Mission:
To support the Canton Branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library system.
Services:
As Secretary, drafted meeting minutes, updated and maintained Friends webpage, created marketing materials, and wrote ad copy for fundraising events.
Author: Paul Lagasse
Paul Lagasse provides expert-to-expert communications services to nonprofit, business, and government clients in the metro Baltimore-DC area. Specialties include science and medical writing, technical report editing, and content marketing.
Canton Community Association
Mission:
A 501c3 not-for-profit volunteer neighborhood organization for those who live, work, or play within the Canton neighborhood of Baltimore. CCA is committed to promoting and protecting the beauty, safety, stability, cleanliness, and social and economic viability of the neighborhood by fostering alliances with the local residents, merchants, and government officials. CCA seeks to represent community interests as a single voice.
Services:
Acting webmaster; features/news editor and writer, Canton Connection Online community newsblog (now defunct); Editor, The Canton Connection. Sample clips:
Maryland Writers’ Association
Mission:
A voluntary, not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting the art, business, and craft of writing in all its forms.
Services:
Webmaster; designer, editor, and contributor, Pen in Hand and Keyboard in Hand. Sample clips:
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National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC)
Mission:
To foster synthetic, actionable science related to the structure, functioning, and sustainability of socio-environmental systems.
Services:
Guest contributor to the SESYNC blog. Recent posts include:
- The Writer’s Job is to Make the Reader’s Job Easy, May 27, 2015
- Defining “Resilience” in the Context of International Development, April 23, 2015
- Replumbing Cities from Gray to Green, March 25, 2015
- Agricultural Terracing: Steps to Conservation, March 11, 2015
Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce
Mission:
An independent, nonprofit research and policy institute affiliated with the Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy that studies the link between education, career qualifications, and workforce demands.
Services:
Provide substantive editing, copyediting, and proofreading services for the Center’s reports and other publications.
- Review draft reports and correspondence for overall structure, logical flow, clarity, and concision.
- Ensure content adheres to the current Chicago Manual of Style and the CEW house style guide, and refer style questions to the staff editor.
- Proofread reports and correspondence.
Tools and Tips for Rapid Transcription, Part 3
In the first post in this series, I discussed how I prepared for an on-site reporting and same-day summary-preparation job at a day-long conference in downtown DC. In the second post, I covered the my activities on the day of the conference itself. In this final post, I’ll discuss the tools and techniques that I use to turn my notes and recordings into a polished final product for the client.
Now the meeting is over, you’ve saved and backed up your files, and you’re back at the office ready to write up the summary, transcription, or minutes. Where do you start?
We’ll begin by looking at ways to clean up your notes. They are the core around which you create the final product. Then we’ll move on to tips for working with your text and audio files.
After completing those steps, you will have a product that looks and reads great! So let’s get started…
Continue reading “Tools and Tips for Rapid Transcription, Part 3”
Tools and Tips for Rapid Transcription, Part 2
In my previous post, I discussed how I prepared for an on-site reporting and same-day summary-preparation job at a day-long conference in downtown DC. I covered note-taking tools, audio recording tools, and such easily-overlooked aspects like advance work, a suitable typing and recording surface, and suitable cables.
In this post, I’ll continue by discussing my experiences on the day of the conference itself. Just FYI, this will be the shortest of the three posts. Because it builds on the work done in advance of the event and it prepares you for the work to be done after the event, there isn’t as much to cover. But its length isn’t a reflection of its importance; it is the center of the whole effort.
Before the day of the event, be sure to take the time to map and time the route and the parking, unless you have done the trip before — and even then, it’s probably worth double-checking for peace of mind. Before leaving, check in with your favorite traffic-monitoring app to see if there are any road closures, accidents, or other obstacles that could delay you. All of this may seem like overcaution, but remember: as a freelancer, you are always representing your business to your clients. Courtesies like punctuality convey your professionalism. They’re hiring you to solve their problems, not to hear about yours.
So now you’ve arrived at the meeting site. If you’ve followed the tips in my previous post, you’ve already scoped out the room and know where you’re going to set up. Let’s get started!
Continue reading “Tools and Tips for Rapid Transcription, Part 2”
Jacob & Sundstrom, Inc.
Now part of ICF International
Mission:
With experts at the leading edge of cybersecurity, ICF International helps clients implement solutions that reduce the risks of data theft, reputation damage, and operational outages.
Services:
Technical writing and editing consultant on federal RFPs, marketing communications, and web content.
- Document collection and review, writing, and editing for RFPs for federal government contracts
- Design, writing, and editing for quarterly newsletter produced in support of a JASI on-site project
- New and revised content for the JASI website
Human Factors International, Inc.
Mission:
Ensuring usability and systems consistency through software ergonomics, human factors science, and design considerations.
Services:
Technical writing and editing for HFI clients in the medical and health services sectors.
For GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)
Writing and design for “Frequently Asked Questions About Prescription Medicines,” a prototype FAQ web page.
For the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Writing and editing of content for a prototype consumer web site, including:
- Text for nine web pages
- Initial batch of 125 database records on federal government social assistance programs and information sources
- Online dictionary of terms
- Content maintenance guidelines
- Project final report
For HFI
Writing and editing of outline and training materials for a two-day “Writing For the Web” course to be offered
as part of HFI’s usability training programs.
National Center for Construction Education and Research
Mission:
Assists construction organizations and companies in implementing strong workforce development programs while helping individuals get the training and assessments they need to build successful careers in the construction industry.
Services:
Writing and editing of textbooks and supporting educational materials for NCCER’s comprehensive suite of apprentice-training curricula, including:
- Working closely with project managers and subject matter experts to develop and revise outlines for curricula and chapters
- Developing and revising student learning objectives and performance evaluation criteria
- Researching and writing new content
- Editing and revising existing content
- Writing and editing test questions
- Researching new and replacement figures and artwork and securing permissions
- Writing and editing instructor materials such as lesson plans and PowerPoint decks
- Profiling subject matter experts for biographical features
- Writing summaries of textbooks for the NCCER catalog
Curricula included:
- Sprinkler Fitting 2011 code revision, Levels 1-4 — lead technical writer
- Plumbing Level 1 (current edition) — lead technical writer