Hi there,

I had an AHA! moment last week. Those of you who know me, know that I'm shy, introverted, and somewhat reticent. That does not make me afraid to step out and take risks, though. That's how you become a leader and grow.
I've come to realize that I like this leadership thing. It's not about me. It's about helping people develop their skills. That's nice because it takes the spotlight off me, and makes me feel good when others see themselves improving.
The AHA moment came last week when I was preparing to present the Toastmasters Success Leadership Series Part I: Characteristics of Effective Leaders. It was going to be a 90 minute presentation, and I really wanted to be well-prepared. When I was emailing my co-chair, Amy, about the workshop, I realized my feet were tapping, my blood started pumping, and I was really excited to do this.
A few years ago, I would have been a basket case. Blood all in my legs - lead legs. Butterflies - or rather pterodactyls - in my stomach, and I would have not slept all week!
I was excited about this presentation though! Really looked forward to it. I knew the subject, I truly enjoy the subject, and I wanted to share what knowledge I had with my colleagues.
The presentation went really well. And fast! Who knew 90 minutes could fly by so quickly!
This moment made me realize how much Toastmasters has given to me. It's prepared me for these events, and I actually look forward to them with eagerness and excitement, rather than fear and dread. Toastmasters works!!!

About this blog

I have been a technical communicator and technical illustrator for over 17 years, specializing in content management, single-sourcing, illustrating abstract concepts, and overall making the complex simple!
This blog has links to some articles I wrote while volunteering for the Society for Technical Communication and some recommendations that people have been generous enough to write. I do have other interests, though, which I'm sharing with you through the links in this blog.
Enjoy, and remember: if you don't have fun, you won't get anything done!

What's New?

My roles this year: I'm excited to wear many hats. My volunteer roles this year include:

• Area 10 Governor for District 10 Toastmasters
• VP Education for Swagelok Impact Toastmasters 9124
• STC Community Achievement Awards and Pacesetter Awards Chair
• NEO STC Education (workshops) co-chair

These days as a technical communicator I'm researching ways to make my documentation smaller and easier to use. Well, I've done some research; now it's a matter of implementing it. I'm also looking into ways of distribution other than CD or web. Looking into copy-protected USB devices. Also still working out ways to coordinate training and tech pubs documentation so we're collaborating more.
 
This year I have been privileged to earn these awards:

• Competent Leader from Toastmasters International
• Advanced Leader Bronze from Toastmasters International
• Leadership Excellence Award from Toastmasters International
• NEO STC Volunteer Recognition Achievement Award

Jim, Monte and me landing on a glacier near Mt. McKinley!

In my precious spare time I get to travel with Monte and Jim! This year we got to tour on land and at sea in Alaska, and cruise for 10 days in the gorgeous Eastern Caribbean. All the work I put in through the year makes this time off all that much more enjoyable.