information so that all stakeholders are aware of your expectations.
• Establish ground rules for your team to collaborate. Clearly outline what is and is not acceptable. Is everyone expected to contribute? What tools will be used to do so and how are team members permitted to challenge each other? Restate the goals and continue driving the discussion to that goal.

As time becomes increasingly scarce in a deadline-driven world, effective communication can mean the difference behind success or certain disaster. Careful planning can save the time lost through having to restate expectations, correct misinterpreted directions, or stifle interdepartmental squabbles. As a manager, you are responsible for encouraging collaboration based on mutual respect and understanding. As a leader, you can facilitate that climate through a careful evaluation of your own communication style, making calculated adjustments when needed with the sole purpose of achieving your goals.

Resources:

• Customize Your Career, Roz Usheroff
• Language and a Woman’s Place, Robin Tolmach Lakoff
• The Do’s and Taboos of Body Language Around the World, Rodger Axtell

Kerri Harris is an Interactive Communications Specialist and key member of the Public Relations department at NCR Corporation in Dayton, Ohio. In that role, she is responsible for delivering corporate communications across various electronic and digital media, project management, and customer service. Kerri also coordinates and conducts training programs to improve client services, conflict resolution, and process-improvement techniques. Kerri has completed studies in Phi Theta Kappa’s Leadership Development with Ohio Senator Tom Roberts, and has served as Communication Chair of the Professional Resource Council. Currently, she also serves as Chair for NCR’s Intranet Council.

Today’s business climate of outsourcing, in-sourcing, virtual teams, and ROI-driven objectives can leave a manager at any level feeling powerless. Yet, we often see examples of those who can elicit unwavering support from their teams, driving highly effective projects, and getting the best performance from employees despite ever-increasing workloads. What is it about these individuals that makes them stand out as great leaders? Generally, the answer is the difference between a strict management model and one that includes basic principals of leadership. There are recognizable characteristics in great leaders and simple strategies anyone can adopt to improve employee performance and change the work environment for the better.

Experts have long studied the subtle differences between general management, leadership, and truly great leaders. Thomas Cronin, author of, “ Thinking About Leadership ” observes, “Managers do things the right way , while leaders are more concerned with doing the right thing. ” A focus on managing projects and deadlines leaves little room for leadership activities, but it can be done in a step-by-step approach beginning with awareness and a little common sense.

The remainder of this article addresses the following areas:

• Personal Evaluation
• Creating a Shared Vision
• The Collaborative Process
• Communicating the Vision

Personal Evaluation

From the beginning, we are taught that outward signs of success are shown through upward promotions and ever-increasing responsibilities. But not all great performers translate into great managers. One has to consciously decide to take on a leadership role, adopting new tactics to lead others. This requires careful thought and consideration of one’s own goals and a willingness to change. Begin with an honest inspection on your own situation by asking the following questions:

• How well do I understand the department’s role in helping to meet the company’s larger goals?
• Can I summarize the group’s mission in one sentence?
• Can I articulate the kind of environment in which I want to work and share that vision with my team?
• When necessary, am I willing to argue against my superiors to protect the integrity of our work, and will the organization allow such challenges?
• How well can I identify the strengths and weaknesses of those with whom I work, and can I channel those strengths and weaknesses into positive tasks?
• Am I willing to delegate assignments and provide the kind of information others need to complete these tasks well?
• Am I willing to make mistakes, accept others’ mistakes, and use these as opportunities for improvement?
• What will the group’s role still exist in two years, five years, and beyond?
• Am I willing to empower others to make decisions and foster creative thinking?
• Do I believe I can make a difference, no matter how small?

Objective answers to these questions do not always provide a clear direction, but they do help determine a personal commitment to accepting a leadership role. Self-inspection drills like this one can lead to the realization that vast improvements are needed, or even that an individual is in the wrong role or wrong organization altogether. It’s a personal decision, but a critical review for any manager, newly promoted, or seasoned veteran, to undertake from time to time. It also lays the groundwork for the most important principal of management: Communicating a Vision.

