January STC Meeting Report

Pearls of Wisdom from Suzanna Laurent

by Deborah Long, Principal, Long Communications

STC Houston starts off the New Year with a visit from Suzanna Laurent, second vice-president of the Society.

Suzanna, who has earned the status of an honorary member of our chapter after frequent visits over the years, was the much-welcomed guest speaker at January's program meeting. She brought us up-to-date on what's happening with the Society's emerging transformation plans, reminding us that we can speak up and contribute our ideas to help shape the inevitable organizational changes expected to occur over the next few years. Our profession must respond to the fast-paced shifts occurring in the global workplace to ensure that technical communicators survive and flourish.

Continuing with the evening's theme of change, Suzanna went on to present her personal take on the "Jungle Out There" and how we can choose to respond to change as an opportunity. According to Suzanna, we can and should make change work for us—not against us. She shared poignant anecdotes about her personal experiences with drastic, unexpected changes in her life—both at work and at home. She also gave us instructions on stress-buster techniques from a true survivor! It turns out that laughter is the very best antidote to stress, right up there with exercise.

Suzanna left us with many important coping strategies to put into practice. It is up to each of us, however, to find out what works best. Regardless of our various challenging situations in the new millennium, the fact is that the "fittest survive," and the old adage "when the going gets tough, the tough get going" still applies. So, follow the advice not to get caught in the underbrush!

Many thanks to Suzanna for her inspirational presentation. I, for one, went home motivated and ready to face the "jungle out there" with renewed vigor!

More Photos from the January Meeting