The FORUM Effect

Preparing to Present … Be Present

I look forward to guest blogging additional content related to my January/February FORUM article on honing your presentation skills.  I find the best blogs are the ones that have a vibrant dialogue in the comments section, so I promise to respond if you read and write.  You are reading, right?

Let me kick things off with my final point in the article: prepare to be present.  Most presenters do a decent job at tactical preparation, the other points I outline in the article.  Less common is strategic preparation (a term from consultant/facilitator Marybeth Fidler that I recently heard ASSH CEO Mark Anderson use).

Strategic preparation isn't about slides, handouts, or teaching techniques.  It's about advance anticipation and consideration for all the situations you may have to manage during a presentation or workshop.  This advance strategic thinking allows you to be fully present during the actually program, deeply listening to and connected to the participant and their needs and calling audibles in your format and flow based on your read of the group. 

Preparing to be present is perhaps the greatest gift you can give to participants because it allows you to engage with them and to respond to their needs and cues.  Failure to prep at this strategic level means you're tied to (or held hostage by) your outline or slides, neither of which may advance the learning or change you hope your presentation creates.

What questions about preparing to be present (or any of the tactical prep areas) can I respond to?  Let's get the conversation started.

An almost universal groan: Keeping up with frequently changing student addresses

Asking for suggestions on handling the frequent moves of students and recent graduates generally elicited a groan as well as some useful suggestions. 

• Having student leaders update contact information using their access to peers with Facebook, MySpace, face to face contact and school lists is very successful while the students are still in school. 
• Collecting additional email addresses without .edu is encouraged by some associations.
• Trying a student address drive with the first chapters to submit updated contact information receiving an incentive for their chapter was doing very well at one organization. 
• Requesting the effective month of address changes and using the home, not training institution, as the primary contact is recommended by another association. 
• “Holding hostage” a sought-after certificate for two months after graduation to be sent to the new addresses is another way of gathering the updated contact information. 
• Capturing email addresses at the next required professional step of searching the online training registry works in some situations.  

If any other associations have any other helpful suggestions, please add them to the blog!  Keeping up with students’ frequent moves is an ongoing challenge. 

Social Media Policies

Employers continue to be uncertain about their "right" to access employees' social media sites and monitor usage.  Certainly, the law is not well-settled in this area as of yet.  One of the overriding concerns is "are our employees saying negative things about the association?"  Has the increase in social media sites made your association more likely to consider a social media usage policy?

We're all in this together

I've received a couple of interesting comments from the article in the October FORUM wherein I discussed involving MARCOM early in the planning process. Both were positive and expressed agreement with a couple of the points raised, along with noting that a lot of what I referred to as common sense wasn't all that common. It got me thinking. How often do we get so wrapped up in making sure our organizations are looking to the future that we miss what's in the here and now? More to the point, how often do we spend time and resources reinventing solutions that others have already discovered, simply because we failed to take the simple step of talking to our peers?

One of the most important resources I have as a manager is the advice and counsel of others -- both in and out of my industry -- whose opinions and observations I have come to trust. It has been my experience that most of the challenges I encounter are easier met when I engage others for input and suggestions. Although it's not generally as easy as getting the precise answer I need at that moment, I do find that such conversation usually leads me down a path to a solution much more quickly than if I go it alone. Such feedback is everywhere. From the blogs to the industry pundits, to the learned colleagues and (most importantly) my own team, I am never at a loss for useful input and information when what I need most is a second opinion. The trick is to remember to ask. 

Measuring success, old school still applies

Many years ago, I first read the book Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy the founder of mega-agency Ogilvy & Mather.  In it, he speaks of measuring the effect of advertising.  He referenced a book entitled Scientific Advertising by Claude C. Hopkins.  Ogilvy minced few words in his recommendation of the book.

"Nobody, at any level, should be allowed to have anything to do with advertising until he has read this book seven times."

At a mere 64 pages, Scientific Advertising packs more useful information within its pages than books 10 times its size.

Hopkins speaks precisely on the concepts of return on investment; on the power of headlines; on the idea that advertising is an exercise in sales, not brand.  He strongly advocates testing messages against each other, down to the exact words.  He holds up all advertising against the harsh light of mail-order and its "traced returns."

As I read through the book, I was astounded how much applied to the Web.  The importance and methodology of measurement.  The establishment and implementation of quantifiable actions.  The need to test and refine message and method.  The entire book is relevant to the online world.

