Diane Leipper #772
There are numerous threads and posts with the general theme that to communicate in todays world you have to be familiar with and use current technologies. In particular the internet and email. I agree. That being said, there are numerous issues related to these forms of communications that are often overlooked or ignored. What I choose to focus on here is that like everything else, there is diversity.
What brings this issue to mind are some recent examples I have seen. One being the attachment of large document files, such as a Unit newsletter to an email. Another is embedding links in a PDF document. Another is posting huge PDF files, usually with lots of images and graphics on a website. Another is commercial web page software that is format intensive and takes a while to open or special software to see everything that is on the page.
I would venture to say that the majority of the WBCCI membership for instance, uses the internet and email to one degree or another. That does not mean they all use the same software or hardware, have the same level of expertise, have the same high speed internet connections, the same interest, or the same preferences for electronic communications.
In our own Unit we have run across situations with some of our members who travel for several months of the year. They often end up in areas where internet connections are iffy and all that is available is dial-up. If our newsletter was posted in a large PDF file or sent as an attachment they could have (and have) had trouble trying to receive or download it. The same applies to members in more rural areas. There are also spam filters and other things to worry about that can prevent emails with attachments from getting through to the recipient. I have also seen a situation where the newsletter was done with high end software but members with less expansive resources were unable to take advantage of some of the features included in the newsletter. In another example a newsletter was done with a software program owned by one volunteer editor. When another person took over the newsletter that person had to start from scratch as the previous efforts were not transferable.
Bottom line, keep in mind the target audience and the primary purpose of the communication. If you want to communicate electronically consider the lowest common denominator. Keep in mind that just because you have fast internet connections and the ability to handle large files or graphic intensive files, not every member of the group may have the same capabilities.
Most important, keep in mind and respect personal preferences. Some people prefer to communicate face to face at rallies and other gatherings. Some people prefer receiving their newsletter, the Blue Beret and other such publications in print even though they use the internet for other purposes.
Just because people (including some of the leadership of WBCCI) don't choose to spend all day dodging bullets on a forum or communicating via email doesn't mean they are technically illiterate, not paying attention, not communicating with the membership. I'd like to think that maybe instead of sitting in front of a monitor all day, they are out traveling to and visiting with members at rallies and other gatherings.
Electronic communications are just a tool. One of many tools used for communications. To most effectively communicate with any group a coordinated effort using a variety of tools including email and web will provide the most benefit. As a group, we are supposed to be accepting of other people. That includes their preferences for communications.
WBCCI is an RV club. The focus is getting out in your Airstream. Attending gatherings of fellow Airstreams. This puts a premium on face to face communications. Other forms of communications whether print or electronic should augment and support campfire discussions and other face to face communications at rallies and other activities.
Communications – another aspect
One of the best tools for building membership is communications. While gimmicks, games, and recruitment efforts have their place they will have minimal impact without communication. There are many components of good communications. I mentioned several in the original post.
Although for this post, I am focusing on leadership responding to member communications, primarily email communications, the same things apply to every member of WBCCI. The leadership I am speaking about includes Unit, Regional, International, and committee leaders. If you want to encourage and support members, one of the best ways to do this to to respond when they communicate with you. This might mean responding to a group of members or to an individual member. Responding doesn't mean a dissertation. It doesn't mean you have to have an ongoing, never ending dialog. It doesn't mean you have to spend a large portion of each and every day responding to emails, writing letters, making phone calls, etc. It just means when someone communicates with you, acknowledge it. In particular, if you are requesting information and it is sent to you, acknowledge receipt.
I am thinking of several recent examples. One where, after receiving an email from a regional representative, I responded with some ideas. No response, no acknowledgment that my email had been received. One where our Unit was requested to send a document to an national committee. Our Unit sent a link to the document via email and we also sent a snail mail a copy to the proper address. After over a year of no word, the Unit did receive a response. An email chewing us out for not submitting the document when in fact, we found out later that it had been received. One where Unit information was requested via email from the region by a certain deadline. The Unit submitted the information. Even after sending a second email requesting confirmation that the information had been received, we have not heard a peep. I could provide more examples.
