August/September 2006

Volume 47, Number 1

The Consulting and Independent Contracting (CIC) Special Interest Group (SIG)

by Linda G. Gallagher, Associate Fellow and CIC SIG Manager

The CIC SIG has a long history of sharing information and helping our members deal with the myriad issues faced by contractors and independent consultants. We were one of the first STC SIGs founded, back in the 1980s (when they were called Professional Interest Committees).

As independents (my favored term for those of us who are not full-time employees of the companies where we work), we not only have to know how to organize information, write clearly and concisely, and use many tools effectively, but we also have to worry about finding work, negotiating contracts, managing our business finances, paying quarterly taxes, tracking our expenses and revenues, and much more.

We in the RMC actually have two CIC SIGs: the society-level SIG, which I manage, and the local SIG, which I co-manage with Whitney Broach. I’ve focused on the society-level SIG here, but the local SIG holds about two meetings a year on topics of interest to independents. If you want to suggest a topic, please contact Whitney (Whitney@BroachServices.com) or me.

To help members share information, ask questions, and exchange ideas, we have a very active e-mail discussion list. This list has been around for many years and is often cited by SIG members as the most valuable benefit they receive from the SIG. The list is open to all CIC SIG members and gives us a forum to ask questions about how to deal with clients, contracts, finances, and anything else related to work as an independent technical communicator. We also post the thread summaries to the SIG Web site. If you are a SIG member and want to join the list, go to http://www.stcsig.org/cic/pages/cicsig-l.htm.

The SIG Web site is another valuable resource with many additional links, including one to the free online book Getting Started in Consulting & Independent Contracting. This book has chapters on everything from “How to be a Technical Writer” to “Creating Your Consultant Image and Growing Your Business.” To visit the CIC SIG Web site, go to http://www.stcsig.org/cic/index.html.

The CIC SIG also sponsors a progression at the STC Annual Conference. The progression gives independents and those considering becoming one a chance to learn about three topics of interest. Typically, speakers at the progression are seasoned independents who share a wealth of information in a short time during each session.

As part of the STC Transformation, the CIC SIG has completed its rechartering, strategic plan (to be posted soon on the Web site), and budget (not yet approved). We also recently held our first elections of officers to manage the SIG.

If you are an independent or are thinking of becoming one, you can join the CIC SIG and learn from the many experienced members who willingly share information and advice. Even after 12 years as an independent, I am always amazed at the information members share and what I learn.

If you are already a CIC SIG member, consider volunteering. As we implement our strategic plan, we will need more volunteers to plan activities. The only way we can provide these services is with volunteers like you. Please contact me if you are interested, at lindag@techcomplus.com.