Delegating Effectively

MSAE's Young Professionals Networking Group had a lively discussion about Delegating Effectively and why it's an important skill to learn.

Delegating is a skill that takes practice, communication and follow through.  

Here are the top takeaways:

1. Are you delegating or dumping?  If you are delegating that means you are still held responsible for the task to be completed.
2. Delegating is important as it shows your ability to manage people, tasks and using your resources.  It gives practical and professional benefits.

What hinders someone to delegate?

1. Lack of staff/volunteers to delegate to
2. Time
3. Trust
4. Training
5. Work Styles
6. Fear of Letting Go, Control
7. Lack of follow up, checking in or follow through
8. Lack of authority to delegate

Tasks that are good to delegate are those that are reoccurring.  If a task is never going to be repeated, consider if it should just be completed or delegated.

Follow up is one of the most important parts of delegating. Give deadlines. Schedule touch base meetings. Have the person you are delegating to set the touch base agenda so all of their questions, concerns and touch points are covered.

Other delegating points:

• Delegate the objective, not the procedure.
• Give deadlines, simply saying "when you have time to complete" is not going to work.  There are no clear expectations of the task.
• Give credit and be sure to say thank you.
• Communication is key - know the person you are delegating to and properly explain task.
• Allow for a different view, approach and be open to new solutions you may not have thought of.
• Think long term. Training someone now, can save time in the future.

And remember the difference between delegating a task or dumping a task!

Association BarCamp

MSAE hosted our 3rd Annual Association BarCamp on 9/27, topics were selected that day so they were relevant to the attendee needs, here are the takeaways from each discussion:

Trade Shows

• Focus on education and the exhibitors will come (similar to Ladies Night at the bar)
• Invite exhibitor feedback - form an advisory board and/or gather exhibitors after the meeting to get their input, give them a comment card
• Add a "reverse trade show" component to facilitate further in-depth conversations between buyers and vendors

Finding Time for Follow Up

• Time management - know what time of day works best for you
• Manage your time each day to handle email traffic, come up with a plan for a time each day to respond that is scheduled (beware of others expectations)
• Schedule time each day for follow up

Future of Membership Associations

• What's the future? Adopting a retail mindset - "what do you need today?"
• Being where our members are; mobile devices, learn where they are by tracking their preferences via your website
• Associations will stay as long as they remain relevant; what is the "priceless" value you give to your members?

Collaborating with Other Associations

• Before entering into any collaborative effort, having all parties sign off on a "memo of understanding" that outlines expectations, responsibilities and a time life of milestones
• "Adapt or Die" in terms of staying relevant; collaboration may be necessary to stay relevant
• Communication transparency is key; politics may not be avoidable - know this

Webinars

• Hire a "good" company - reliable, trustworthy, reputable
• Be aware of sales tax issue - new MN legislation regarding "digital products"
• Be cautious of "webinar fatigue" - the word 'webinar' = boring; title your webinars "web conference" instead

Sponsorships

• Engage the sponsors - customize for them
• Unique locations - think outside the box (Extreme Sandbox, Drive a Tank, car dealership, WhirlyBall, Horse & Hunt Club, etc.)
• Sell every space - window clings, foot prints, escalator runners, etc.

Future of Meetings

• Face-to-face meetings vs. webinars - face-to-face meetings are back, format is even changing
• Meetings are more creative, interactive; focus on group participation over speaker, lecture format
• Content of the meeting is key as you need to grab members attention to get them there; getting feedback afterward is key

Apps for Meeting Planners

• Evernote
• Super Planner
• Giant Timer
• Corbin Ball & Jim Spellos' website - tech for meeting/trade show industry

Social Media

• Have a strategy and specific goals
• Find out what target audience is following and tailor content towards it
• Timing - before workday, before lunch, at end of work? Tuesday - Thursday?

Event Marketing

• Use catchy language in subject lines
• Provide incentives for those that respond
• Use creative videos or animated videos in marketing and emails

Online Communities

• Member generated content - discussing together, don't be afraid to ask members to post
• Utilizing as a research tool to prospect new members
• Boost brand value and integrity by strong presence

See photos from Association BarCamp online at Flickr.

MSAE Marketing & Sales Symposium Roundtable Conversation Takeaways

As part of MSAE's Marketing & Sales Symposium last week, members had "Conversations with Your Peers" - here are the top takeaways from the discussions (technology, membership, branding, mobile, contracts, conflict and more!):

Integrated Marketing: Social, Print, Web, Video

• Consistency
• Simplify messages
• Find time to lay out all types of communications you produce and analyze them for consistency, content, etc.

Responsive Web Design: What is it? Why does it matter to your organization?