It was published in 1923.

I will confess to reading it only twice (so far), but it remains on my desk as a reminder that the paradigms of fundamentals rarely shift.

The full text of Scientific Advertising is available online at http://scientificadvertising.blogspot.com.

The Cost of Professional Development

One question that kept coming to my mind as I wrote my Forum article about professional development was: Is it worth the cost? I think classes, education seminars, webinars, etc. are definitely worth investing in... _if_ they're quality programs. But, if you're like me, you've gone to more than one session that just wasn't worth your money or time. Even if your company is paying for your training, you still want it to be money and time well spent.

Recently I've been trying out a new policy: I don't sign up to attend any presentation unless I know firsthand that the speaker is dynamic or I have heard from people whose opinions I trust on these matters that the speaker will make it worth my while. I've stopped relying on the brochures and advertisements that tell me I can't miss this session. Because, let's face it: Every session is advertised as a "can't-miss" opportunity. And, unfortunately, it only takes one malfunctioning PowerPoint presentation or run-of-the-mill lecture to make you regret ever signing up.

The good news is that there are enough great presenters and educators out there that there's no reason any of us should have to waste our time on mediocre opportunities. Find someone who rocks the charts who's speaking to something that piques your interest; and, more likely than not, you'll be glad you paid the price.

 

Your Membership Marketing & Social Media

If you're like me, you've been getting invitations to numerous webinars about social media.  I've attended a few and have noticed significant angst to most of these presentations.  There seems to be almost a panic factor. "These groups will form with or without you - so you should be there (wherever 'there' is) NOW!" Don't panic.  If you know your membership, then you can establish your social presence and create a marketing plan to support it. 

Since I direct the marketing for healthcare groups, I'd like to share our recent social media experiences.  One group is a nursing organization.  We created a page for them on Facebook late in March and they currently have over 500 'fans'.  We make sure that the page had great content that would appeal to both member and non-members and we update our messages frequently.  Another group is primarily physicians, we created a Facebook page for them at the same time and they have 8 fans even though we created the same type of robust content for them. 

At the same time, we set both groups up on LinkedIn with similar content to the Facebook pages. With very little promotion to the membership, the physician group has three times the members of the nursing group.  We are pleased that we have attracted both members and non-members to all of our sites and will be tracking whether there will be a conversion factor.  However, we did have a non-member from the physician LinkedIn group register for our annual meeting. 

Conclusion - know your membership and you will know how to market to them.  Our physician group is more comfortable in the LinkedIn environment and our nursing group is more comfortable in the Facebook environment.  While we will keep all the sites updated, we know where we will have the more effective member reach and will use them accordingly. 

If you've had a similar or even different experience with your members and social media -- I'd love to hear about them!

To Tweet or Not?

The new social media is getting a lot of notice these days. Even the traditional media (magazines, tv/radio, and newspapers) is paying attention and trying to "get into the game" or appear "with it". Traditional media involvement starts with its own online editions but has gone further.

Have you noticed how television news programs stress going to their Web site for more information?

The Chicago Tribune, one of the icons of traditional newspaper journalism, now has features with content picked up from the Web. The Trib is showing, for example, the best Tweets (messages posted on Tweeter, a popular micro-blogging Web site based service) and has short features such as the most searched online topics.

The hard news lately is that Tweeter will start charging. I wonder if that will slow down the pace of new sign-ups. Most social media is enjoying new sign-ups at record paces. In some cases, you could call it explosive. For example, LinkedIn is predicted to surpass 50 million users by year-end.

A lot of what is traditionally available on the Web is free. In some cases, you get what you pay for in terms of inaccurate, unverified information but, as most of us know, there is also a fabulous wealth of facts, figures, and opinions available 24/7 on the Internet. As the social media moguls and even the traditional media start to charge for online content and use, it will be interesting to watch how that effects the use. My sense now is that there is a bit of fear to start charging with the prospect of losing users or viewers but they will have to because advertising alone rarely supports such a venture. Much of the social media is still in the courtship phase of its relationship with many users so enjoy it free while you can.

Another aspect to ponder is: Will the new social media make us all more connected or has it, in some cases, made us less connected by substituting online messaging for face-to-face interaction? Use of the social media like most things in life has to be balanced and not overdone. We can discuss more of this next time.

