Tips for Component Associations

1. Tips for Component Associations Brenda J. Hurley, CMT, AHDI-F AHDI Speaker of the House

2. Meeting Planning • Here are some tips for meeting planning… Special thanks to Carol Croft, CMT, AHDI-F

3. How soon should I plan ahead for our meeting? It is never too soon. Depending on whether this is one of your monthly, bimonthly, or quarterly component meeting, or whether it is your large once-a-year symposium, getting people to put this on their calendar as early as possible is key.

4. Regularly-scheduled component meetings If it is your regularly-scheduled component meeting, giving the whole year at a time is one effective way. Have these printed out at your first meeting of the year, or, preferably, at the last meeting of the year for the following year. You do not need to have the speakers arranged, but have the dates chosen and even the sites

5. What date should we look at? What days work well for your attendees? If a regular component meeting, maybe a weekday evening would work or a Saturday. Maybe hold it the 2nd Saturday of every month or every other month. Think about using some “pattern” so people can count on when meetings may possibly be happening

6. Having a once-a-year large meeting or symposium Planning and advertising this as far ahead of time is key. Having the date and site of the following year’s meeting available at your current meeting is a great idea, especially if you have an excited group of people at a great symposium. Again, they can put this information on their calendar ahead of time and not try to squeeze it into their schedule or have to make a choice

7. One day or multiday? If this is your first attempt at meeting planning take it easy on yourself and others Do you have a great team to work with, follow-through people? If after helping or planning a couple of times, you may expand your meeting gradually to include perhaps the Friday evening and Saturday daytime

8. Where should we meet? Things to consider Look at where your membership lives Is your targeted meeting area easily accessible by the majority of your membership who attends your meeting? What is your treasury like? Is this something you can afford to have at a restaurant or at a hotel with meeting facilities?

9. Perhaps if your treasury is limited: What medical facilities are available in your area? Do they have a meeting room that would accommodate your attendance? This could be both a hospital or a large medical clinic. Great way to get involvement of the healthcare community Check out community meeting sites, such as a library. There is often no fee to use this room or perhaps a donation. This is also educating your community about medical transcription and the need for continuing education

10. Other options for meetings Have you considered meeting through webinar technology? Student night! Do a tour of the OR, the lab or special departments

11. Some Speaker Tips Consider some topic of major interest to be the last speaker – keeping everyone there all day! Consider inviting a local elected official, state AHIMA president, chief of staff of a hospital, etc., to kick off your day! You would be educating them as well as starting your meeting off on a super note!

12. Speaker Tips Consider a theme – heart, psychiatry, wellness, and choose speakers based on some of these topics Or have a diversity of topics, but interesting topics Consider hard-to-find CE speakers (medicolegal) Consider inviting MT colleagues or other healthcare professionals other than MDs Consider speakers from MTSOs or MT schools Consider legislators Consider someone from the local zoo! Think out of the box for topics!

13. ALWAYS SAY THANKS – TO THOSE ATTENDING AND THOSE WHO HELPED!! IT TAKES A TEAM TO MAKE A SUCCESSFUL MEETING. *

14. What about Marketing? Meetings and events need to be marketed to be successful – here are some tips…

15. How soon do we start advertising? As soon as you have a schedule of meetings, whether your regular component meeting or a larger symposium or membership drive, get that information out. One thing we have noticed is that components sometimes schedule a great meeting with a super line-up of speakers, only to get the information out the month before, or even less!

16. Where/How do we advertise? AHDI web site calendar of events On your component web site Put a small ad promoting your meeting in Plexus – free! On-Line Association On bulletin boards at MTSOs or MT schools Get the email addresses of AHDI members in your area from AHDI AHDI publications With other components Advance calendar of events Newspapers in your area under upcoming events (though this is usually close to the date)

17. Where do we send info? Your old registrations – make a data base of all past attendees and make sure they are on your list Send to hospitals in your targeted area – try to get a contact name Send to local MTSOs and MT schools Get the email addresses for people you are targeting and send out blast emails

18. Where else? Send your information electronically to your colleagues and component associations throughout the neighboring areas. Post it all on your website. Ask to have it put on the bulletin boards, either in the office or virtually, for the schools and MTSOs

19. And more ideas how to spread the word about your events... Write a letter to the editor of the local newspaper. Send your information to the local community calendar of events--radio and TV stations offer this service. Write an article about the event and submit it to the local newspaper. Cover all details in your newsletter/website.

