Communication

[John Pruitt CPF]

As mentioned previously, your Board will focus on communication during this year. Each member of your Board will be listening to and speaking to Chapters which have been assigned to them as a liaison. Half of communication is listening. We are asking each Chapter a few questions. Do you have an active Board? Have you complied with all regulations required of a Chapter? What are your problems? What good things have happened in your Chapter recently? Then, we listen to their answers.

The intent is to "draw" a profle for each Chapter. We will compare it with all others to determine common challenges and, hopefully, common benefits being experienced by our Chapters. Without a fairly thorough review, we won't know which problems are the most important requiring attention. Likewise, without noting the good things we will not be able to pass the good things on to other Chapters.

We will organize the info, make some conclusions and pass the info and our thoughts on to Robert Grothues, MCPF, the new Chairman of our Chapter Relations Committee.

Your Board wants to make sure our Chapters realize that their health is of extreme importance. We want to communicate to the Chapter leaders and all members that their interests and problems are PPFA interests and PPFA problems. AND, we want to establish solid and continuing communication with them.

John Pruitt, CPF
President, PPFA

 

[Ormond Williams MCPF]

This is good news, John!
As the former Chapter leader of Australia/New Zealand chapter, there was little communication from the board. I'm pleased to know that this will change. We sometimes feel like we are not included as we should be!

I'll be doing the next chapter newsletter and would love to be able to include a message from the President to members in this part of the globe!

 

[Kai Vanuffelen]

It will be nice to receive newsletters from the Australia? New Zealand chapter as to what is going on in this chapter with regard to events, developments, meetings. So far I have received none. Not even an introduction from the board in my chapter. As if our chapter has no board.

 

[Dave Wetterstroem]

As an outsider, even I recognize that communications is an issue. In my "focus" thread, Cliff had mentioned that several of the ideas had been tried but that they were barely/rarely used. I read this as being a communication issue that the members didn't know that the programs existed. Also from an outsiders point of view, these programs should be touted as a membership benefit instead of just sitting in a dusty corner of the internet.

 

[Ormond Williams MCPF]

Kai,
All 20+ newsletter that I made in the three years I was leader were supposed to have also gone to NZ members. I was under the impression that that happened. I'm sorry that it has not happened.
It may be because of the strange way NZ is administered by PMA NZ.

Perhaps our new president might look into that too?
I'm actually compiling a list of stuff that needs looking into and will pass it on to Board Member Jared Davis!

 

[John Heltman]

Do you have an active Board? Have you complied with all regulations required of a Chapter?

John, This a wonderful idea. Getting "out front" on commuications is the only way not to have to play catch-up with most rumors, tall tales, etc. If I may, when asking if you have an active board - ask if they are all current PPFA members. Also, asking is nice but remind them that compliance is NOT an OPTION. When the by-laws uses the word SHALL = you will. Non-compliance could lead to the IRS taking away the 501c3 (non-profit status) from PPFA/PMA. I wish you and your board members nothing but good luck and keep the communications coming.:thumb: John Heltman

 

[Russ Wood]

John, as part of communication, I know one of the issues is being able to get together because of geography.

I know many of us (some of us? a few of us?) have I-Pads and there is an app that comes with it that I believe is called "FaceTime" .I use it to see and talk to my son in Ithaca New York and I live in Denver. He even can hold it up to his telescopes so we can see the birds in his yard. (He is an ornithologist). I know it works similar to Skype, but you can move the I-Pad around to show things.

I don't know if there is a way that one could have group meetings via Face Time, but even if you could only do one-on-one (or in pairs) if you had a group of 4 or 5, and each had an I-Pad, you could double the number of people attending. I have even thought about using it for training. For example, I do a lot of painted bevels and other stuff. I might be willing to do a 30 minute training test to see how it would work, and what problems might occur, if anyone thought the test might be successful.

 

[Cliff Wilson MCPF]

John, as part of communication, I know one of the issues is being able to get together because of geography.

I know many of us (some of us? a few of us?) have I-Pads and there is an app that comes with it that I believe is called "FaceTime" .I use it to see and talk to my son in Ithaca New York and I live in Denver. He even can hold it up to his telescopes so we can see the birds in his yard. (He is an ornithologist). I know it works similar to Skype, but you can move the I-Pad around to show things.

I don't know if there is a way that one could have group meetings via Face Time, but even if you could only do one-on-one (or in pairs) if you had a group of 4 or 5, and each had an I-Pad, you could double the number of people attending. I have even thought about using it for training. For example, I do a lot of painted bevels and other stuff. I might be willing to do a 30 minute training test to see how it would work, and what problems might occur, if anyone thought the test might be successful.

Russ, FaceTime is an apple product. Skype is independent and works on various platforms. You can get a free Skype app for your iPad. There are a number of chapters that have introduced Skype board meetings - The upcoming Arizona meeting is Skype based.

It's being done in various places.

 

[Russ Wood]

Russ, FaceTime is an apple product. Skype is independent and works on various platforms. You can get a free Skype app for your iPad. There are a number of chapters that have introduced Skype board meetings - The upcoming Arizona meeting is Skype based.

It's being done in various places.

Great! Thanks Cliff for that info. I'm not that computer savvy so I didn't know that Skype was also available on smaller devices.

Can someone let us know how it goes and what works well during this type of [board] meeting, and what we might need to do to make them better.

I know that the attendance at our Chapter meetings is generally light and primarily of those close by. If Skype could also be expanded to not only include our board meetings, but even regular meetings, our attendance should increase.

 

[Gail Poshepny]

Great! Thanks Cliff for that info. I'm not that computer savvy so I didn't know that Skype was also available on smaller devices.

Can someone let us know how it goes and what works well during this type of [board] meeting, and what we might need to do to make them better.

I know that the attendance at our Chapter meetings is generally light and primarily of those close by. If Skype could also be expanded to not only include our board meetings, but even regular meetings, our attendance should increase.

Russ, I help out a friend with her Chiropractic practice sometimes and she also teaches a series of classes (on varying subjects) throughout the year. Her classes run anywhere between 5 and 25 people. She has one student that lives in Texas (we are in NW Nevada). She had paid for an entire year of classes starting last Oct and has been "attending" via Skype for every class.

We just place the computer in a strategic location so she will be able to see the instructor, some or all of the other students and what ever A/V or dry erase boards that are used. My friend either e-mails or faxes her the class notes or any other paperwork she may need, ahead of time so she can follow along.

She gets her turn to speak, with any discussions we have, just as if she were physically with us. It is fabulous! When we take a break, we simply disconnect and set a time to reconnect with her when the class resumes.

Last week she came in town for a visit and to scope out rental properties (she plans on eventually moving here with her family). I was so surprised to actually meet her "out of the box".

It really IS great. I will discuss doing this with my new chapter leader, as I live 4-4 1/2 hour drive from them. I may not be able to attend every meeting but really would like to be involved.

Good luck to you.
G