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CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Here
I am trying to look
"authorial" rather than merely
near-sighted.
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- Have
so far avoided prosecution, conviction, imprisonment, or
bankruptcy (these events are not permitted in my gene pool).
- Have
been a business writer and editor since the mid-1970s, when it became painfully
obvious that there were far too many PhDs in English seeking far too few
jobs. Despite the negative stereotyping of commerce which most of my
professors and peers took for granted and which influenced even someone
as skeptical as myself, I found the business world to be a fascinating
laboratory for using the English language to go beyond the stuffy,
elitist, and self-absorbed communication so typical of academic
pursuits. Also, it offered much better income, security, and lunches.
- Have
worked as a college teacher of English literature and writing off and on
since 1966;
during a foray into this sadly diminished world in 1996-97 at a local
community college, I was shocked when the department chairman summarily
raised the grade of one of my students without my knowledge or
permission; he in turn was shocked when I reported this action to the
board of trustees, president, and dean (the grade was eventually
restored to its original and very generous "D" status).
From 1998 to 2006 I was teaching "Computerized Writing Studio"
at Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida -- a mild
improvement over my community college assignment. Despite their focus on
the visual image over the written word, the Ringling students (unlike
most of the Ringling faculty) generally respect the value of traditional
literacy. I also began, in the fall of 2003, to teach Professional
Writing, Advanced Technical Writing, and traditional composition at the University of South Florida. Beginning with the 2007-08 academic
year, I have risen to the stratospheric status of Resident Faculty
Member, which means I get a modest full-time salary, complete employment
benefits, and relatively secure assurance of ongoing employment and yet
am not obliged to pursue meaningless academic research on the road to
tenure. This isn’t Iowa, so it must be heaven.
- Hobbies, pastimes, idle
pursuits:
Internet surfing, handyman activities (I’ve destroyed numerous pieces of
furniture), jazz keyboard and clarinet, entertaining my wife with long-winded
stories and eccentric observations, cooking (specialize in high-fat
Midwestern cuisine and Kansas-City style BBQ -- see Dr. Heinrich's diet and exercise advice for more information), and talking
with clerks and other strangers in retail stores. Because most of my
teaching is online rather than on campus, I see my colleagues only
occasionally and my students almost never, a fact for which both groups
are grateful. Average mileage on my car is 1,800 miles per year -- a
sure benefit of telecommuting.
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WHAT I CLAIM TO DO BEST
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- Meticulous
editing and writing of books, articles, brochures, proposals,
presentations, software manuals, technical reports, speeches, press
releases, advertising, direct-mail promotional copy, and informational
web sites.
- Helping
clients translate their business goals and actions into clear, positive,
persuasive messages that can be understood and acted upon by customers,
staff, investors, government regulators, market analysts, researchers,
and the public.
- Preparing
creative, original communications that get positive attention, build
business, and contribute to profits and competitive strength -- on time
and on budget.
- Working in a style that
emphasizes efficiency, insight, frankness, and humor. As a native
Kansan, I have very little patience with stuffiness, pretense, or
arrogance.
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MY FORMAL,
IF SOMEWHAT MISSPENT,
EDUCATION
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- Ph.D.
study in English
(concentration in 18th-century British literature), Kent State University, 1971-74;
Satterfield Fellowship; passed comprehensive exams with honors;
completed all requirements but the unwieldy dissertation, shards of
which remain safely locked in a file cabinet about six feet from where
I'm now sitting. The dissertation, as I vaguely recall now about 26
years later, had something to do with a "practical theology of
comedy." Fortunately, successful psychotherapy and strong (mostly
legal) drugs have shown me the folly of this seemingly noble endeavor.
- M.A.
in English
(With Honors), Univ. of Kansas, 1968;
teaching and research fellowships; also served as Managing Editor of Computer
Studies in the Humanities and Verbal Behavior, a pioneering publication that
provoked lots of sneers from traditional literary scholars. Now, more
than 30 years, later, the laugh is on them, for the Information Age is
leaving these tweed-clad anachronistic geezers behind in a festering
heap of irrelevant bibliophilic detritus. Many of these Luddites persist
in their proud condemnation of the very technology which eludes them. If
they had lived in earlier times, they might have cheerfully burned
Copernicus or Gutenberg at the stake.
