Praise and kindness (was RE: Thank You from new tech writer)

["Combs, Richard" <richard -dot- combs -at- Polycom -dot- com>]

McLauchlan, Kevin wrote:
 
> Empty praise is a bad thing (look what it's done to our youth...).
> 
> "Expected" or required praise is almost as much a non 
> sequitur and an abomination as mandated "charity".  The 
> expectation or the requirement destroys it, leaving a hollow, 
> distasteful shell of the real thing.

Amen! That goes in my file of quotes to save, Kevin. Thanks!

I don't do acknowledgements in docs, and I probably err on the side of
under-praise, not over-praise. I'm a cat person, not a dog person, at
least partly because you have to earn a cat's love, while dogs give it
out indiscriminately. 

"Expected" praise, mandated "charity," compulsory "volunteer work,"
indiscriminate love -- all serve to destroy the value of what they
supposedly promote, like bad money driving out good (Gresham's Law). And
they tend to engender a sense of entitlement among the recipients,
undermining their character as well.

That said, when someone reviews a doc, sends me information, or helps me
do my job in any way, I thank them, either in person or in reply to
their message. To me, that's simple courtesy. 

I grew up learning to say "please" when I want something and "thank you"
when I get it. It's just treating others with respect and kindness,
which greatly increases the likelihood that they'll treat you the same
way, making the world a more pleasant place to live.

Richard


------
Richard G. Combs
Senior Technical Writer
Polycom, Inc.
richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom
303-223-5111
------
rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom
303-777-0436
------




^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or 
printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007 
Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more.
http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList

True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com

---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- 

To unsubscribe send a blank email to 
techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
or visit http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/archive%40web.techwr-l.com


To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com

Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-  Visit
http://www.techwr-l.com/ for more resources and info.