20. Develop your own e-mailing list. Collect all MT prospects in your area. MT employers. MT independent contractors. Vendors. Guests at component association events. Members of AHDI who have not yet joined your chapter.

21. Create a brochure or an e-flyer. Use personal testimonials. Positivity promotes the organization. Be sure to give the contact information for your organization. Be creative, not boring. Be professional but not stuffy. Remember you are representative of your component association.

22. Here are some other ideas and tips! Commit to doing one or more of these to spark interest in current and new members!

23. Tip #1 Assign seasoned leaders to work with new volunteers

24. Tip #2 Don’t let the answer of “no” discourage you!

25. Tip #3 Reasons for volunteering are not all the same.

26. Tip #4 People learn by different methods.

27. Tip #5 No busy work! Don’t waste my time!

28. Tip #6 Deadlines are important – make sure you allow sufficient time.

29. Tip #7 Don’t micromanage or hover.

30. Tip #8 Use technology to make the task easier!

31. Tip #9 Followup and feedback are important both during and after the task has been completed.

32. Tip #10 Teamwork works! “It’s not my job” is never said in groups that work as a team!

33. Networking is truly human connectivity! Connections to people! Building of relationships. Eliminates isolation for remote workers. Becomes of a resource. It is energizing! It really takes a village…

34. Networking is not… just for job seekers. just for those seeking a promotion. just a trend. just collecting names and email addresses. limited to face-to-face events. limited to managers and supervisors. limited to certain age groups. limited to geographic boundaries.

35. Growing Leadership Skills… Recognize we all have untapped potential. Leadership is not telling others what to do, but instead inspiring others to be their best. Look for role models and mentors. Seek challenges – don’t wait to be asked, jump in! Be active in your association - volunteer, volunteer, and volunteer some more! Read, seek, observe, ask…be a knowledge sponge.

36. A potential leader will… Seek clarification by asking questions. Be interested in activities. Make suggestions. Pitch in when given a specific task. Desire for success in the profession Follow up when asked to do so. Want to do things right and on time! But could be waiting for someone to ask…

37. People want to be associated with a winner so be careful with the message that you give. Component associations in “big trouble” can scare off new volunteers as they don’t want to be associated with failure. Or to new volunteers a highly successful component association could seem to be working fine, so they may think that their assistance is not be needed.

38. Everyone gets a “job” Membership application includes a place to check for your choice of “jobs” to select. When no “job” is selected on the form, they will be assigned. Place them in a “job” and on a team where they will succeed. Use the teams to cultivate new leaders. Always thank all those who contribute – it shows what they did was important and appreciated.

39. Volunteering is an excellent way to show your support for your local chapter. Please check at least 1 committee on which you would like to serve. Hospitality _____ Newsletter _____ Program _____ Fund Raising ______ Cert. Connector ______ Bylaws ________ Policies and Procedures ________ Publicity _______ Have detailed job descriptions linked (if online) or available at the time of your meeting.

40. Magnets for Success! Positive energy. Committed leaders. Creativity. Enthusiasm. Teamwork. Pertinent information. Relevant networking. Organized. Fun! Open to new ideas. Activities/projects that make a difference. Clear missions/goals. Supportive environment. Useful resources. Excitement. Friendly – making everyone feel welcome.

41. Real motivation comes when you feel that you have made a contribution! Be sure you clearly share the importance of each assigned project and explain how that contributes to the goals for your component association and to the success of AHDI… Don’t assume they know this!

42. If members followed your example, would they be... enthusiastic a good role model informed of factors impacting our profession an active participant in component association and AHDI activities exhibiting a positive attitude demonstrating professionalism promoting membership

43. Do you remember before there was AAMT or AHDI? Try to picture our professional world without an AHDI. Scary isn’t? It takes resources such as money and volunteers to make AHDI successful. Everyone needs to be working together for us to achieve what needs to be done!

44. Just imagine what AHDI could do with… 50,000 members a staff of 100+ enough financial resources to fund ambitious educational, marketing, and legislative projects. certification respected by all and a requirement to enter the profession. all MTs understanding that membership is too important not to have.

45. You MAKE a difference!

46. Thank you…we do appreciate you! Brenda J. Hurley, CMT, AHDI-F bjhurley@aol.com Speaker of the House If you would like a copy of this presentation, just let me know!