For today’s class, you read about the challenges of working remotely with a team and for a particular audience (Rice-Bailey, “Remote Technical Communicators: Accessing Audiences and Working on Project Teams,” s3-3). Spend the first ten minutes writing a summary memo of your reading and discuss how you would address the challenges of working remotely with a team.
11 thoughts on “Beginning of Class Writing: Rice-Bailey, “Remote Technical Communicators: Accessing Audiences and Working on Project Teams””
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To: Professor Jason Ellis
From:Robert Smith
Date:11/30/15
Subject: Beginning of Class Writing: “Remote Technical Communicators: Accessing Audiences and Working on Project Teams”
This article reading was describing the issues of working with teams as a technical communicator (TC). Basically, some of the important aspects described how working in teams could prove challenging. For example, some of the members of the team had said that they had never interacted with people from their target audience. Because members were not directly communicating with their members, one challenged that arose was building new relationships. Some skills that are successful for a remote TC was communication, self-discipline, and structure. Because the members aren’t meeting one another directly, it means that the members would have to be careful in how they speak and how they write. One solution I have gathered for some of the difficulties for these lack of communication problems was simply to set a date, probably once to 3 times a week, and physically meet with the members if possible. Or even, do video calls, with programs like Skype. Though you aren’t physically there with your members, you’ll still be able to read their facial expressions and body language.
To: Jason W. Ellis
From: George Gordon
Subject: Remote Technical Communicators
Date: November 30th, 2015
This article discusses the challenges brought upon from working remotely with a team or audience. Tammy Rice-Bailey conducted surveys over four weeks and an interview to get more in depth responses. The issues brought up are isolation and the lack of sense of community as people wanted to not go into work and do their jobs from elsewhere. Everyone copied with these issues in different ways, like through self-motivations or communication, with these being the most important skills one should possess if they are going to work remotely. People were quoted saying that it can be difficult to work remotely and the work is less engaging due to the virtual nature of the work. Team meetings were addressed although face to face interaction was rare. Instead, telephone, E-mail, Instant messaging and NetMeeting software were utilized to conduct meetings. Building relationships with each other is encouraged and instilling the idea of a corporate culture and work team. Ultimately, this will be a challenge for anyone but it is doable.
TO: Professor Jason Ellis
FROM: Naveeda Akhtar
DATE: November 30, 2015
SUBJECT: “Remote Technical Communicators: Accessing Audiences and Working on Project Teams”
This article talks about the different challenges that are faced by technical communicators who work remotely from their audiences and project teams. After surveying and interviewing seven technical communicators, it was discovered that none of them had direct contact with their end-user audience and instead relied on team members to provide audience information. Lack of social interaction, inability to stop working, and lack of information and resources were the main challenges faced as a result.
Some recruitment methods include using referral sampling to recruit participants. Each participant would then complete two surveys over a four-month period, and also be interviewed for roughly 30 minutes. Often the number of responses to a particular question exceeds the total number of participants. Results were that the most strategies that should be followed include communication, self-discipline/motivation, and organization/structure.
TO: Prof. Ellis
FROM: Reazul Hassan
DATE: 11/30/2015
SUBJECT: Remote Technical Communicators
According to the reading remote technical communicators face social issues at work places due to a lack of socialization. They lack the direct exposure to their audiences and work teams and therefore cause obstruction in relaying their message across. The article also talks about TC scholarships that are presented to people and the difficulties that they have to face. The challenges that TC workers face are, connection – socializing amongst coworkers and audiences, consideration, access to information that are vital for success. TC workers should always be tracking time. Motivation and self discipline are characteristics that are necessary to succeed in this environment.
To: Professor Jason Ellis
From: Mereoni Rabukawaqa
Date: 30 November, 2015
Subject: Rice-Bailey, “Remote Technical Communicators: Accessing Audiences and Working on Project Teams”
Today’s reading by Tammy Rice-Bailey was a study in the challenges and benefits of working as a remote technical communicator (TC) in regards to observing their audiences and working on a project team. Rice-Bailey bases her conclusions on observations and interviews with 7 TC’s who have worked remotely as consultants for major corporate organizations around the U.S. One of the challenges cited is that remote TC’s lose out on being able to identify the needs of their audiences for themselves. Rice-Bailey shows that most of the TC’s credit on-site personnel such as project managers for gathering the information they need. Another challenge is that remote TC’s don’t get to build relationships and therefore trust and camaraderie with members of their Project Teams the way they would if they were physically present. Yet another challenge they face is the inability to appropriate the correct amount of time to personal and working times because of the overlapping lifestyle of flexible working. Skills that remote TC’s should have in order to be successful include developing good communication skills, self-discipline, and organizing/creating a structure for work.
