SHRM VLS 2015

I don’t know how many times I have written this post, and I don’t really care to go count them, but this week is the annual SHRM Volunteer Leaders’ Summit (VLS).  Previously this event has been known as SHRM Leadership (and the twitter hashtag remains #SHRMLead).  I have attended this event in many different capacities. And each time as I attended I felt a different set of responsibilities with my attendance.  This year I somehow feel like I am carrying a larger load, although I am proud to do so and it is of my own choosing.

To the best of my recollection the first SHRM Leadership I attend was when Johnny Taylor (2005-2006) was Board Chair. Mr. Taylor was quite an engaging fellow, and was very passionate about HR’s role in the workplace. He pumped me up and made me a proud SHRMie. I was also introduced to the Pinnacle Awards at my first Leadership Conference.  I recall being so moved.  The work these HR pros had done and continued to do brought tears to my eyes. They were amazing! I knew then I wanted more of that – whatever that was.

Today I have gotten more, a lot more. Ten years after my first leadership conference I was asked to be a one of the judges for the Pinnacle awards for 2015.   I was truly humbled, and accepted without question.   This meant I got to read about all of the work that fellow HR people were doing out in their world.  Upon completing my review of the submission, I was reminded of how awe inspiring these activates truly are. Most of the submission came in the areas of workforce readiness, assisting veterans and generally helping people better themselves for their jobs, their work or the task of finding work.

The part that resonates so with me is this.  Nobody told these people, to do this or how to go about it.  There were no specific templates to follow.   These HR pros in their chapter, saw a need and took the bull by the horns and with tremendous tenacity and grit they tackled these issues, in ways that worked in their communities.

So when the awards are handed out, sadly not every chapter will get an award, but this in no way diminished what they have done.  They are all winners as I see it because they had the guts to take on some tough problems.  If you do not know about the Pinnacle Awards I suggest you Google them and learn a little more, so when the awards are handed out, you really understand why the winners cry, scream, shout, jump and down and hug anyone within reach – because no matter what they have done, to even be considered for this award is nothing short of amazing!

Let’s connect in Washington DC

-       Dave Ryan ISC SHRM Director Elect

The Cliff - The Hill And A Voice

The ILSHRM Crew posing before lobbying.

The end of the year has passed now, and the jury is still out on whether or not my efforts and the efforts of 380 of my SHRM peers will really pay dividends.   During the SHRM Leadership Conference, we were part of the largest contingent from any Leadership Conference to storm The Hill.   Our message had mostly to do with preserving existing tax code, for employee benefits.  We spoke about preserving benefits for college reimbursement, health care deductions, and the continuation of tax credits for retirement contributions. So with the Fiscal Cliff behind us it would appear that our efforts were effective, in as much as we did not hear about these benes  being whacked, in the 11th or maybe I should say 26th hour.  But this whole mess got me to wondering, did our efforts really matter? Was it worthwhile?

I have been involved in business and life long enough to know that you don't win all the battles, just ask Mr. Obama or Mr. Boehner.. Sometimes any small success is a victory. So even if our trip to The Hill does not result in the exact outcomes that we desired, we (all of us who participated) all made progress in the relationship building area.  This is largely what the whole effort  of going to Capitol Hill, is all about, the relationship thing,  I like many others am trying to build a relationship with our folks in Congress, so that if they ever have questions or need information about HR, they might contact me.  Remember, and the SHRM A Team tells  us this repeatedly, there are only two members on Capitol Hill who have any experience as an HR practitioner.  You can do the math 2 divided by 535 is 0.003,  three tenths of one percent, a very small minority.

These folks in Congress are busy every minute of the day and if you can make just a small in-road into getting their ear about an issue or two that is a success. While we did not get to speak to either one of my Illinois Senators, my group did get to speak with our Congressman Aaron Schock from Peoria, IL.  Rep. Schock listened to our issues as did his staffers.  As for the Illinois Senators, we did not see Sen. Kirk as he was still recovering from a stroke.  Regarding Senator Durbin, nothing was said regarding his whereabouts.  We did meet with one of his staffer, who was most gracious and attentive - but at my advanced age they all (All Congressional Staffer) make me feel like I am talking to my children.

While some of the HR folks who attend the Lobby Day are overwhelmed by the whole process, I find it exciting and invigorating to be that close to the process and to think that I actually do.... have a voice!

