Are Your Chapter Members
"In The Know" Or "In The Dark"?
As children, we've all played the game "Telephone" - we sat in a circle, and one person whispers into the next person's ear a secret word: "I Wear Boots In The Rain" ... each person whispers the phrase into their neighbor's ear, and the secret phrase gets distorted more and more until the final person says what they heard out loud: "I've got bowls in Spain?"
We've all experienced the frustration that comes with communication problems, and having to deal with the consequences.
The problem happens among friends, marriages, business, and ... professional chapters. The most common problem occurs when chapter leaders try to communicate their decisions to their members.
Problems usually occur in two ways - but both can be disastrous for organizations:
Here's A Common Communication Problem: Leaders Act, Write, Or Speak As If Members Have Been Involved In All Their Discussions
Leaders deal with a lot of decisions... they've heard all the problems, dealt with the complaints, and heard requests from their membership. They discuss the pros and cons. By the time they're through, they have a collection of information that cannot be separated from the information and experience they've accumulated along the way. That means that when a leader communicates, it's impossible to detach all the meaning to the word, based on our individual experiences. At the end of a discussion that includes an upcoming event, they may either include too much information, or too little.
For example, an email announcement from a busy board member may read:
(Too Little Information)
"The Annual Membership Dinner Will Be Next Thursday"
Members weren't in on the discussion. They don't know anything about the event, except what's written in this message - and there is no mention of the start time, place, dress code, contact information, or any number of other considerations. The result may be a lack of participation, complaints, or a bunch of individual emails requesting additional information
(Too Much Information)
"The Annual Membership Dinner Was Changed To Tuscan Restaurant - It's Less Expensive, And We Can't Afford Anything More Due To Our Lack of Active Dues Payments and our Budget Overages On The Last Event."
It may seem unlikely that an email about a chapter's budget crisis could get leaked out to the general membership... but how often have you seen email mistakes? What would just one simple mistake do to your chapter membership?
Either way, the result of a member reading an incomplete or an over-informative message will be damaging.
Okay, so how do you fix this? How do we communicate the right amount of information, clearly, and increase your chapter membership and activity rate?
StarChapter establishes regular, clear communication by integrating membership records, communications, and management reports. The key to communicating clearly is inherently in StarChapter's tools! For example, when you create an event registration, the StarChapter system has built-in checks and balances. StarChapter will prompt you to fill in the necessary fields that are appropriate and necessary - and integrate registration with the membership rolls, up-to-date contact information, and then, with a click of a mouse, you can send email announcements and let all members and prospective members alike register for your event. You can even allow you to take meal orders and payments ahead of time.
In addition to registrations, members can view the website regularly to keep apprised of upcoming events and decisions, provide meaningful feedback though surveys, and with the new blog capability, members can chime in and share ideas and opinions with the board and other members.
The bottom line: StarChapter's integrated tools are the lifeblood of a thriving, effective organization.
StarChapter Makes Clear Communication Easy - And Clear Communication Is The Key To An Active, Healthy Chapter |