TO:Dr Jason Ellis
FROM: Ryan Doherty
DATE: 11/30/2015
Subject:Rice-Bailey, “Remote Technical Communicators: Accessing Audiences and Working on Project Teams
The purpose of this article was to investigate the problems technical communicators face when they are working away from their coworkers and audiences, and identify to do so successfully. Professor Rice-Bailey surveyed and interviewed seven technical communicators who worked as out of office consultants for large U.S. corporations. The participants had a minimum of three years working remotely and had experience working on-site for an organization. The participants did less than 15% of their work on-site in their current position. Most of the participants report that making and maintaining connections, lack of social interaction, inability to stop working and a lack of information and resources as the major problems for the faced. They listed the keys to their success as self-discipline/motivation, and/or organization/structure.
TO: Dr. Jason Ellis
FROM: Anika Aarons
DATE: November 30, 2015
SUBJECT: Rice-Bailey “Remote Technical Communications: Accessing Audiences and Working on Project Teams”
The article “Remote Technical Communications: Accessing Audiences and Working on Project Teams” by Rice-Bailey elaborates on the challenges surrounding working with teams. Such as organizations, time courteous, job responsibility, and self-motivations. Apart from the challenges when arcing in a group, self-skills are just as important in the field of remoted technical communications. Such as discipline and motivations. Another important factor is the focus of the audience, and how well you interact with them. The article used several methods to express the benefits of participants working together such as: Surveys, Interviews, demographics / charts (recording of information), and recruitment. Overall the key functions of remote technical communications include, meeting deadlines, following-up, identifying stakeholders, solving problems, and most importantly having the appropriate skill level. Communication is key when working with others striving for a common goal. I can apply this article to my own team project by, ensuring that everyone is handling their individual work and responsibilities.
To: Professor Jason Ellis
From: Albert Hemmings
Date: November 30, 2015
Subject: “Remote Technical Communicators: Accessing Audiences and Working on Project Teams”
The main topic of this article was to point out the challenges experienced by technical communicators who work remotely from their audiences and project teams and trying to identify the factors that contribute to success in these work arrangements. After doing a survey, the study showed that off-site technical communicators reported facing challenges such as lack of social interaction, and a lack of information and resources. To combat this many participant said communication, self-discipline, motivation, and being organized helped them through difficult moments. So far, my team and I haven’t faced any difficulty working away from each other because we are all linked by email and a group chat so it is very easy for us to get in contact with one another.
TO: Dr. Jason Ellis
FROM: Valentina Pineda
DATE: November 30, 2015
SUBJECT: “Remote Technical Communicators: Accessing Audiences and Working on Project Teams ” summary
The articles main idea is the main challenges that are faced by technical communicators that work remotely with their audiences and project teams. When interviewing seven technical communicators it was shown that this kind of work was not successful as they never had any direct communication with their end-user audience and relied on other member to provide information. The lack of social interaction, inability to stop working and the lack of information and resources were most of the main challenges faced as a result. These technical communicators listed the keys to their success as self-discipline/motivation and/or organization/structure. To address this problems with our team we have agreed to schedule meetings online on our google docs shared page, this is done on agreement of the time and date that everyone will be available to work for at least an hour and we can discuss about our project. Also there should always be an structured schedule with deadlines so every time we meet we have accomplished the work we all expect.
TO: Dr. Jason W. Ellis
FROM: Yulduz Saidinova
DATE: November 30, 2015
SUBJECT: Rice-Bailey, “Remote Technical Communicators: Accessing Audiences and Working on Project Teams”
In this article we can see that there will be always challenges when it comes to working remotely with audience and also with teams. Tammy Rice-Bailey which is author of this article conducted a survey and also interviewed technical communicators. Results from these surveys and interviews showed that everybody worked in their own way and one of the main problem was isolation. Basically none of the workers had any face to face or direct contact with their audience. They lack social communication, most of them rather worked elsewhere than their workplace. Most of them communicate through email, phone or video meetings.
In my opinion working remotely when it comes to team is not a good idea. Because there will be challenges, like not trusting other people or not being able to discuss it face to face. When it comes to big projects that are very important working remotely will not give a good results. There are people that can work it out even with working remotely but not everybody can handle it. Face to face communications and having meetings physically and being able to solve any problem sitting next to each other is the best way of doing any work. Because through email or phone person might not be able to explain fully or express their idea fully. I wouldn’t like working remotely but if I had no choice then I would work it out. But in my opinion face to face communications will lead your team to a success.
To: Professor Jason Ellis
From: Thaer Tayeh
Date: December 10, 2015
Subject: Rice-Bailey, “Remote Technical Communicators: Accessing Audiences and Working on Project Teams”
The article discusses challenges technical communicators face. After surveying and interviewing technical communicators it was discovered they failed to communicate with their audience. Because of this, the communicators were not able to build a proper relationship with the target audience. The article discusses the importance of working together in several different ways. Some of the ways participants in the experiment mentioned combating their challengers was self motivation, and discipline. In order for technical communicators to be essential in their work place they must be able build good communication skills and create a an effective structure around work.