-Dave Ryan Director of Social Media ISC-SHRM

On Vacation at SHRM Leadership

Our guest blogger is Danny Ryan. Danny is on a mission to more effectively educate and empower principled leaders. As such, he is currently employed for the Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity (PIKE) as the Director of Online Education and Innovation. He graduated from the Missouri University of Science & Technology in Rolla, Missouri with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He is an avid runner, golfer, and ice hockey player. He currently resides in Memphis, Tennessee with his long-time girlfriend Shahd and their long-haired, miniature dachshund, Zeppelin. You can find him on LinkedIn or Twitter .

Not many folks would take a vacation to a Human Resources conference, yet I was a “tourist,” in every sense of the word, for the Wednesday and Thursday of the 2012 SHRM Leadership Conference. Since I work for a membership-based organization that is similar to SHRM, it was much like a visit to another country.  Luckily I had a “local,” my father, Dave Ryan, who could help show me the sights and sounds during my journey. These are a few of my observations (relative to my own experiences with membership-based organizations) while diving into the unknown world of HR professionals.

Danny in front of the Gaylord National - the Conference Hotel.

The venues used to entertain the SHRMites were unbelievable! The hotel that hosted the event was extravagant beyond belief. I have been to numerous conferences before but the size and scope of the Gaylord National took conference hosting to another level. I could not tell at first whether the conference attendees demanded a place with such extravagance or if it was simply a way for SHRM headquarters (the equivalent of “Fraternity Nationals” in the world that I work) to reward volunteer leaders, because this was the conference for those in leadership positions, but as I met more attendees I started to believe the latter more than the former.

Moving on, the SHRM headquarters was a site to see in its own right. The headquarters was a substantial five story office building that looked very new and housed numerous employees, which I did not quite expect from my experience in non-profit membership organizations. It was great getting to explore the headquarters because it allowed attendees to not only view the grounds, but, thanks to some added flare, advertising the upcoming SHRM national conference in Chicago, it also put some personality to the SHRM staff, which is rare in my experience.

In addition to visiting SHRM headquarters, I was also able to attend a few other sessions on the action-packed conference agenda. A highlight of the agenda was visits to Capitol Hill for groups to meet with their state representatives and senators. Despite me skipping this occurrence to be a tourist in our nation’s capital, the visits seemed well-organized and heavily attended. I was not unfamiliar with these visits since my industry organizes similar trips, but it did make me question the effectiveness of these visits since the politicians are more than likely bombarded with different visits weekly, if not daily. I suppose that it cannot hurt to continually fight for their attention though.

The opening session was very typical of conference openings with the excitement and array of introductions, but it also offered an opportunity for conference attendees to network. Granted the grouping of people by regions limited the initial networking and the rock-paper-scissors exercise later did not really produce actionable networking conversations, the fact that networking was incorporated into the first session was something that I had never seen. While I am on the topic of networking, I want to discuss the best part of the conference – the attendees. All of the “locals” were more than welcoming to me as an outsider. They brought me in as one of their own and allowed me to participate in everything. It was great getting the opportunity to meet so many people who are driven to excel in their profession. I noticed that the more successful/driven people were in their field, the more likely they were to have the most during the conference. I am unsure what each of the individuals is like in a normal day but it seemed like most of the people were so excited to be at the conference to be around others who have the same passion and drive (aka they drink the kool-aid) for their profession that they simply wanted to celebrate – and that they certainly did. I like to call this a “work hard, play hard” mentality that I believe is consistent within most volunteer organizations.

This was interesting but not surprising to me; at least not as surprising to me as the lack of my fellow young professionals (yuppies). It may be because this was the SHRM Leadership conference, or because most attendees of these types of conferences are established in their career, or perhaps because everyone my age is still struggling to find their profession but there was an apparent lack of young professionals at the conference. I am not sure how to fix this but it was certainly something that caught my attention, and I am sure the staff at SHRM headquarters is working to address that issue.

In addition to that surprise, I was also surprised about the language barrier. The attendees spoke the same language as me, yet they seemed to communicate in a very different manner. Many of the attendees seemed to be glued to their phones. They had much to say but it was as though the “natives” could only communicate via Twitter. And if that weren’t enough to confuse me since I am not a heavy Twitter user, I felt like a tourist frantically flipping through his pocket dictionary trying to translate the HR language as I experienced tchat (should that be hashtagged?). Needless to say, I hope I am able to correct my language inefficiency prior to my next HR conference.

