My goal for DWAA is open communication from the board to all members and vice versa. I believe that increased and improved communication will benefit the organization as a whole. One of our current issues, it seems to me, is that members disagree with decisions made by the Board without any understanding of the factors that went into making the decisions. If the reasons were shared, more people might agree with decisions, and if not, at least have a better understanding of why those decisions were made.
I suggest that all the minutes and votes of any board meeting be made available publicly to members just after the meeting ends, both in Ruff Drafts and in the Forum. I would like to see all board members active on the DWAA Pro list; the members on that list are the heart and soul of DWAA, and our most active communications occur there. One positive aspect about using the list is that anyone who wants to has access, and there’s a filed record of posts, which you don’t have with telephone calls.
What I believe most strongly, not surprisingly, is that both sides of any issue facing our membership should be made clear in Ruff Drafts. We gain nothing by suppressing information, and gain everything by engaging in active communication. We are an organization of writers and journalists, and it behooves us look at both sides of an issue before making an individual decision on that issue. What we have now, along the lines of Cool Hand Luke, is a failure to communicate. Given that our profession is all about communicating, I hope that we can eliminate the failure to do so.
Join me in voting for Deb, Liz, and Susan in the election. I am voting for them because I believe they can bring about the open communication in what should be an engaging, interactive organization.
I suggest that all the minutes and votes of any board meeting be made available publicly to members just after the meeting ends, both in Ruff Drafts and in the Forum. I would like to see all board members active on the DWAA Pro list; the members on that list are the heart and soul of DWAA, and our most active communications occur there. One positive aspect about using the list is that anyone who wants to has access, and there’s a filed record of posts, which you don’t have with telephone calls.
What I believe most strongly, not surprisingly, is that both sides of any issue facing our membership should be made clear in Ruff Drafts. We gain nothing by suppressing information, and gain everything by engaging in active communication. We are an organization of writers and journalists, and it behooves us look at both sides of an issue before making an individual decision on that issue. What we have now, along the lines of Cool Hand Luke, is a failure to communicate. Given that our profession is all about communicating, I hope that we can eliminate the failure to do so.
Join me in voting for Deb, Liz, and Susan in the election. I am voting for them because I believe they can bring about the open communication in what should be an engaging, interactive organization.
3 comments:
Great post Phyllis. I plan on voting for the alternate slate in the upcoming election. The members of this slate, particularly Deb E., were the first people to welcome me to the group and really make me feel a part of things back when I first joined DWAA a few years ago. I have the utmost respect for all of you and sincerely hope this election will bring about the changes DWAA so desperately needs!
Teri Wilson
Teri Wilson ~ Romancing the pet lover's soul
www.teriwilson.net
Thanks very much, Teri!
I am amazed that Phyllis would pull out the Paul Newman card at a time like this :))
And Teri - we had so much fun at that banquet!
Bottom line - the members deserve & need to know what is being done in DWAA. The PEOPLE/MEMBERS are what make DWAA such a special organization & they deserve to have a voice - or at least be notified of the decisions made on their behalf.
Deb E
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