Quick tips for promoting your meeting

Looking for some simple, low cost steps to promote your meeting in a tough economy ─ consider the following:

1.    Develop a dedicated meeting section on your Web site and include a prominent link to that section on the home page.

2.    Add a conference promotional message to the outgoing e-mail signature line for all of employees.

3.    Offer free advance webinars on topics that will be featured at the conference to “tease” the conference. 

4.    Build interactive meeting discussion groups into your online social network to include one for each topic track or special session on the conference agenda and have speakers begin discussions well in advance of the meeting.

5.    Market your meeting aggressively with regular targeted messages to your key attendee segments. In your marketing messages and materials tell them they will be exposed to career-saving tools that can only be obtained by attending your convention or exhibition.  Answer potential attendees’ two most important questions: What's in it for me? Why should I come to your event? 

6.    Offer attendees copies of new industry research reports or whitepapers that are available exclusively at your meeting.

7.    Keep members and exhibitors up-to-date on the latest meeting planning developments, alerting them to major speakers, special events or new educational sessions through an ongoing series of e-mail blasts.

8.    Invite new members and first-time meeting attendees to a special onsite networking reception.

Build meeting attendance using socially responsible activities

Some experts are making a business case for social responsibility as an innovative way to engage potential meeting attendees.  In this faltering economy the greening of meetings is being suggested as a way for meeting planners to attract more people to their events.  According to ASAE’s online blog, Acronym, meeting planners can use socially responsible actions to attract more people to their events.  Two options to consider:

1.    Hold a service day as part of your conference. 

People want to connect and interact with one another and working side-by-side on a community-based project is a great way to bring meeting attendees together. It provides a great opportunity for networking and to build camaraderie and leaves people feeling good both about themselves and their association. 

 

One great example of this is a program the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) has sponsored each year since 2000 in concert with its annual meeting. The day before the meeting starts AAOS brings together Academy members, Board members, exhibitors, industry vendors and sponsors with neighborhood volunteers from the convention host city to build a safe, accessible playground for children in underprivileged communities.  AAOS works in partnership with KaBOOM!, a national non-profit organization that brings together business and community groups to develop and construct safe places where children can play.  KaBOOM! also manages construction of the playground and helps recruit financial sponsors for the project.

Several months in advance, AAOS holds an onsite “Design Day” event to give local children, parents and community members a chance to provide input before the formal design process begins. The children share their ideas about what makes a great playground and draw pictures of their own dream playground.

On the day of the build, hundreds of volunteers come together to create the new playground, spurred on by members of the community, local celebrities and the media.  The project is completed within a matter of hours and a ribbon-cutting ceremony officially opens the playground. 

The benefits of this effort are that the host city receives a permanent, valuable community asset, the kids get a fun and safe place to play, the orthopaedic profession has a chance to demonstrate its commitment to help prevent childhood injuries and AAOS gets recognition as a socially responsible organization. In addition, everyone who participates feels good about themselves ─ the volunteers, the sponsors, exhibitors, even the AAOS staff. 

As your association makes plans for its next annual meeting, consider how the organization and its members might be of service to the host city.

2.    Consider implementing some “green” strategies.

Offsetting greenhouse gas emissions is one option that is gaining greater popularity with a number of associations as part of their meeting planning. Figuring out the total airline or other transportation mileage of attendees is relatively straightforward and the carbon totals can then be easily calculated online and offset through tree planting, energy credits or other options. It’s not expensive to offset and it helps demonstrate that your organization’s commitment to social responsibility is a conscious effort.

Other associations are offering their members "green coaching."  This activity can range from providing a one-stop resource desk at an event to pick up relevant tips lists to discussing the latest industry eco-trends and benefits or connecting members interested in the same green steps.

For example, the Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Supplies (AWFS) has crafted the concept of a "Green Desk" for its upcoming conference, the July 2009 AWFS Fair. The Green Desk will provide “a place where anyone in attendance can stop by to ask questions related to green practices and issues that are impacting virtually all businesses.” This one-on-one approach is in addition to the association’s education track, “Going Green,” to help corporate members move to more sustainable products and processes, and to meet new “green building” standards.

There are many options to consider for integrating social responsibility into your association – you are limited only by your imagination.  To learn more: http://blogs.asaecenter.org/Acronym/