“If you want to build a ship, then don’t drum up men to gather wood, give orders,
and divide the work. Rather, teach them to yearn for the far and endless sea.”
— Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Creating a Shared Vision

The first critical task of any leader is to effectively communicate the vision. A mission statement is the intrinsic, ‘Why?’ of your department’s very existence and the vision becomes the “How?” – a compass from which everything else is driven. The Alliance for Nonprofit Management, a professional association of non-profit business managers, defines a vision statement as, “…If a strategic plan is the ‘blueprint’ for an organization’s work, then the vision is the ‘artist’s rendering’ of the achievement of that plan. It is a description in words that conjures up a similar picture for each member of the group of the destination of the group’s work together. “ This concept highlights the value of your contributions within the organization now and in the future. Every assignment, every objective stems from this vision and defines the basic goals for everyone within your group to achieve that vision.

Defining a vision is based largely on the expectations of your superiors within an organization, but there is always room to further define your vision within the scope of those expectations. For example, a department of technical writers may be perceived as necessary for document management and process control, but a mission statement that illustrates a best-in-class performance communicates significance – a statement that the group’s employees may not really understand. Often, employees who do not feel valued or don’t believe their efforts matter have lower productivity and overall job satisfaction.

Establishing a carefully planned and documented vision with your direct reports defines goals for the group and creates a personal ownership for every individual. Including your staff in a collaborative process cultivates buy-in and general acceptance. While not all employees will enthusiastically support the end results, you’ll have far greater success than if you attempt to impose your will and force others to adopt a new guideline.

The Collaborative Process

When beginning to discuss a vision with your team, first define the core values of your organization. These are the common ideals that everyone can understand, including integrity, creativity, innovation, service, and accuracy. If challenged in a new business climate, the organization would retain these principles. Review with your team the core values and mission statements for the company and decide if your team’s performance has adhered to that mission.

The next phase of building a vision includes an examination of what your team will aspire to become or achieve as long-term goals. James Collins and Jerry I. Porras illustrate this technique in. “ Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies. ” They describe a simple process of inspection that will further define the vision for your team. Begin with a single sentence of what the department does, then ask the group to explain why it is important. Ask this question five times. If your department ceased to exist tomorrow, what would the company lose? This discussion leads to the heart of your department’s contributions to the organization as a whole.

Collin and Porras illustrate this technique with examples of visions from identifiable companies that helped shape their mode of operation for years:

• Become a $125 billion company by the year 2000. (Wal-Mart, 1990)
• Become the dominant player in commercial aircraft, and bring the world into the jet age. (Boeing, 1950)
• Become the company that most changes the worldwide image of Japanese products as being of poor quality. (Sony, early 1950s)
• Crush Adidas. (Nike, 1960s)
• Transform this division from a poorly respected internal products supplier to one of the most respected , exciting, and sought-after divisions in the company. (components support division of a computer products company, 1989)

Communicating the Vision

After you have established a vision for your department, communicating it becomes an important final step. James O’Toole, author of Leadership from A to Z , describes this communication in broad terms, “The task of leadership is to communicate clearly and repeatedly the organization’s vision…all with the intent of helping every person involved understand what work needs to be does and why, and what part the individual plays in the overall effort.” Communicate the vision often, in both subtle and dramatic ways. Tie the day’s events back to the vision, underscoring its relevance. From internal memos, presentation, or posters, the vision servers a reminder to the team of their purpose and goals. The vision can be incorporated into objective setting and performance review standards as well as interdepartmental projects. These steps serve to energize and direct the group’s actions as stakeholders and advertise your efforts to upper management.

Developing leadership qualities as a manager not only improves the group’s performance, but also equips managers to deal with the demands of business performance. Managers today do not have the luxury of time for in-depth strategy sessions, team-building excursions, and one-on-one personal reviews thanks to an increased virtual work force. Teams are spread across the globe, operating at difference hours, across cultures, all while working against critical deadlines and lofty objectives. Yet taking the time to initiate a small goal like creating a vision is the first step toward creating a better team, a stronger workforce, and entrepreneurial thinkers. This crucial step initiates the beginning of a transformation within yourself and a larger effect on the group you lead.

