While we call ourselves technical writers or technical communicators, our real occupation is managing knowledge or supporting the performance of people when carrying out tasks.

That's why I write and organize, but I also illustrate, refine software, design training, and design interaction. All of this activity has a social or political component, both in gathering information and as an effect of disseminating information.

Sometimes, the best way to address a situation is to mediate the conversation between people, and Open Space Technology has been a source of inspiration, providing specific practices that can be tweaked to the situation at hand.

Originally published in ISTC Communicator, Autumn 2025.

Attachments

On Becoming an Accidental Facilitator

Local copy of the article as PDF.