Batter Up!

by Debbie Wiles

Well, the elections are over and the majority vote has landed me the position of First Vice President on the Lone Star Chapter Administrative Council. From where I sit today, I'm pretty "jazzed," as a dear friend would say. My thanks to every person who voted for me, and especially to those who tirelessly answered my many questions about the responsibilities and benefits of this position. I'm delighted to have this opportunity to serve the Lone Star Chapter and I'm eager to get to work on our 2002-2003 chapter program.

As I take my turn at bat, I want you to know what I consider important and how I intend to proceed in planning and implementing our chapter program. I'll feel that I have managed a successful program year when:

• Monthly program topics focus on the real-world issues we face as technical communicators and drive home the relevance of those issues to our careers and our industry at large
• Presentations involve real examples, demos, or simulations that show us how we can apply the topic to our daily lives
• Less than 15% of the actual speaker time is devoted to information you already know
• Speakers conclude their presentations at 8:30, so you can get home to your families
• More of you come to the program meetings, and some of you who've wandered away decide it's worth your time to return

Please hold me accountable to these objectives. I'll do my very best to meet or exceed them. And like every player who's gone before me, I'll need all the team support I can get. My email address is debbie.wiles@marconi.com. Write me anytime to offer suggestions on the game plan, or to get in the game yourself!