Overview

The Saturday Series are three, free, online introductory sessions to help new Tech Comm graduates or those returning to the workforce after an extended absence, gain some knowledge and exposure to common tools they are expected to know and use in their work. These tools are not generally taught in any technical communication program and yet they are important for new communicators to be familiar with when beginning a new position.

When: They are held on the 3rd Saturday of each month from Sept-Nov.

Time: 10 am- 12 noon PST (or earlier)

Format

There are no books, PPT slides, or other materials, which is why the training is free. The format for these session will be as follows:

• Review the tool in general and discuss its basic uses

• Demonstrate how to perform basic tasks

• Review best practices when appropriate

• Q&A regarding the content covered

• General Q&A regarding the tool

Long Term Plans for Saturday Sessions

If these sessions prove to be successful, (they are well attended and reviewed), we'll continue to hold them and try to involve other trainers who want to donate their time in this format. For the first three sessions, Lin Laurie will donate her time as the presenter/trainer.

Each class is approximately 2 hours or less and consists of an informal formal of a demonstration of a series of tasks and then open Q&A for the remainder of the scheduled time.

Session 3: Learning to Use Word Like a Boss!

Transform your basic Word skills into mastery. Learn to generate a table of contents based on built-in styles, use styles, move styles between documents, add ctrl keys to styles, and much more. If you have been using Word for years but can’t auto-generate a table of contents or can’t change the look of your document by making a change to one style (basically 1-click) then you should attend this class! In addition, we'll be doing some work with the index and TOC and showing you why you should turn off paragraph markers when you generate these items, and much more. This will be a jam-packed session!

Trainers Note: I used to teach Advanced Word at a junior college for five years and I found that about 20% of the students who took that class were not of an advanced level. They confused the length of time they used Word with the level of user that they were. But if you use a tool repeatedly for 1 year or 20 but never advance in your understanding of the tool, you never become an advanced use, just an experienced beginner. That goes for any of the sessions above. If you have used SnagIt, for instance, for years but never advanced beyond basic screen capturing, then you should check out the class.

Submit requests for future topics to pr@stc-psc.org

Please register for the meeting by noon two days prior to the class date so that we can send you a link to Zoom. Should you have any questions, please contact the event organizer at dina.b0703@gmail.com.