Overall, the SHRM Leadership Conference was a tremendous experience. It went by too fast and I wish I could have experienced more, but I am so glad I had the opportunity to experience it, and, more importantly, meet, what my mother calls, my father’s “imaginary friends” he frequently talks about. I am unsure if and when I will attend another SHRM conference but I will certainly not forget the relationships I made. I will not list everyone I met but I cannot thank you all enough for making my journey into the HR world unforgettable.

SHRMLead Update

This is day two of the Leadership Conference.  We are a new location this year and there is a  different feel, a different vibe here.  The property, The Gaylord is nothing less than magnificent, the facility is huge and there are other events of equal size going on here.  You can almost get the feel of a three ring circus - just a lot going on here.

Thursday gave us the obligatory sad to see you go for outgoing Chair Jose Berrios.  Hank Jackson also addressed the group and was well received. In total I understand there are about 1000 attendees.  Nearly 400 made the trip to Capitol Hill on Lobby Day.  

The  huge hotel atrium overlooking the Potomac River.

While the sessions have been good I have heard negative comments about the food, the heating, the front desk billing issues and I hate to say it but the complete lack of wi-fi service in any of the conference rooms. Not that we  ever had that at the Crystal Gateway - but I keep hoping someday that as much as SHMR purports to be social media friendly, that they would have free and open wi-fi at ALL OF THEIR EVENTS..

Another thing that I have been made aware of is the seeming lack of young people in chapter leadership positions.  I don't know how or why this is, but it appears to be evident, as this was pointed out to me by a young attendee.

Now with all of that said, the conference is GREAT.  This is a wonderful time to get together with other volunteer leaders and share information, practices, stories and maybe a few drinks. I will be following up with a couple posts on the hill visit, a couple conference session and what the collective take always for the largest contingent of Illinois HR pros to ever attend the event.  My count had 40+ red shirts at the event - perhaps the largest group from any state.

The closing dinner is yet to come, so there will be more from the Pinnacle Awards and the Saturday's closing sessions.  I hoped to give those not in attendance a little flavor of the event.   If you are on-site please comment on my observations. I would like to know if others agree or disagree.

-More to come...

Dave Ryan Director of Social Media ISC SHRM

SHRM Leadership 2012

It is November.  In SHRM circles it is time for the annual pilgrimage - or at least that's what it seems like. Every year in November SHRM holds its annual SHRM Leadership Conference. Hundreds and sometime more that 1000 SHRM volunteers from all over the globe travel to the Washington D.C. area and hear what it's all about. I have been fortunate to attend this event a number of times, in my different roles as an active SHRM Volunteer.  So for me each year the conference always offers something old and something new.

This year, for the first time in a long time the event itself is going to be held in a different location.  For many years the event was held at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Crystal City, VA. I always found the place to be very nice. You can board the Metro, shop underground or dine without going outside from the hotel. I always thought that was kind of neat.  Nonetheless, this year's event is going to be held at a new facility The Gaylord National Harbor Hotel and Convention Center, which looks like a pretty swanky place from what I can tell.

I used to thing the The Leadership Conference was really a single purpose event where SHRM Leaders welcomed and thanked their loyal volunteers for their work, and then showed them the way; by explaining in  a deep rich way who SHRM really is, what their mission is and how each person in their role as a volunteer is a vital link in the chain.  While this is still true, as a sage veteran I have also come to understand that there is something else equally important as a part of the conference. That part of the conference is SHRM Lobby Day.

Congressman Schock touring our production facility.

Last year was the first time that I had participated in this event. What is SHRM Lobby Day - in short it is a large contingent (2011 was 400+)of SHRM members descending on Capitol Hill, meeting and greeting with our elected representatives in our roles as HR Professionals.  We were well prepped at breakfast, by the SHRM Legislative Affairs team,   then given our mission,  We went to the hill and  met and spoke to the legislators and their staffs, on issues important to SHRM.   (If you want more detail you can read a post from last year.)

I am participating in SHRM Lobby Day again this year.  In fact, that one visit has lead to me developing a solid relationship, and a visit to my workplace with my Congressman Aaron Shock.  I strongly urge anyone who is planning on attending to participate in SHRM Lobby Day, it will be good for you, your employer and for SHRM.

Lastly as an "old dog" I really enjoy getting to the mothership (SHRM Headquarters) and seeing all of the people who have I become really good friends with over the years and who have helped me succeed in my volunteer SHRM roles. So watch out Mr. Midkiff and Ms. Hughes, I will be looking for you when I am in town.