On the other hand when I send an email to staff at headquarters I get a response, usually in less than 48 hours. Needless to say, my feelings about working with headquarters are more like we are partners working towards the same goals. I feel I can depend on getting the information I need in a timely manner. Therefore I do my best to support their efforts. I try to respect their time by seeking answers or understanding elsewhere first if possible and not sending frivolous communications. Although there have been some exceptions, my overall experiences with the volunteer leadership have been frustrating and discouraging. As an individual, all I am asking for is acknowledgment that the message was received. A simple “I received your message” or “I'll get back to you later” even “you're nuts”, would do. If I got an actual response to the content of my message, I'd consider that icing on the cake.
When you bring this topic up what you get is – we're so busy traveling from rally to rally, I am still working and also trying to keep up my WBCCI duties, or I'm on the road a lot and don't have access to the internet. My personal favorite – I'm just a volunteer. BULL! If you take on a task, whether it is chairing a committee, hosting a rally, serving as an officer, paid or unpaid, communicating with your members/constituents/committee members IS a critical part of your job, especially if they are responding to something you requested. It is not only common courtesy, it is standard and accepted business practice. I think we are all aware that anyone holding a leadership position has the potential of receiving a lot of communications of various types. We can understand and accept the efforts needed to deal with communications. They are something that needs to be planned for and managed effectively. Not ignored or swept under the carpet. Holding a leadership position, even as a volunteer, is a business concern. That is if you want the committee or the organization to succeed. Silence is not a viable option.
The general membership too should be aware that it is common courtesy at the least, to communicate. In particular if you are working with other members on a project such as the Unit newsletter or rally planning, if the Unit seeks your input on something, or if a member communicates with you, at least acknowledge that the message was received. Otherwise you leave people dangling, wondering if the message was received, and possibly even hindering progress or planning.
So if you want to make a positive impact on membership, look at communications. What do you do now? How could you make more effective use of various tools to enhance communications? What best fits your personal style and your specific needs while still meeting the needs of those who communicate with you? There have been some efforts made in enhancing communications using various web based technologies, newsletters etc but there is still a lot of work to do, especially on the one on one communications.
You are right. Those automated programs that let the sender know the message has been received are a tool that can be useful. It can also be a way to increase the distance between people trying to communicate. Emailing in general is already a lot less personal than other forms of communication.
To me a sender using an automated receipt program is sending the message to the recipient that he can't be trusted to respond. A recipient receiving such a message may use it as an excuse not to respond. They may figure the sender knows the message got through so why bother with any other response. All in all not what I would call productive, people friendly communications.
If used effectively though, automated responses can be helpful and can play an important role in overall communication efforts. Once again I use the headquarters staff as an example. They use an automated system to inform people when they are out of the office. The message also states when they will be expected back. This form of message at least lets me know that the message got through.
The key to the successful way the staff uses this is the fact that usually within a day or so of the staff member returning to the office, I will get a follow up email responding to my inquiry. Depending on the circumstances, I have even gotten a follow up message from another staff member if my inquiry needed more immediate response. Or it might get forwarded to a different staff member who was more appropriate to answer the inquiry.
Their system has several advantages. As I said, I know my message got through. I am not left wondering why I don't hear anything. I know when they will be back and because they have apparently set a standard to respond to communications, I can be confident that I will hear sometime soon after their return date. I don't have to follow up with a second or third email trying to get a response thus wasting their time and my own. This to me says communications are important. That each individual member is important. It makes me feel that I am working with people I can trust. It gives me a sense of confidence that these people want to help me (and my Unit) succeed. It puts a little bit of people in an impersonal form of communications.
I'll put in another word about the HQ staff too. They don't make excuses. Something I very much appreciate. I know they are busy. I know they have to prioritize things and sometimes responding to an email is a little far down the list. Over the last six plus years that I have worked with them though, I do know eventually I will get a response and it won't include an initial comment whining about having so much to do or apologizing for not having the time to respond. I don't need that. I am busy too. All I need is a response to my inquiry.
