Member Profile: John P. Brinegar

Retired; an Associate Fellow of the STC, Phoenix Arizona Chapter

John passed through the rights and rigors of his technical writing career and into retirement with a strong sense of what it takes to be a good communicator.

Unaware that he was about to embark on a journey as a technical communicator, his career was launched on the wings of the United States Air Force (USAF). When he signed up for military service, he was certain that his photography hobby would be of value, and further enhanced in the USAF.

As with all prospective defense personnel, he took the aptitude test. Based on the stellar results, he was sent to electronics school to better meet the needs of the USAF at the time. He breezed through the electronics course, and was given his choice of one of two assignments: 1) Technical Instructor School; or, 2) Korea. With no doubts or regrets, he chose to become an instructor.

He easily passed the interview by the officer board as a prospective instructor. Afterward, he and the members of the officer board entered into casual conversation that included the topic of coursework testing and the subject of multiple-choice tests. John stated that he could pass any multiple-choice test, regardless of the subject, with a score of at least "seventy-five percent." The board members scoffed and guffawed at the absurdity of such a claim. They challenged him to prove his claim. An officer handed him a meteorology test, a blank answer sheet, and One (1) each, Pencil, No. 2, Graphite and Wood, Military Issue, and pointed the way to the testing room.

John found himself alone in a utilitarian room with a ticking mechanical timer. The review board officers stood outside the doorway, presumably telling war stories until he emerged with an answer sheet. His score was 100%. He let the officers puzzle over the results for a while before revealing that the meteorology test they gave him consisted of subject matter that was covered in one of his senior high school classes. They all had a good laugh over the mischief.

One particularly influential instructor at the Technical Instructor School provided John’s most memorable inspiration to communicate well. “If you can learn at least as fast as your students,” the instructor said, “you can learn more that way than any other way.”

The success and acceptance he encountered in the USAF was a welcome change from earlier days. Ostracized as a youth for social circumstances beyond his control, he sought and found repair in Religious Science. There, he learned that negative outcomes are due to bad thinking and acceptance of fate. John admires minister and author Norman Vincent Peale for his 20th century positive thinking approach.

His childhood experiences and those of adulthood, merged nicely, giving him the gift of empathy. And according to him, “empathy is the primary characteristic of any communicator.” He emphasizes that it is particularly important in technical communication. The ability to assess what the other person needs to know makes communication effective, he says; and, it means the writer must stop and think about someone else's needs. When developers or engineers produce something, it becomes intuitive to them as to its intended use. A good communicator can empathize with a potential user’s lack of intuition about the product, anticipate the user’s needs, and meet those needs through documentation.

After many years as a successful technical writer, and as an active and involved member of the Phoenix Chapter of the STC, John retired. He remains active in his Phoenix STC chapter, as the contact for general chapter business, as well as the membership directory.

His Labrador retriever, Sadie, is his constant companion now that his two sons are living and working nearby. His youngest son is accomplished in the academic fields of mathematics and biology. His oldest son is a technical communicator. John regularly reads novels to his appreciative blind elderly mother. In addition, he cares for his disabled sister.

When he gets half-a-chance, he will visit New Orleans and southern Louisiana, which he has not seen since 1958. It is a beautiful place, where respect is earned through kindness, generosity, and plain good manners. He would again like to hear the words: Mister John, which is the ultimate sign of respect by the youngsters of the community.