Association Meetings

Sore Losers ....

Photo by jkhewett via Flickr

This past week I found myself in the middle of a non-profit drama.  You know the scenario -- individual comes up with a great "idea", after seemingly dropping the "idea", someone else picks up on the "idea".  They begin to play with it and share the "idea" with their teammates on the committee.  Eventually after many long hours of practice and play it's time for the big game.  They win!  Now that the volunteer team is running the victory lap, the original player is angry with the players, the coaches and the fans because he didn't feel the game was played fairly.

Now what?  In this particular case the player went to every media outlet that would publish his story about how the team cheated him out of victory.  He spoke of the coaches and how poorly they had treated him.  He spoke of the volunteer team and how they stole his "idea" as they did not have one of their own.  He spoke to the fans warning that the victory would be short lived because it was based on poor tactics and planning.  He told everyone that he was now going to take his "idea" and play elsewhere.

Your coaches are upset as they felt this player nor longer wanted to play the game.  Your volunteer team is upset because they did not know this individual even played the game nor did they know who originally owned the "idea".  Your fans are now questioning whether you can be successful long term. 

As the team owner what do you do???

At this point it is important to communicate with everyone how to successfully move forward as there will always be sore losers in the game.

For your coaches - remind them of the importance of follow through.  Never assume that a player doesn't want to play.  After they miss a few practices, find out the real reason.  It may not be why you thought.  Good communication will all team volunteers is critical element for success.

For your players - remind them that credit belongs to the team and those that actively contribute.  You can never win a game by watching from the sidelines.  While the "idea" is an important element in the game, it is how the "idea" is played that matters. 

For you fans - remind them that a winning team is one based on good coaching and committed players. 

For the sore loser ... all you can do is hope that eventually he can find a team he can play with and be happy.

How do you deal with sore losers on your volunteer team?

The Social Media Puzzle ... how the pieces all fit

Often I am asked to explain WHY I spend so much of my time "playing" with the various social media tools that are now available.  Many do not understand why posting on the wall of a colleague in Facebook has a benefit to my "business." Or how sending out Tweets can lead to clients.  There are many people who have blogged on this topic, but I came across this YouTube video that gives the puzzle a new look.

11 Essential iPhone Apps for a Road Trip ...

Image by Bill Ruhsam via Flickr

I am sure that this list will only grow!

Headed to the iTunes now to add some of these applications now ....

11 Essential iPhone Apps for a Road Trip

Domino's Diaster ... what we can all learn

Last week a video made by now past employees of Domino's Pizza made us all ill ... Within days it was viewed nearly 1.3 MILLION times, was embedded in about 300 blogs and had well over EIGHT THOUSAND comments. 

While Domino's response was very appropriate, what impact did it really have?  Jon's Burg's blog Future Visions gives some great ideas as to how the Domino's situation could have been handled differently IF the company had been actively involved with social media BEFORE this happened.

This example gives us all "food for thought"

Case Study - Domino's is Response Enough

Bored with PDFs? 12 Ways to share content

Image via Wikipedia

It is easy to provide PDFs to your attendees or association membership - it seems to be the "standard" way of providing content.  But in all honesty I agree with the folks at Wild Apricot that PDFs are boring!  Here are 12 ways to share the same content but in more creative ways ...

12+ Great Ways to Share your Non-Profit's Knowledge Online

The Real Value of Twitter

I am a huge fan of Twitter as I see it's value in providing information and valuable resources.  While the original purpose of the application was to share "what am I doing right now"  it has moved into a far different purpose.  One that when used correctly can only continue to grow!

One of my favorite blogs - AriWriter wrote about how Twitter can be used in the post, "Learning from Conversations."  Check it out!

If you are not following me on Twitter, please do ... Follow Julie

10 Things Meeting Planners Should Know about International Meetings

Image via Wikipedia

As I am in the middle of planning my first European meeting, I found this blog post most helpful. 

My number one recommendation when planning an international meeting is to develop a local support team that you can rely on to help guide you through the process.  Using MPI as a starting point to connect with other meeting planners who know the ropes is a good place to start!

A second recommendation that I would add to the list is the use of photos!  A picture speaks a thousand words especially in other languages.  Pictures help even when English is the common language as different cultures use different words for an item.  Beamer for example is often used for an LCD Projector. 

What tips or suggestions would you add?

10 Things Meeting Planners Should Know about International Meetings

Internet Scams Targeting Event Planners

While I haven't seen this email yet, it is good to know that this exists ...  Please share this with your colleagues.

Internet Scams Targeting Event Planners

Thanks Keith for sharing!

Getting ready for the meeting ...

In Chris Brogan's blog "27 Things to do Before a Conference", he provides a listing of activities that we as meeting planners can be doing to prepare.  Many of his action steps involve the use of social media and provide a great example as to how all of the tools can be pulled together in a meaningful way.

Many of these ideas are focused on what we as an individual can do to prepare to get the most out of the upcoming event.   

27 Things to do Before a Conference

Solving the meeting problem? ... maybe

Are you one of those individuals who spends countless hours wasted in meaningless unproductive meetings?  Do you find yourself frustrated at the lack of progress?  Seth Godin offers some interesting ways to make your meetings more productive and meaningful ...

What do you think?  Will these ideas help?

Getting Serious About Your Meeting Problem
By Seth Godin