This sounds like a testament for the HQ staff and in a way, I guess it is. Certainly there are glitches and room for improvements. Overall though, I think they do set a pretty good example of what is possible, at least in some important communication areas.
I too would like to see more interaction with the WBCCI leadership on the forums. Joe, you do have some good points about what message may be sent by lack of participation. On the other hand what “message” is received is also a responsibility of the recipient. The recipient can interpret lack of participation as being “high and mighty” or they might interpret it as an indication that for some individuals other forms of communication such as one on one or use other available tools is more effective and efficient. What we want or think is important is not necessarily what others think.
That said I think it is important to consider a few things. Speaking for myself, following forum discussions can take a lot of time. If you want to respond appropriately it is important to have at least some grasp of what started the topic and what others have said. Again speaking for myself, when I decide to respond or to post a topic it can take me a lot of time off line to compose my thoughts. I can therefore understand that some people, including those in leadership positions, might not utilize the forums much.
Although I feel it can be very beneficial for the leadership to have more of a presence on the forums, I can also understand the need to prioritize and after careful consideration, to focus on those things that will most effectively impact the membership as a whole, get the job done, and assist WBCCI to continue being a viable and hopefully growing organization.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if we learned that a larger percentage of the leadership browses forums more often than we are aware of. They may not actively participate but I bet it gives them some things to think about and provides them with some insight into what the membership is thinking. That can have a lot of benefits in itself. There have been some indications that this is the case.
I personally would prefer to see the leadership put responding to individual communications, in particular those directly concerning Unit or WBCCI business above becoming more active on the forum. Especially when the individual is responding to a specific request from the leadership. I'd like to see an effort made to ensure anyone taking any leadership position within the organization puts a priority on at least some form of acknowledgment to any and all communications they receive.
I think forums are great. They are one of the many tools available to enhance communications. It isn't the only tool out there though and sometimes it is not the best one for a particular circumstance. Effective communications require an ongoing assessment of all the tools available the the best way to utilize them. It requires focusing on the primary goal and how best to utilize the available resources, including time, to meet that goal.
+-+-+-
I too would like to see more interaction with the WBCCI leadership on the forums. That said I think it is important to consider a few things. Speaking for myself, following forum discussions can take a lot of time. If you want to respond appropriately it is important to have at least some grasp of what started the topic and what others have said. Again speaking for myself, when I decide to respond or to post a topic it can take me a lot of time off line to compose my thoughts. I want to be sure I make the points I intend, that I state my case in a manner that is as clear as possible, and that I have done my best to focus on issues and behaviors and not on individual people.
Although I feel it can be very beneficial for the leadership to have more of a presence on the forums, I can also understand the need to prioritize and after careful consideration, to focus on those things that will most effectively impact the membership as a whole, get the job done, and assist WBCCI to continue being a viable and hopefully growing organization.
I personally would prefer to see the leadership put responding to individual communications directly concerning Unit or WBCCI business above becoming more active on the forum. In other words to me it is much more important that when a member (individually or as a representative of a Unit or another WBCCI group) responds to a request generated by the leadership on any level, that their response is acknowledged in a timely manner. It is much more important that the leadership respond to individual members who may be seeking clarification, needing advice, or presenting ideas that could support or benefit their Unit or even the Region or National.
Some recent emails related to Unit newsletters have provided me with an opportunity for more thought on the subject.
One email was unidentifiable. There was nothing in the subject title or in the content of the email to indicate it was from a WBCCI Unit, never mind which Unit. The email address was a personal address. The only signature was the first name of the sender. With all the spam and other unsolicited emails most of us receive nowadays, often the first reaction to an email like this is to delete it. The email address seemed somewhat familiar though so I checked. As I said, even after reading the message there was no indication of which Unit it was from or referring to. It was later when I received another similar message that I figured out who it was from and what Unit it was about.