- Dave Ryan Director of Social Media ISC SHRM

SHRM Leadership If You're Going to Go, Go All In

Amy Dillman

If there's one thing I learned at the SHRM Leadership conference last week it's that these people, these wonderful volunteers, don't do anything half way. They're away from work but still check their emails on route to a session and tap their laptops like they're cracking code all while networking, learning and engaging for the betterment of their chapters and for SHRM. They know to take full advantage of the SHRM Leadership opportunity, so they meet, mingle and Tweet. Those from Illinois, even do it in matching red shirts. It's the ultimate show of supreme multi-tasking. It's also the absolute example of dedication.

And SHRM has dedication. Every year, the SHRM Open House continues to be an enjoyable, light-hearted kickoff to the weekend. These guys were ready for us and are ready for Atlanta 2012. There were Coke vs. Pepsi challenges, Atlanta trivia, an HRCI birthday party complete with cupcakes, and We Know Next swag.  Did you get your custom made luggage tag? The best moment, for me personally, was when I ran into those dedicated SHRMies, Lisa Horn and Michael Layman. Have you had either of these two to your chapter? You should. If you didn't go, you missed out. If you did go, and didn't feel a renewed energy and purpose, you still missed out. I would imagine it would be hard to find a SHRM volunteer who wasn't motivated to lead after that night.

But really folks, how can you not get motivated? With an entertaining and enlightening line-up, including my personal favorites RyanEstis, Pam Green and Joe Gerstandt, you have no choice but to get pulled in by their passion (that's for you, Ryan). All fluff and prose aside, there were sessions for everyone and for every purpose. Need guidance to lead your chapter? Check. Looking for ideas for membership development? Check. Want real, concrete methods and instruction on chapter practices? Check. Check. 

Now just so you don't think I'm a complete pom-pom wielding cheerleader, there was room for improvement. I love a good motivator, but the butterflies on the screen were a bit much for me, but that's just me (ask me about that off line). Many of us wanted a good, hands-on development lab for working on our chapter websites. There was no conference wi-fi (thank God for my mi-fi). And yes, there's just never enough time to ask every question and meet every person. Regardless, I am a crusader for the cause and of SHRM. I believe in HR. It's a strong, invaluable component to bottom-line results and of positive employee work life. And yes, it's a necessity to organizational success.

So, drink the SHRM Kool-Aid. Get on board. Learn your craft. Maximize your ability. Share what you know. Volunteer.

If you're going to go, go all in...and introduce yourself to someone in a red shirt.

Amy Dillman - President Elect for the Central Illinois Human Resources Group (Champaign. IL).  You can find Amy on twitter as @RhumbarFan and on LinkedIn.

SHRM Leadership Wrap-Up and Overview

The SHRM leadership conference is now over for another year. It was my fifth time to attend. I am fortunate to be that lucky.  The event is truly marvelous because the SHRM staff all go way out of their way to make the attendees/volunteers feel like royalty. It is the. volunteer leaders that do a huge amount of work to help keep SHRM moving forward, but for me I know that I  always get back more than I give.  And I like that.

If you haven't been as lucky as me amd have never attended, here is what you need to do.  Get yourself involved in a leadership role in a local chapter or state council.  Not all members "get" to go,  but if you work hard ad s volunteer in your organization you may get an opportunity to attend.

Do you want to know what the conference is all about?  Well I can't divulge certain information about the secret handshake or the funny hats (see below), but I  can go over the format and the usual things I have seen go on.

Melissa Flores SHRM Staff (Notice Funny/Secret Hat)

The conference officially starts on Thursday, although often times the higher ups or some special committees may have some Wednesday meetings. Thursday morning has usually included prep for, and a trip to Capitol Hill, where SHRM members actually lobby Congressmen/Congresswomen and Senators.  There are also pre-conference meetings, which take place. The meetings end, the Lobbyists return and the conference kicks off with a General Session (all attendees).  The top people from SHRM always address the troops. sharing  information on the direction of the organization. There are several speech and then the attendees are invited to SHRM Headquarters. If you ever attend, I implore you to go to Headquarters.  If you were  not before you went there you will be SHRMalized when you leave!

After headquarters you are on your own to ride the motor coaches or the Metra back to your Hotel. Then you are free to do what you want, in my years of attending this usually involves drinking somewhere till a nearly unreasonable hour.

