Manager’s Report: Giving & Getting to/from Your SIG

By Lois Marsh, SIG Co-Manager

OK, I’ll admit it...sometimes volunteering for our SIG is a tough slog.

There are times when I resent those precious hours I have to carve out of my holiday preparations - to help get the newsletter out, or to welcome the latest new members to our virtual community.

Then I remind myself how great it feels to be able to share experiences with my peers - people with many years in our field, or those who are just getting started who often have a fresh view on old problems. Volunteering brings me especially close to many of them.

I’d like to convince some of you to jump in and volunteer, too. In this issue, you’ll see a number of volunteer opportunities.

Or if you’d like to just "dip your toe" into volunteering, there are lots of finite tasks or small projects that need doing and don’t require a big commitment. Here are some of the reasons you should go for it:

Five good reasons to volunteer for your SIG...

1. Develop a stronger peer network. Society volunteers form a special and highly visible group in their field
2. Tune into trends and new ideas within the profession
3. Influence the activities of your SIG
4. Volunteer participation in professional societies is perhaps the most tangible evidence of commitment to your profession
5. It’s personally rewarding. Many of us have developed close friendships with other volunteers

Getting the best from your SIG...

During our October SIG conference call, we discussed what services are the most valuable to members. The following is a summary of your responses:

Industry news and trends. What is happening and what are the latest developments affecting our work?

Tips and tricks for our area of practice (could be related to technology utilized, problem situations encountered or just something as simple as 'this worked for me in this situation').

Networking and peer interaction

Everyone agreed that 'meaty' discussions on the listserv were something on which they placed a significant value.

Moderated or purposely posed questions or topics to stimulate discussion were suggested.

We have attempted this in the past with limited success, but we can certainly try it again. Perhaps rewards for the most stimulating post each quarter might do the trick!

A teleconference style presentation of topics was also suggested. These should be low tech, cheap or free to attendees and cover targeted subject matter. Dawnell suggested that progression session topics presented at the conference might be adapted to fit this format. Our SIG has a budget for teleconferencing lines, and other SIGs have done this.

Wishing you a fabulous holiday season...

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Diwali, Eid or one of the many other winter celebrations around the world, Dawnell and I would like to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season, and a prosperous new year.

And if you’re in Australia or other points south, have fun on the beach!