References and Suggested Reading

• Alliance for Nonprofit Management: http://www.allianceonline.org/about
• Collins, James C. and Jerry I. Porras. Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies. First Paperback Edition. New York: Harper-Collins, 1997. 219-239. http://www.harpercollins.com/
• O’Tool, James. Leadership from A to Z: A Guide for the Appropriately Ambitious , San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1999. www.josseybass.com
• Phi Theta Kappa’s Leadership Development Studies http://leadership.ptk.org/

With our economy still on the down slope, it is difficult for technical managers to justify keeping an excessive amount of technical writers on their staffs, let alone hiring new ones. In many cases, managers feel they don’t even need writers, arguing that everyone has writing ability. Of course, today’s technical writers not only write, they also perform many other tasks: programming, web development, training, and so on. Add to that the fact that many are also highly trained and certified in other areas besides writing.

In today’s working environment, budgets are smaller and there is more pressure to succeed than ever before. Hiring technical writers also comes with a new form of pressure. To prevent an economic downfall within your company, you must look at future employees as investments – those that have the potential to grow and benefit your company in a variety of ways. During the dot-com craze, filling technical-writing positions was quite challenging. Although there were numerous jobs available, there weren’t enough qualified people to go around. Since filling jobs was often the most important goal, some managers simply lowered their hiring standards. Today, we face the opposite problem. There are too many people looking for work, so we’ve had to raise the bar.

Keeping all this in mind, as we progress through this article, we’ll address some insightful questions, including:

• Why should I hire a technical writer?
• Can I afford to provide training during hard economic times?
• How do I know what kind of technical writer I need?
• How do I know if the technical writing candidate I have selected is really the right one?
• Is it really important for me to hire a technical writer?

Why should I hire a Technical Writer?

Hiring a technical writer with a variety of talents and training in an array of fields can be one of the best economic choices a company can make. These days, many individuals are not only trained as technical writers, but also have numerous other talents and experiences that will benefit you. For example, most technical writers today are just as (or more) computer literate and savvy as many high-level software professionals.

Sadly, even with a budget crisis, many companies still don’t invest enough time or resources in their hiring processes. Instead, too many managers focus on specific job tasks rather than the skills and behaviors necessary for success in that position. As a result, they do not have a clear sense of the qualities they need in a candidate. So, consider these points:

• Sometimes it is better to hire an under-qualified person who is willing to learn, rather than someone who is over-qualified and feels the position isn’t challenging enough.
• Hiring an invidividual who seems deficient in one area but an expert in another is not always a bad choice. Deficient areas can always be perfected.

Once you’ve decided to hire, make sure you offer a fair wage without over-spending. During tough economic times, you may encounter a technical writer who wants more money than you’re willing to pay. To avoid this situation, it is best to put the salary range in your advertisements. But make sure this range is affordable. This will prevent losing time from interviewing someone who wants something you cannot provide.

Can I afford to provide training during hard economic times?

Ideally, managers want to hire people who already have the exact training and background that a particular job requires. Sometimes we find the perfect candidate (one who can come with a hefty price tag), and sometimes we don’t. When we cannot find that perfect person, hiring someone who has lower qualifications but a good attitude and willingness to learn can sometimes be a better choice than hiring an over-qualified person with a terrible attitude and who feels he/she has learned enough. After all, a person’s attitude can be a good indicator of what kind of worker they might be down the road. Although training can always provide new skills, attitudes don’t always change.

If you cannot find an affordable candidate already trained in a variety of fields, find one who is willing to complete the necessary training. Then, offer to pay for all (or a percentage) of their courses. At first, this might not seem like a good idea – especially if you are trying to save money. But hiring one individual who is willing to learn can often be a far better investment than hiring five individuals who are proficient in only one area of expertise.

