TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
> The recent PB&J thread got me to thinking about a presentation I might do in my
> own company. But I am curious - to all those out there who have done the PB&J
> demonstration or something similar: has it ever backfired on you? Have you ever
> had a group of people who "got it" immediately?
I ran the idea past some of the pubs people at a client's, and they vetoed it on
the grounds that it would only humiliate the programmers, and thus the programmers
would resent it. I can see their logic, although I don't agree with it.
Developers are frequently told the importance of thinking like a user, and then get
so wound up in the technical details that they forget. To be subjected to a
procedure where their failings make other people laugh at them could, indeed, have
unpleasant repercussions.
I'd simply be careful when and where you use the exercise.