As far as I am concerned this is no way to represent your Unit, any Unit. It indicates a lack of respect for the recipients and it makes assumptions about the information that all the recipients supposedly have. As for the Unit, if you are seeking input or a response, or at least want to pass along information it seems to me that unless you clearly identify the Unit in the subject line and include other pertinent information in the message (like who the sender is and his/her role in the Unit) you are increasing the chances that your message will end up in the trash folder unread.
Another email announced that a Unit has decided to go to an all email system with it's newsletter. The primary reason seemed to be cost. The first thing that came to my mind – was the Unit as a whole involved in making this decision? Were personal preferences and the variety in individual electronic systems considered? As to cost, yes postage and other supplies continue to rise. The newsletter though, is often the primary communications tool. It is also a marketing and public relations tool. With these things in mind newsletter costs deserve some consideration in the budget. A decision to use only one method of distribution should be reviewed carefully. Does the issue of cost outweigh the benefits of a print newsletter? Were other options considered? What about going from monthly to bi-monthly? What about cutting down on graphics and stuff unrelated to the Unit to keep the page size down? What about printing the newsletter in black and white and providing an online version in color? What about sponsors, advertising and donations. Is there some other project where you could reduce costs to provide more money for the newsletter? There are lots of ways to minimize the costs of a newsletter if necessary, you just have to do a little creative thinking. Just because email and web based technologies are so prevalent doesn't always mean the are the best tool for the specific job, especially when not used in conjunction with other tools.
I think a better way of looking at newsletters is as an investment. An investment in your Unit and your membership. If you respect individual preferences. If you provide options and variety in your communications. If you make the most of all available methods of communications. You will almost certainly see a return on your investment. Things like a more informed membership, increased member satisfaction and participation, and more awareness of the Unit outside it's current membership including potential new members.
Newsletters are usually a key component of most Units. How they are designed, what the content should be, how they are used, what their purpose is, how they are distributed, who should receive them, how effective they are, and how they can best be used in combination with other communication methods are all things that need careful consideration and constant review and evaluation.
For related information check this URL.
http://leippermanagement.com/dal/?s=email
Sample
http://leippermanagement.com/dal/?p=193
http://leippermanagement.com/dal/?p=211
http://leippermanagement.com/dal/?p=97
http://leippermanagement.com/dal/?p=173
http://leippermanagement.com/dal/?p=17
http://leippermanagement.com/dal/?p=210
http://leippermanagement.com/dal/?p=162
Sierra Nevada Airstreams home page -|- Destinations -|- Memories -|- Owner's Guide -|- WBCCI Sierra Nevada Unit home page -|- Community -|- Zephyrs weblog for the RV enthusiast -|- Commerce -|- Whispers weblog of touchy subjects -|- Our tip jar- support this website
|
copyright
2005 Leipper Management Group. All rights reserved Please
address comments or questions to webmaster@leipper.org
Last updated
|
supporting and using open software |
|||
Sierra Nevada Airstreams - photograph policy - |
|
note: all photographs on this site are for personal, private, and non-commercial use only. All other copyrights are retained by the individual photographers. See our policy. Disclaimer: any advice or suggestion presented is provided for informational purposes only and is correct and accurate only to the best of our knowledge at the time it was written. Anyone using such information does so at their own risk. Errors or omissions may exist and additional sources of information or appropriately licensed or qualified personnel should be consulted in deciding a course of action. We assume no liability or obligation by providing this information and warn any users of this information that they do so at their own risk. All links or references to commercial vendors or other sources of information and equipment do not intend or imply or convey any endorsement of that source or the product. They are provided strictly for informational purposes to illustrate the topic at hand. Sierra Nevada Airstreams Enjoyment of the whispering winds, the zephyrs, the airstreams of the Sierra Nevada and Great Basin areas of the United States is a personal, nonprofit, noncommercial web site intended for educational and recreational use only. This site is supported by volunteer effort and contributions. Donations accepted thanks to the Amazon.com
