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The Illustrators and Visual Designers SIG will recharter this year to comply with the mandate of the Society Board of Directors.

 

Rechartering: Taking the Pulse of Your Community

By Linda Oestreich, First Vice President

Rechartering began in 2004 as communities (chapters and SIGs) began to look at their operations and answer some questions. Rechartering means examining and refining your community’s purpose, mission, goals, and plan for delivering value to your members.

The rechartering questionnaire is a tool that requires Society leaders to think about their community’s position in the industry. Chapter leaders need to discuss their answers with their administrative councils; SIG managers needed to work with their volunteer leaders. All communities are asked to list the names of those involved in answering the questionnaire.

Quotes from communities that completed the process:

O “The whole experience of discussing core values has been very fruitful.”

O “Discussing our mission statement was a good debate in that we more clearly defined, even to ourselves, what it is that we want to accomplish.”

O “This was a good way to force us to do some thinking and planning.”

O “All in all, this exercise was a very positive experience because it reminded us of all that our community is accomplishing.”

Those communities that had a strategic plan had an advantage over those that did not, because the plan helped them answer questions such as the following:

O Describe the members whom you hope to attract to your new community.
O What are the goals of your community?
O What programs and activities will your community offer to implement your strategies?
 

RECHARTERING Item 1: SIG Name

current name:
Illustrators and Visual Designers SIG (IVD)

consideration:
Does this name adequately describe the role and scope of visual presentation in technical communication?

other ideas:
Visual Illustrators and Visual Designers SIG (VIViD)

Graphic Design and Illustration SIG (GDI)

Graphic Design in Technical Communication SIG  (GDTC)

Illustration and Design SIG (ID)

make another suggestion

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RECHARTERING Item 2  Revised Mission Statement

current mission statement:
The Illustrators and Visual Designers SIG assists technical communicators involved in the production of illustrations, video, multimedia, and other visual forms of technical communication.

It provides opportunities to network, practice skills, and learn new tools.

consideration:
Does this statement adequately describe what we want this community to become?

proposed mission statement:
Promote visual design and illustration excellence in technical communication

Support member development through active mentorship and participation in the member community

Provide a member-maintained reference resource containing information on all aspects of the visual in technical communication.

Encourage critical analysis and further exploration of the role of visuals and visual design in technical communication

Uphold an industry standard of design quality, and showcase member talent through regular peer reviews of member works submitted for exhibition

Build cultural bridges toward a better understanding of visuals in international technical communication

Make new friends and have fun!

comments or suggestions

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RECHARTERING Item 3  What purpose does the SIG serve?

Why did you choose to join the IVD SIG? What were your expectations or desires?

How can the SIG help you become more effective as technical communicators?

What day-in-day-out issues you would like to see covered by SIG forums or discussion boards?

What broad or long-term challenges would you like to see the SIG address as part of an ongoing exploration of industry trends?

How should the Illustrators and Visual Designers SIG partner with and/or complement similar SIGS such as Information Design and Online Information?

What responsibility do we, as SIG members, have in developing and maintaining our virtual community? Are you willing to volunteer as part of the SIG management team?

suggestions for SIG development

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RECHARTERING Item 4  What should the SIG do?

What tangible deliverables or activities do you think the SIG should produce or host?

Some ideas:
Produce a newsletter
Pair mentoring professionals with student members
Member competitions
Construct a technical knowledge base
Provide an online discussion forum 

ideas for SIG activities

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54th Annual Conference


Make your plans for
Minneapolis! 
May 13
16, 2007 
Preconference Workshops
May 12
13

STC Conference page 
Minneapolis Guides 

 

 
 

Your SIG needs you. If you have some time or a particular talent you feel would benefit the SIG please let us know
 yes! i want to volunteer

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last updated July 2006
051705/mt: added listserv login link to bypass the help page