Re: using wcs to raise money

[Latisha LaRue <kfischer@keller.clarke.edu>]

Bridget Robin Poole asks:  "What about the academic implications of taking
on an obligation to give someone the answers rather than *teaching* them?"

Good question.  For 7 years I've taught workshops and done consultancies
for business writing both at our college and at the businesses.  I've
often considered whether or not we were "selling out," etc. but never more
crucially than this past June.

This time it was the bank.  They hired us to come in and give writing
workshops to the entire squad of officers and upper division folks as well
as the clerical assistance staff.  My partner and I in this venture are
paid handsomely and I planned on using the cash to fund my next semester
of MFA school.  But there it was.  Going off to write creative nonfiction
and poetry underpinned by the financial backing coming from teaching
bankers how to write better.

Not only was I more struck than ever before by the oddity of this, but I
have also never come to as strong a conclusion that it made perfect sense.
In this particular job, the bank president, an excellent writer, himself,
had become worried that his employees were not writing clearly enough, not
getting the message across cleanly enough, thus not serving their
customers as well as they might.  His appreciation of the import of the
written word is remarkable and I feel rather fine about supporting that
need.

But I agree that just giving answers without accompanying instruction
seems to do more of a disservice to writing than a service.  I have to
wonder, though, just what *kind* of writing consultancy would do such a
thing?  Sounds more like an editor's job than a real writing consultancy.

I hate to fly in the face of all the good advice here, too, but frankly I
don't think you have to know the business world to the point of expertise
in order to offer businesses assistance in writing.  Sure, you have to
understand their goals in writing, their audience, and quite a bit more,
but the reason they hire you is for your expertise in the written word;
they already know how to do business.  And you are teachers.  Apply what
you know about teaching and be confident in that skill.  I find the
business people I work with enjoy the fact that I don't quite fit into
their world.  I constantly ask them things like "Now, when you are dealing
with some of your customers, is it important to  . . . "  The not knowing
can serve you and them well as long as there is a spirit of joint
learning going on.

Recalling how we got started and some of the things I'd find most
important, I offer these scattered thoughts:
  