Friday there is a breakfast (served) General Session with a notable speaker. Later there are smaller breakout sessions (usually by chapter size).  There is a General Session Lunch, with a keynote speaker.  This year's speaker was Ryan Estis, and he killed it! I might also mention that  Ryan was our opening keynote speaker at our 2011 State Conference, where again he rocked the house with a fabulous presentation.

Friday after lunch there are usually a two more breakout sessions.  And again I saw one session that was great.  I saw Chester Elton speak on teams.  He was great.  Chester writes along with Adrian Gosttick and together they are the Carrot Culture and Think Orange,  So two sessions end and then it is the HRCI Silent Auction.  This is also a social hour(drinks).

Left to Right - Jenny Hughes - SHRM, Dave Ryan,
Kathy Plouzak and Donna Rogers - From the Tweet Up

The auction goes until 6:30 and then it is the Friday Night Dinner. Sometime there is entertainment,  this year the Pinnacle Awards were moved to this slot.  I particularly enjoyed them this year as three good friend of mine all were involved with teams that won awards.  Those fine SHRM folks were Cathy Plouzak, incoming ILSHRM State Director, but her Peoria Chapter is who won.  Also winning we're Tara Mauk Arthur for her work with the West Central Arkansas Chapter.  And Nancy Slotnick for her work with the WSC (Washington). Kudos folks!

This year just like last year, there was a Tweet-Up Hosted by The SHRM Social Media Guy Curtis Midkiff!  Drinks, great music, tweeting, funny pictures with old friends and new friends makes for a great event -Thanks Curtis!

Saturday is often housekeeping stuff and the go home day.  This year however there was a lot going on.  Speakers, and a visit from Hank and Jose.  We will look to another ILSHRM blogger to fill in the Saturday portion.

If you do get a chance to go book yourself a couple extra days in Washington,  There is a ton of stuff to  do and see.     Hope to see all of you SHRM volunteers there next year!

-Dave Ryan Director of Social Media ISC SHRM

SHRM Lobby Day

Today was really an amazing day.  I am this guy from a relatively small town in the mid-west.  But today I had an impact on the way our country is governed. While my impact may not alter the events of history, it might.  I was one of 900 people who are in Alexandria, VA attending the SHRM Leadership Conference.  Of the 900 more than 400 of us went to Capitol Hill (The US Senate and House of Representative) as citizens but also as members of the Society of Human Resources Management.

We had been coached in what to do, what to say and how to say it. Still, it takes just a little cache to put yourself in front of your elected official (or one of their staffers) and suggest to them how they should vote on a particular piece of legislation and why they should vote that way.  For me part of that process included telling our elected officials how this bill was going to impact me and my employer.

So after preparing us as best they could the SHRM Legislative Affairs gang put their members on buses and hoped for the best.

Rep Schock with Sandra Donelson

My first stop was Representative Aaron Schock's Office.  My partner in crime for this was Sandra Donelson. She too is represented by Rep. Schock.   We were welcomed into the office and spoke to one of Rep. Schock's staffers, Margie Almanza.  She was most cordial and allowed us to present our case on the H.R. 3094 and S 1843.  We made our case - I am not sure how eloquent, but we did our best.  Then we were introduced to Rep Schock.  We got to speak briefly with him, and talk about our concerns and then were offered a photo op with him.  We were happy to accept.

It was the noon hour and Sandra and I split up.  I headed over to the Hart Building where  I was to have a 1 PM meeting wth Senator Durbin or someone from his staff.   I grabbed some lunch in the basement (with the $10 bill provided to me by SHRM - Yes they were handing out money).

I headed up to the seventh floor to Sen Durbin's Office and hooked up with 7 more of my fellow lobbyists. We were invited in right at 1PM as was scheduled.  We did not meet with Sen. Durbin, which was not really much of a surprise.  We met wtih Nathan Sandals, a Legislative Assistant.  He listened to our concerns and allowed us to make our points.  He was extremely non-commital on everything we talked about.  He did ask a couple questions.  He also said he did not know much about SHRM. We educated him about the organization, its mission, its size and strength.  Our meeting wrapped up after about 30 minutes.  I don' t know that we secured any votes on the two measures, but again we did our best.

I feel proud to have done what I did. I feel fortunate to have had the opprotunity to do what I did. And I hope that our visits changed some minds.