There are many affordable ways to provide training to future employees, including:

• Computer-related in-classroom courses at community colleges and universities
• Online courses from colleges and professional training companies
• Conferences and workshops

Most community colleges and universities offer a wide range of reasonably priced courses that can benefit your business. And although many courses are still offered only in a traditional classroom setting, more and more accredited schools and professional training companies now offer distance-learning programs. These allow students to take classes online – anytime, anywhere.

Conferences and workshops are a great idea, too. When employees attend ongoing forums like this, they can learn a lot of different things in a short period of time. This not only gives them a well-rounded education, it also broadens their horizons and benefits your business in the process. Keep in mind, however, that depending on the conference location and accommodations, the trip can be fairly pricey. To help offset the costs, consider these ideas:

• Offer an employee a bonus if they have their work published by an organization that will also send them to a work-related conference for free. Often, conferences offer complimentary admission to authors who are published in their proceedings and/or other related industry-wide publications.
• Find other large companies (perhaps even some of your own customers, for example) to sponsor your employees. It’s a win-win situation, as this showcases both your company and theirs.

Last but not least, if, due to budget constraints and other factors beyond your control, none of the above options are available to you, you can always ask employees to research, gather, study, and learn from the free information available from a variety of education-based web sites. Of course, one must be VERY careful and selective, but more and more useful information becomes available each and every day.

How do I know what kind of Technical Writer I need?

As a manager, you must figure out exactly what your company needs. To do this, start by listing your top requirements. Then, during the interview process, do not become overly concerned whether or not the candidate has had the exact experiences you desire. Instead, consider looking for the most desirable traits, such as:

• Problem-solving skills
• Ability to manage time efficiently
• Good social skills
• Resourcefulness

A list of specific needs and wants will help you find an individual who fits your mold. Also, during the interviews, it is best to include one or two other colleagues in the process. Often, other employees can provide input on issues that you may not pick up on during the various interview stages. Your employees also know your business and will help give you better insight as to which candidate might be better suited for a position. After completing the interview, always be sure to thoroughly discuss each candidate with the other interviewers.

During the interview process, it is important to ask the candidate behavioral questions. Past behavior will help you determine how a person may react to future issues. Also, avoid asking candidates to list their best and worst traits. Instead, simply ask them a variety of hypothetical questions about situations that may arise in your office. Optionally, you might consider administering a psychological assessment test for each candidate. Although sometimes slanted, these tests can generate some useful information (good and bad) about a candidate’s personality.

How a person reaches his/her goals is just as important as the goals themselves. Skills such as persuasiveness, being financially responsible, and ability to work in different areas outside of their actual position are highly positive traits . It is also important to hire someone who is not afraid of working in a team atmosphere. The need to work in a variety of areas within one company or business continues to grow, as does the need to have good social skills.

How do I know if the Technical Writing candidate I have selected is really the right one?

Using your intuition when hiring someone can be very useful. Although being objective should always be a key factor in our decision making, we cannot ignore our true feelings about someone. Feeling compatible with a candidate will help maintain a good working atmosphere. But once again, keep in mind that it is also important to obtain insight from the other employees who are helping you conduct the interview.

Another thing to keep in mind is that although many highly qualified people don’t always make a very good first impression (due to nervousness and what not), they can still end up being your favorite candidates later on. Because of this, many managers prefer to hire people on a trial period. This trial run can be a good indicator of how the candidate will perform in the future.

Is it really important for me to hire a Technical Writer?

Clearly, it is important to continue hiring technical writers, as they will always continue to provide help in numerous ways – some of which you may not have even realized. But as we’ve discussed in this article, due to the ongoing financial instability of our economy, the process in which you select writers may have to change for your company. The idea of finding the ideal candidate must be re-shaped and the importance of hiring one candidate who is an experienced mulit-tasker must be carefully considered.

The technical communications profession involves a unique mix of technical and communication skills, which is not easy to find. Most managers have had the experience of interviewing and subsequently hiring a candidate who later turns out not to be the right person for the job. This situation begs the question of how to identify which candidate is a good fit for a given position. The answer is that there are five key activities that make the difference between a successful hiring decision and a not-so-successful one. We have all been on both sides of the interview, and this article will attempt to make you, the interviewer, more successful.