- Post-graduate
study in Germanic philology and literature (DAAD
Fellowship), Univ. of Kiel
(Germany), 1965-66
- B.A. in English and German, cum laude (Donnelly Scholarship), Univ. of Kansas, 1965
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EMPLOYERS &
SELECTED CLIENTS
A Brief History of My
Half-Hearted Efforts
to Meet Expectations
Imposed By Adulthood
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- Founder
and owner of Roberts Communications, an independent practice providing writing,
editing, research, consulting services, web site preparation, and
writing instruction to clients such as Accenture (formerly Andersen
Consulting); Coopers & Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers);
Computer Sciences Corporation; Lesco, Inc.; Clarke Advertising;
InterSyte, Inc.; several independent management consultants; and various
nonprofit groups (1987 to present). My current business slogan:
"Don't express yourself ... pay me to do it for you." (See my
commercial website -- http://www.todroberts.com -- for updated information.)
- Writer/Editor
and Director of Communications, Cleveland Consulting Associates (specialists in
logistics, distribution and transportation for Fortune 500 companies, now a
subsidiary of Computer Sciences Corporation), Cleveland, Ohio (1983-87).
- Writer/Editor, National Headquarters, Ernst
& Whinney (now Ernst & Young), one of the "Big 5"
international accounting/consulting firms, Cleveland, Ohio (1978-83).
- Manager
of Editorial Department, Dalton-Dalton-Newport (now URS Consultants), an
architecture/engineering/planning firm, Cleveland, Ohio (1976-78).
- Teacher of composition and
literature at several colleges, including Univ. of Kansas (1966-68), Western Michigan
Univ. (1968-71), Kent State Univ. (1972-75), Cleveland State Univ.
(1978), Case Western Reserve Univ. (1984), Lakeland Community College
(1989), Manatee Community College (1996-97), Ringling School of
Art and Design (1998-2006), and University of South Florida
(2003-present); have also presented seminars and tutorials on business
and technical communications. To visit my USF faculty page, please click
here.
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BUSINESS ARRANGE-
MENTS AND CAPABILITIES
What You Can Expect
If You're Crazy
Bold Enough to Hire Me
(Click HERE to see my
ad for web site design services.)
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My hourly rate varies,
depending on the complexity and nature of an assignment. I'm willing to
negotiate any reasonable business arrangement, including fixed fee, that is mutually
satisfactory. I usually require a letter of agreement or simple contract
specifying pay rates, deadlines, deliverables, and mutual expectations before
beginning a new assignment; one third of estimated fees is due at the start,
and the remainder is due within ten business days upon completion. If I forget to send an invoice,
the services are free. I stole this brilliant marketing
cue from Walgreens.
I work well with designers
and can prepare basic mock-ups of brochures and other printed publications,
but I prefer to leave final design and printing decisions to graphic
professionals who specialize in this work. I am proficient in Microsoft Word
and PowerPoint.
I have prepared a few basic
web sites emphasizing message over graphics. Whether you communicate by
fiberoptic network or smoke signal, the basic need for getting a message
across clearly and effectively remains. I offer clients outstanding
experience and skill in meeting this need. "Writing" has far less
to do with putting words together into sentences and paragraphs than with
thinking logically and then converting thought into clear expression. This is why writing
is difficult and why very few people do it well.
I generally ply my trade
via Internet, fax, and express delivery. I have extensive experience
conducting and writing interviews, and have performed several successful
research assignments. I don't like business travel, but I will do it if
necessary. I charge for travel time. I very seldom meet face-to-face with
clients, a fact which helps explain my success with repeat business.
I was the lead editor on a
major study of European business logistics published by Andersen Consulting a
few years ago; this work involved research and writing by a large staff of
Andersen professionals from several countries. I have an extensive knowledge
of accounting, architecture, engineering, corporate logistics and
distribution, management consulting, and information technology. I can also
fake an excellent explication de texte for literary works in English, German,
and French (and with sufficient strong drink, even in Italian, Latin and
Greek), but there is little call for such work.
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