I would like to thank the entire SHRM Legislative Affairs Staff: David Lusk, Michael Aitken, Michael Layman and Lisa Horn.  Thank you for putting this together and giving each of us the chance to feel like we are participating in the democratic process.

-Dave Ryan Director of Social Media ISC SHRM

SHRM Lobby Day

This week I will be starring in my own version of Mr. Smith goes to Washington.  I have the good fortune to be attending the SHRM Leadership Conference. This year there will be over 900 volunteer leaders at the Crystal Gateway Marriott. We will be hearing about the SHRM agenda,  sitting through sessions on agenda items, seeing the Pinnacle Awards being handed out, and networking with one and other.

I will be arriving on Wednesday evening. On Thursday morning I am having breakfast with over 400 other SHMR members and volunteer leaders,  who will be descending onto Capitol Hill as pseudo lobbyists.  Mr.Michael Layman, one of SHRM's official lobbyists has done some cursory preparations with the group last week. He presented an hour long webinar for attendees to hear what our mission was going to be. I have accepted the mission and am most excited about it.

We will be meeting with members from our House Districts in the morning and then with Senators in the afternoon.  While they have prepared us to expect to meet with Staffers in many instances, I am sure a number of folks will actually have a chance to speak to their elected representatives.  SHRM does have an official agenda for each of us, either as groups or individual, to present to our legislators. It is important that we do this.  As it was explained to me earlier in the week of the 535 Senators and House Members - 2 yes Two of them actually have practical experience in Human Resources. Expressed as a percentage 0.4% of our elected representative have HR experience - shocking!

We will have more than 20 attendees from Illinois at the conference.  Of those there will be at least three making the trip over to Captiol Hill . We will share with you our fledgling lobbying efforts later in the week, as well other goodies coming from the conference.  Stay tuned!

- Dave Ryan Director of Social Media ISC SHRM

SHRM Leadership Conference 2011

It happens every November in Alexandrea, VA. It is the SHRM Leadership Conference.  This annual event is put on by the mothership to help spread the word about the SHRM mission and message. If you attend you will find: many first time attendees, many veterans of 10 or more conferences, and many of the SHRM staffers.   The event usually offers up the annual Pinnacle Awards which are awarded at a luncheon, it also includes a trip over to SHRM Headquarters with some excellent food and drink.

It is also a great place to network and meet other people.  But over the years some folks have become concerned about sharing their contact information with other attendees.  Those of us active in the social media are internet extroverts, we want to share and meet new people make new connections, and meet-up in real life (IRL) with people we have met on line.

So having said that at Illinois SHRM we would like to coordinate sharing of contact information for those who wish to do so.  You do not have to participate, but if you do you will be given access to all of the others who sign up to share thier contact information.  This is somewhat of an experiment in using Google Docs integrated into the blog post.

If this works like we plan, we will share with anyone who is interested how to very easily gather data as we are doing here.  If you would like to be included simply fill out this form.  Via email you will then be given access to view the spreadsheet so you may see who all wished to network in somewhat of an open fashion.



Thanks for joining in our networking efforts.

-Dave Ryan Director of Social Media ISC SHRM

Be Polite - And Don't Tweet at the Conference

Day two at leadership is better. We have put sick Uncle SHRM to bed –he’ll be fine. The Friday morning vibe is much better. At the General session there was a lot of talk about diversity, life work balance and social media. Me I am happy to hear the talk of social media.

The morning panel included Eric Petersen, Lisa Horn and Curtis Midliff. The dialogue was great and the audience appeared well caffeinated and engaged. Eric managed to keep diversity on the front burner with interesting comments and information. Not to be outdone Lisa talked about work life balance and her other role in government relations. Then onto my man – who was tweeting while on stage.

Panelist Curtis Midkiff, Lisa Horn and Eric Petersen

Curtis asked for all of the people on twitter RIGHT NOW to raise their hand. My guess is that about 150 people raised their hand. There were supposed to be 800 attendees, so about 20% - not bad. Curtis talked about how to engage and involve chapters via social media. Curtis had some good dialogue and a number of how to question – which he addressed and will continue to do so. Perhaps the best moment of the Q. & A was this. Curtis wanted to address a question that had been posted out on twitter. The message was tweeted by John Jorgensen. Curtis called John out on the question and wanted to address it. John told Curtis that the question was actually from the person sitting next to him, who refuses to adopt any form of social. BAM- score one for the tweeters.