This article covers five key activities, including:

• Writing a Detailed Job Description
• Making Sure the Setting/Environment is Conducive
• Conducting a Programmed Interview
• Using Multiple Interviewers
• Considering Testing

Writing a Detailed Job Description

Probably the biggest mistake managers make is to be under-prepared, from the moment they write the job description. Because the job description encapsulates requirements for a given position, you must first have a good grasp of what the position entails, from personality traits to knowledge to skills and experience. You may include any of the following qualifications in a job description:

• Years of experience (for example, three years of technical editing in a DoD environment)
• Degrees, certifications (for example, B.A. in English or Journalism)
• Physical qualifications (for example, a Web-design position might require color vision)
• Personality traits (for example, excellent communication skills or attention to detail)
• Specialized skills or knowledge (for example, ability to write JavaScript)

Ultimately, the job description is the inspiration for any subsequent interview, so defining the position in detail up front will make finding the right person for the job much easier. Plus, it will help the candidate understand whether the job is right for him or her.

Making Sure the Setting/Environment is Conducive

The setting in which an interview takes place is important and can make the difference between a good interview experience and a bad one. The candidate deserves your full attention and you will be better able to make a decision if you are fully engaged without distractions. Make sure that, at a minimum, your setting entails the following:

• Quiet: Set your phone to “Make Busy” and do not take phone calls or allow interruptions. Make sure you are in a quiet place (for example, an office with a closed door or a conference room). If you are sitting behind your desk, move away from your PC and turn its volume to mute.
• Comfort: Show the candidate where the restrooms are and offer coffee or water if appropriate. If you have a drink, make sure you offer one to your candidate. Offer to take the candidate’s coat or identify a coat hook/rack.
• Time: Adhere to your schedule. If you are interviewing more than one candidate and/or have other meetings scheduled around the interview, make sure one appointment does not overlap the next. Neither of you should be forced to rush through the interview.
• Information: Give your business card to the candidate, so he or she does not have to struggle for your name and will have your name/address handy when writing a thank-you note.
• Invitation: Invite the candidate to sit down. Where the person sits will tell you a great deal, and this will make the person feel more comfortable.

The environment can make the difference between a good interview and a bad one. I once interviewed in an office that was once a closet. The four interviewers sat on the edge of the desk, while I sat considerably below them in a chair. It was intimidating to say the least and it taught me a lot about candidate comfort.

Conducting a Programmed Interview

A programmed interview involves defining questions up front, along with acceptable answers, which will tell you whether a candidate possesses each of the qualifications for a given job. One important caveat: consult with your personnel department or manager and make sure you understand the EEOC guidelines as well as the kinds of questions you can and cannot legally ask. To conduct a programmed interview:

• Develop a list of standard questions you will ask all candidates.
• Make sure your questions are open-ended, but limited in scope. (For example, “tell me about a time you had conflicting comments in a document review and how you resolved it” or “tell me about a time you had a tight deadline and you were asked to increase the scope of a document.”)
• Identify a list of minimum acceptable answers. (For example, acceptable answers to the previous question might be “I would schedule a meeting with both reviewers and try to reach a consensus” or “I would work to gain a better understanding of both comments and identify a solution that would work for all parties.”)
• Ask a negative question so you can see how the person handles stress and conflict (for example, “tell me about a situation where you failed” or “tell me about a time when you disagreed with your boss”).
• At the most, you should talk only 25-30% of the time. By mostly listening and observing, you will gain maximum information about each candidate.
• Leave time for the candidate to ask questions. You will see whether the person is prepared and/or took time to research your company. A candidate who does not ask questions probably did not prepare adequately for the interview.
• Observe each candidate. Ask yourself whether each has a business-like presentation and whether they look the part of the job. I also like to see how well they can articulate their role on a given project. It is a bad sign when candidates seem unfamiliar with their own work.

