MEETINGS - WE HATE ‘EM AND WE LOVE ‘EM!

In mid-summer as Phelps Hobart was planning the upcoming “Rally 2006″ annual meeting, CAPT Bill Sturman, USN (RET), tried hard to make a case for a wide variety of extracurricular activities, particularly social, touring, and adventure kinds of things.

Now fast-forward to 2008 and the upcoming May 24th EXCOM meeting, a situation at the other end of the spectrum. There will be no live in-person meeting. There will be no social opportunities. For the first time, an Executive Committee (EXCOM) meeting will be held on-line, with members seated at the computer in isolation receiving and responding to requests.

The rationale for such a meeting includes but is not limited to (1) meetings are sometimes hated, (2) attendance can be poor, (3) meetings are often a waste of time, (4) frequently nothing terribly important or critical is decided, and (5) it takes time, money, and other resources to attend meetings, particularly if they are at a distance and significant overnight travel is involved.

Bill Sturman seems to be making the point–paraphrased–that “the really important thing is the journey, not the destination,” plus a whole host of events besides the business meeting. Having an EXCOM meeting, for one example, at Vandenberg Air Force Base on California’s Central Coast or at San Luis Obispo offers the opportunity to ride Amtrak, see the beautiful Pacific Ocean and surf from high cliffs, eat in the diner, and have good conversation with others in the lounge car.

The last such meeting at Vandenberg was a solid group around a large u-shaped table, friends and acquaintances, with members offering detailed finance, legislative, area chapter status, and other reports, all taking place after a very nice breakfast in the Air Force common dining facility.

And some of us were having great fun hearing ourselves speak, when others were chatting among themselves quietly. The air was full of energy with all the talk, with just about everyone participating actively, happy to be seen and heard.

There were a lot of presentations with detailed information offered; problems were identified and discussions often led to solutions. There were some interesting outcomes arising from serendipity; the chatter seemed to spark ideas and soon there were contributions made right and left. The meeting itself was a serious time with members trying hard to make a significant contribution, trying to make a difference.

The May meeting will be different because it means there’s going to be work involved. Members will have to write reports for distribution and comment on the statements of others, something that isn’t necessary in a live session. For that reason alone, a live meeting can be attractive indeed.

So as we approach the EXCOM May 24th meeting, we’re going to be cheated out of a travel experience, social contact, fun times with others, and a live meeting with its presentations and discussions. It might be that those who don’t favor live meetings, particularly those set for isolated state sites, might realize that meetings can be productive and the social interactions important. Some are missing the Council’s meetings already.

But at a time when resources are short, it’s important to seek alternatives to live meetings. And today’s technology offers some unique opportunities. It makes sense to give an on-line meeting a try. After all, with plenty of time to think through the issues an on-line meeting might prove to be more effective and efficient.

Still, some of us are beginning to suspect that Bill Sturman has a good point.

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