Room 42 is a unique program which originated from the desire to shine a light on research and the people doing the work. We wanted to build a bridge between academia and practitioners in Technical and Professional Communications.
Where do you want to go?
The Plan
In our experience attending professional conferences, one thing has always stood out to us: the amazing conversations that happened between sessions. These conversations ignited inspiration, solved difficult challenges, and stayed with us long after the conferences were over. These conversations shaped our thinking and we began to consider the following questions:
- What if we could create a way to support more of these conversations?
- What if we could also create an opportunity to illuminate valuable research that may have gotten overlooked?
- What if we could create a way to connect academia with practitioners?
These questions were the seed to our experiment of creating Room 42, and by the time we approached the midpoint of our first season, the response was overwhelmingly positive. We were able to start connecting researchers with key investigators shortly after we started our program, and even built a collaboration or two between academic scholars.
Room 42 is expanding to include a practitioner-focused conversation, nicknamed “The Green Room” (a film industry reference to rooms used to interview actors during press junkets). Our goal is to continue to bring practitioners and academics together to share knowledge about breaking research while keeping the programs accessible, free, and open to the public. This can all be made possible with donations from the public. TC Camp is a 501(3)c non-profit so your donation is tax deductible.
Designed to be virtual
TC Camp was an in-person event we had successfully run since 2013, but the logistics of in-person events can be burdensome and limiting for attendees. Although TC Camp itself was free, attendees still dealt with the difficulty of travel and additional expenses that travel invoked. Room 42 is a response to these challenges, with it being a far more accessible program due to its virtual nature.
The Rooms of Room 42
Our current program has two “rooms”. Room 42 is our cornerstone, where we host conversations with researchers, authors, and academics. Each episode features a unique article. The second is the Green Room, where we engage in discussion on current topics that are of keen interest from the practitioner’s perspective.
Conversations
Room 42 was designed to resemble a casual talk show with guest interviews and discussions. We invite academics, researchers, and authors to share their work in Room 42 through candid conversations that focus on the practical application of their research and ideas, rather than having them conduct a formal presentation. These discussions function similarly to presentations in that they cover major topic points and key findings, but they also provide insight into the wisdom and thought process of these field professionals and breed new ideas for the future of the industry.
Green Room
The Green Room is the meeting place for active conversations about topics of great interest for technical and professional communication practitioners. The topics we cover are those that are “top of mind” or of immediate importance for the TPC practitioners. This small group discussion program is where guests share insights and opinions based on their practical experience from the field. These sessions are unique and unscripted with the goal of examining a topic from a variety of lenses. While we might not have all of the answers, you never know what ideas will come out and what lessons we can all learn together from sharing deep discussions.
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Our Reach is Growing!
From the West coast to the East coast, and now worldwide: Our greatest motivator in creating a virtual program was to make our programs accessible across the globe. While our live sessions are hosted on Pacific Time (PST), recordings of these sessions are available 24/7 on our website.
India
Australia
Africa
United States
Why did we name it Room 42?
“Room” is a nod to the researchers and academics who are shaping young minds and guiding the future of our industry from the pulpit of higher education, and “42” is, as everyone knows, “The answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything.” ~Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
“I sat at my desk, stared into the garden and thought ’42 will do’ I typed it out. End of story.”
Doug Adams, when asked “Why 42?” interview Nov 1993
Support TC Camp
We at TC Camp work hard to produce educational public service projects. We hope you’ll consider supporting our efforts to continue to produce innovative programs for the TPC community.