Re: Employee experience dilemma....

[Jeff Hanvey <jewahe -at- yahoo -dot- com>]

I am in a similar situation, but wearing Lisa's shoes.
Worse, I am the only writer in the department. I've
found that my manual (I've completed only one so far,
and am in the middle of revising another) had similar
problems (awkward constructions, poor word choice, et
cetera).

Personally speaking, I would love to have a mentor to
rely on: someone who knows the company's style and
preferences and who has a standard approach to
gathering information and organizing it into a manual.
And who could point out my weaknesses and help me
strengthen them.

If Lisa is as bright as you say, then she should know
that she's still learning how to be a tech writer and
she shouldn't have too much trouble accepting a
mentoring relationship, that:

1. Has a single, knowledgeable figure as the mentor.
If multiple people are reviewing Lisa's work, she may
feel  like she's under attack (I've been there; trust
me, it's not pretty).
2. Breaks her work into structured tasks, including
gathering information, writing it up, and having it
reviewed. In addition, I would give her time to review
projects completed by the mentor so she can get a feel
for the company's general style and preferred use of
languags.
3. Takes a collaborative approach to the writing,
which allows each side to explain their POV, discuss
alternatives, and hammer out a solution. DO NOT use
the old slash-and-bleed method, like a teacher grading
a paper.
4. Doesn't question everything. Let Lisa make
decisions and make mistakes, without an "I told you
so" or "you're fired" waiting in the wings.

Just my $.02.

=====
Jeff Hanvey
Memphis, TN

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