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> ...two years ago I judged a quick-reference cube--yes, a plastic cube, with
> common procedures summarized on each face--for a videoconferencing product.
> It was meant to sit on the table next to the camera. Let me tell you, that piece
> was hotly debated! (snip) Our chapter compromised and
> gave it an award of Excellence (the second highest level), but when we
> forwarded it to the international STC competition it won a Distinguished
> award (the highest level). And yet some would have rejected it outright!
And some would have said it was against the rules to send it to the
international competition unless it was given a Distinguished award at the
chapter level... more creativity in action? ;-)
Seriously, I agree that this is a wonderful example of creative
technical communication. Creativity doesn't have to be humor. Some
examples of "humor" I've seen aren't very creative (or funny).
One of my co-workers (a frustrated novelist) says this job
(developing instructional materials) isn't creative. But when I come up
with a great analogy, a simpler way to say something, or the perfect graphic,
I feel creative.
Or have I just lowered my standards...
Tracy
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Tracy Boyington
tracy_boyington -at- okvotech -dot- org
Oklahoma Department of Vocational & Technical Education
Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA http://www.okvotech.org/cimc/home.htm
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