• Design with responsive in mind
• Design form mobile first - then build to bigger devices
• Think about the three most important things a user would want to see on your homepage

Brand Management

• Consistency is key
• Defining standards
• Use style sheets

Member Replenishment

• Putting members on committees, board - give them a voice
• Photos - communicating "fun aspect" - ID them
• Cross pollination across associations

Contract Negotiations

• Cancellation by hotel clause in contracts
• Mutual respect between meeting planner and hotel
• Spell everything out in the contract, not vague

 Workplace Conflicts - Strategies for Handling Workplace Tensions

• Think through the first words that will come out of your mouth before you start the tense conversation - start with a positive intention, such as, "I want you to be successful here."
• Find the balance between silence and violence.
• Just because you feel comfortable enough to say something to someone, doesn't mean you should.

Tablets in the Workplace

• There's an app for anything
• Microsoft Office can be accessed on your tablet
• iBooks are coming!

Mobile Technology Decisions

• Make sure your devices are compatible with what you do
• Look at the company making your device to ensure they will be around

So What? How to Communicate Member Benefits - Part I

• Can you deliver what you're saying?
• Customized communications - your member will listen
• Benefits is generic - value is the full package, brings more meaning

So What? How to Communicate Member Benefits - Part II

• Segmentation
• Know how your members want to be communicated with
• Meet your member where they are

For handouts from the day, click here.  Hope to see you at next year's Marketing & Sales Symposium!

How to Have Fewer Meetings & Accomplish More

MSAE's Young Professionals Networking Group met to discuss how to have fewer meetings and accomplish more.  The meeting dialogue was based off the book, "Read This Before Our Next Meeting" by Al Pittampalli.

What are the likes and dislikes of meetings?
Likes: decisions are made, collaboration, communication and continuity
Dislikes: too many people, repetitive, information is just being shared and many others

Ask yourself what do meetings cost. For example take the number of employees in your staff meeting times an average hourly wage to get a total.  Is your organization getting that amount or more out of that staff meeting?

Meetings are for:
1. Brainstorming
2. Decisions
3. Coordination

The Modern Meeting Agenda includes:
Topic, date, meeting location and time.

In addition, there is a meeting leader and decision owner.  Let those you send the agenda out to know what decision you will be talking about.

List which attendees you would like to be present. If any names listed don't feel they have anything to contribute, they wouldn't attend.

Include items you want attendees to read or review before the meeting. If they do not do so, ask them to leave the meeting.

State your objective.  What support or coordination are you looking for.

Tell attendees what is at state.  List the who and what your decision is going to impact.

Lastly, include any background information that may be important to the meeting.

After the meeting send out a memo.  This memo will include final thoughts and decisions.

Resources:
"Read This Before Our Next Meeting" - Al Pittampalli

TED, Trends and Non-Members

Top takeaways from the Feb. 23 Senior Staff Networking Group meeting:

• TED.com - Ideas Worth Spreading - Share your association's videos and best practices on Ted, it's great for you and your members!
• 11 Trends for 2011 - Video and social media are a must, if you aren't doing it - someone else is. Check out the other trends to watch this year (from the MSAE Speakers Showcase on 2.17.11).
• Send a blank newsletter to non-members (or past members) who should be members - will show them what they're missing.

Cognitive Surplus

Last year, I had the opportunity to see Clay Shirky live at the DigitalNow Conference in Florida. Shirky is the author of “Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations”, the recently released “Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age”, and a teacher of New Media at New York University. His insights into the new media were both scary and exciting for associations. We knew that things were changing.

A couple weeks ago, I was sent a video (from June of this year) about his idea of “Cognitive Surplus”, which is the shared, online work we do when we’re not doing our jobs. I was struck that there is a connection between the idea of cognitive surplus, and our ability to engage members and get them active in associations. I’m sure that there is an entire white paper that can be written on this, but given the beautiful summer weather outside and the fact that it is Friday, you’re only going to get some bullet points from me.

• There is a plethora of volunteer time available. In the United States, more than 100 million hours this weekend will be spent watching the ads between television programs.

• Technology has created endless options for people to get involved online. You know “that” guy in his basement being an on-line wizard or dungeon master – he’s contributing. How great would it be to get that sort of dedication to your organization?

• No matter what level the participation, be it posting funny pictures in a chat room or working with a group of physicists to create a proof – it is still participation.

There are one trillion hours per year of participatory value up for grabs, and we’re in the midst of an entire generation that, when given the opportunity, are willing to produce something online and share it. It’s up to us as associations to tap into that cognitive surplus.

Here is a link to the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu7ZpWecIS8