1.  Make sure there is a call for this.  Survey local businesses, perhaps
with a written questionaire, to ascertain need.  One of the things local
businesses repeat to me is that they prize having us come in because we
cater to the specific local business rather than delivering a generic
"National Seminars" sort of thing.  Find out who the competition is and
see if there is any way you would do better.  If not, perhaps you should
reconsider such a move;
2.  Make sure the help is long term.  We offer online and call-in service
as well as allowing them to visit the writing lab on campus.  But I make
it clear that our first committment is to our college students.  When
businesses pay for one of our workshops, included in their fee is the
ability to call in or visit during our regular hours.  They tell me they
like this compared to the competition who is in town for one day and then
gone forever;
3.  Decide some ethical issues you are likely to run into.  For example,
many businesses around here are not particularly sensitive to or keen
about inclusive language (gender, race, etc.) but I'm a real stickler on
it.  I will not offer workshops without dealing with this and although I
always remind them they are free to accept or disregard my advice, I am
rather bullish about insisting that good writing practice includes
non-biased, inclusive language.  Call me a crusader but I think there are
different sensitivities to some things between the academic world and the
business community and you have to figure out what you'll do about that
when it comes to writing.
4.  Check your committment.  If you feel you are pandering to teach
business writing, I doubt it's going to work.  I live in a small town.
Most of the folks I teach through local businesses are my neighbors or
parents of my children's friends or the kind who would be those things.
They are much the same population of people who take advantage of our
evening non-trad school program.  I look forward to the workshops I give
and the consultancies I deliver in the business world but I've always felt
comfortable there;
5.  Create materials that are useful and realistic.  Leave behind the
exercises you might use in school or re-configure them so they fit the
business community.  Humor goes a long way, too.
6.  Be aware of the power structures within any company you are
consulting.  I often ask to see documents ahead of time before consulting
a whole firm so I can get an ear for things.  Although it is usually the
boss's office that collects and delivers these documents, I never return
them to the boss.  I always return them to the individual whose name
appears on them.  Power stuff.  I'm also aware when giving workshops to a
whole company how the bosses might not do particularly well sharing
workshops with the clerical assistants.  Power stuff.  If the boss
requires employees to attend workshops or requires they meet with me, it
is quite different than if it is offered to them and they take advantage
of the offer.  More power stuff.  I don't think you have to be a business
genius to realize these things as long as you make the leap to think
inside the corporation rather than only inside the academy. (BTW be
prepared to sign confidentiality statements.  Some companies require these
and I always offer to sign one);
7.  Offer a quality consultancy or workshops based on customer need rather
than on your presumptions of what they need to learn.  This should be the
same modus operandi in the classroom, but sadly, it often is not due to
the agendas of deans and dept. chairs and curriculum designers.
8.  If CEU credit is appropriate, consider offereing it.  I have been
susprised in our enterprises how often folks sign up because they want
those credits.
9.  Be of good cheer.  I try to focus with business people that they have
the ability to improve writing, that I admire their valuing of it enough
to formally enter instruction about it, and generally, try to boost their
belief that they can learn this.  Like other adult populations, I find
business workshop participants often enter with the notion that they never
could learn this stuff back in h.s. so although they are motivated, what
possible reason is there to believe they can learn it now.  Of course,
motivation is the key here as well as follow-up.  In short, I suppose, I
am suggesting you situate the learning with the learners and try to walk
in their pumps and wingtips a bit.
 10.  Know your fee structures in advance, have them in print, and
don't equivocate.  I'm not sure what some wcenter writers have meant by
"charging regular consulting fees," but whatever you decide, make it clear
up front.  I arrange our workshop fees to undercut National Seminars by
about $5-$10 and throw in lunch whenever we do them at the college. I pay
the other consultant $100/hour for contact hours and originally, more for
the start up and the creation of materials that became part of our manual.
When we do call in college tutors to assist and it is outside their w.l.
hours, they are paid $15/hr. which is considerably more than the miniumum
wage they earn through work-study.  In our earlier days when we were not
sure how many participants there would be, we offered a percentage of the
take as pay with a certain minimum guaranteed.  This fall we'll offer the
workshops at $110/per with a slight reduction for three or more from the
same firm.  This past year, we charged $50/hour for on-site consultancy
with individuals (essentially like bringing the w.l. to the bank) and also
the same for preparing materials (like the stylesheet I wrote for the bank
this summer).  I have no idea how fair or unfair these prices would be in
a place other than Dubuque but my friends in the business world who I
consult with often on morning runs have advised me in establishing these
fees.
11.  Consider, too, some of the extra benefits to the college, particuarly
if you have to "sell" this to your dean or prez.  Some of our tutors could
be hired by businesses because of this contact.  Tutors also learn to work
with people outside the academy.  Of course, given that we are a private
college, it helps our image to be seen as useful and vital to the
community at large.  Will the donations come rolling in?  Who knows, but
the reputation helps.  We have also had the good fortune to see some of
the people who come to our workshops come to the college to begin a degree
program.
12.  Make sure that all advertising and brochure documents are sharp
and attractive.  Follow the other caveats of good PR and advertising with
these as well.
13.  Keep records on money earned, expenses, etc. so that you have a truly
accurate picture after the test period.
14.  Know your stuff.  Learn the new protocols and requirements in busines
writing by the American Management society (AMS) and be prepared to answer
questions about things that have changed in the language over time.

I guess that's about it.  I found the first year to be the hardest since
we created materials from ground zero and really had no idea if the
projects would fly.  From then on, it has been a matter of staying
sensitive to changing needs and maintaining the quality of our offerings
without impinging on our main work with our own college population.

Katie
          /\       
        / /\ \     Katherine Fischer                            
      /   \/   \   Writing Lab, English Department
     | ________ |  Clarke College       
     |          |  Dubuque IA 52001  
     |	        |  319-588-8115
     |          |  kfischer@keller.clarke.edu	 	
     ||        ||  FAX: (319) 588-6789