As important as the tangible requirements are for the job, so are the intangible ones. Look for a firm handshake, direct eye contact, professional bearing, and appropriate clothing.

Understanding how to ask questions is very important and there are numerous references on the subject. Years ago, I was asked during an interview whether I planned to have more children. Of course, the question was an illegal one, but a surprising number of people still manage to ask similar questions. Being prepared and informed is the best way to avoid these pitfalls.

Using Multiple Interviewers

Having more than one person interview a candidate increases your perspective. What you may see and what someone else may see can be quite different. When you are trying to choose between two very good candidates, a second or third opinion will make the decision more clear. You might consider having any of the following participate:

• Technical personnel (perhaps an engineer or programmer who may act as a subject matter expert)
• Other department staff (co-workers can provide excellent feedback as to whether they will feel comfortable with the candidate)
• Personnel staff

Although you may be the person with the ultimate hiring authority, you will find it very useful to be able to talk each candidate over with other people. You may find that they like a candidate you did not or vice-versa. In general, consensus hiring will produce better results than a unilateral hiring decision, so take their feedback seriously.

One manager I interviewed for this article uses a weighted system when considering a candidate: 30% skills, 30% personality, and 40% business-like presentation. In my own experience, the latter two are the greatest predictors of a candidate’s success. When candidates don’t work out, the reason tends to involve how they handle conflict or how well they communicate. You will, of course, need to develop your own system.

Considering Testing

Although I have not yet used a test for candidates, I have certainly taken them as part of a job application and I am considering using them in the future. You cannot be sure the candidate shows you work they have actually done, but you will be able to see their work if you give them a test. Many companies develop their own tests. You may consider anything from a personality profile to a writing and/or editing test.

In Conclusion

There is no boilerplate method or template that you can apply directly to your department, group, or company. However, you can use this process as a model to develop your own own process, guidelines, and interview questions. What you look for and what someone else looks for in a candidate are likely to be quite different. But by developing a process, defining the position, and nailing down your questions well in advance before interviewing candidates, you vastly increase the likelihood of a successful hiring decision.

MINNEAPOLIS – February 8, 2007 – www.writingassist.com – Writing Assistance President, Scott Hartmann, is offering Human Resources (HR) departments the need to know information when hiring specialized technical writing staff.

Hartmann, who has led his technical writing staffing firm to a 60% increase in revenue year to date over 2005, is helping HR departments understand how to ensure a successful hire.

“Using a niche or specialized staffing service is often more efficient than working with a generalized staffing firm when hiring specialty staff like technical writers,” said Scott Hartmann, President of Writing Assistance. “Our customers, when working with our technical writers, have experienced a decreased ramp up time, hires require less supervision and take less time away from subject matter experts and staff. It is important to hire the right person as it is very expensive to hire the wrong person.”

Hartmann’s advice to Human Resource departments hiring contract writers includes implementing the following qualifications:

• Subject Matter Experience – Hire someone with subject/industry experience to reduce the amount of time it will take to get him/her up to speed on the project.
• Tool Experience – Experience with the appropriate tools will increase efficiency at the onset of a new project, saving you time and money. The shorter the contract, the more important tool experience becomes.
• Contracting Experience – Experienced contract workers are skilled interviewers who can efficiently garner the information they need from your team.

Taking the time to research and hire the right person for the job benefits companies by increasing the accuracy and efficiency of the project and decreases the likelihood that the company will be dissatisfied with the work done.

Writing Assistance is a national staffing firm that specializes in freelance writers in the following areas:

-training development
-technical writing
-web content writing

Watch Scott Hartmann explain the importance of working with a niche staffing firm when hiring specialized writing staff in this new video: http://www.recruiterlife.com/interviews/scott_hartmann.asp

About Writing Assistance
Writing Assistance, Inc., a leader in contract technical writing, copy writing, web content specialists and training developers is dedicated to the proper placement of contract writers nationwide. Founded in 1991, Writing Assistance now serves over 2500 clients. Writing Assistance offers the expert writing services of more than 15,000 writers nationwide offering both on and off location services.

www.writingassist.com