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CONFERENCE CALL
NOVEMBER 18, 2009
6:30 pm CDT ~ 7:30pm EDT
FOR UP! TEAM MEMBERS
Call: 866-295-5950
Code: 3766519#
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Agenda :
ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS!
UP! Team Leadership
Whatever Else Comes UP!
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Recommended!
For UP Leaders:
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IMPORTANT DATES!
January 10th
UP! Cluster Gatherings
March 7-9
UP! Weekend Retreat
Camp McDowell, AL
May 1-3
MSD Annual Assembly
Nashville, TN
May 29-31
Presidents Convocation
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Mid-South's Theme
for
2008-09
Inspired by Rev. Tom Owen-Towle's book of the same name.
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Hello UP! Folks! 
Here's WHAT'S UP! about electronic communications!
READ ON!
Then join the next UP! CONFERENCE CALL on Tuesday evening, November 18th (see sidebar) to talk and share more about communications, developing congregational guidelines and making the very best use of them.
Also -- mark your calendars for JANUARY 10, 2009 -- the Saturday for UP! Clusters. |
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ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS ! |
"Speak when you are angry - and you'll make the best speech you'll ever regret." Dr. Laurence J. Parker
"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." George Barnard Shaw
Electronic means of communications are each and every one of them fabulous tools when used appropriately. If as we use these tools we remember that 96% of communication is nonverbal and follow a few guidelines.
Deborah Weiner, the Unitarian Universalist Association's director of electronic communication, has advice for using email. "Email is great for arranging meetings," she says, "but not for dealing with complex issues or mediating disputes. Email can easily be misinterpreted because it's impossible to show nuance. I've seen some truly cruel and mean things done with email."
Her recommendations: If you're responding to an emotional situation, let your email sit overnight before sending it. Adopt a measured tone. Don't forward emails of others without their permission. Remember that once you send an email you lose all control of it; it can be copied, sent to others, and quoted out of context even years later.Every congregation should have rules about email, she says. "We can't live without email these days, so we need to live with it. Using an email list is a privilege, not a right. There is no first amendment right to destroy a congregation with ill-considered emails. Don't assume that everyone knows how to act appropriately on email. People don't all come from the same place. You need to spell it out."Other recommendations: Never say anything about someone in an email that you wouldn't want that person to see. If someone wants to have an email conversation about someone else or a complicated issue, invite them to meet with you in person.To read this entire article in interconnections entitled - Email Caution Helps Avoid Damaging Situation go to linkSo to bullet point Deb Wiener's words:
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EMAIL LISTS: The Opportunities and Perils |
Almost all our congregations use email to share news and information, and sometimes to foster community amongst members and friends. Several kinds of email lists are used, differing from one another in purpose, operation and participation. The two most typical types are the 'announcement' list and the 'chat' or 'group' list.
An announcement list is a great tool for a congregation to use! And, because it has built-in constraints, it is the 'safest' kind of list, much less likely to create problems or misunderstandings.
An 'announcement' list is used to share key information about events, activities and milestones connected to the church, its members and friends, the area community, and the denomination.
An announcement list usually has these characteristics:
- it is sent to an intentional list of people who want to be on the list
- it has a 'moderator' or 'publisher' who screens and/or edits postings for accuracy and appropriateness
- it is a one-way communication to which recipients do not respond
A regular weekly announcement posting is a smart habit for a congregation to have. Such a customary announcement is a very particular application of an announcement list - and it can be a very effective, affordable and human energy-efficient communication tool. The regular weekly announcement posting can be plain text or appealingly formatted, sometimes with special software used for electronic newsletters. But, in any case, doing this weekly communication keeps a congregation's members and friends in touch with what's going on at the congregation and builds support for its programs.
Some congregations, or affinity groups within the congregations, have "chat lists" or "group lists." These lists allow subscribers to post to the entire list and respond either to the entire list or to the individual posting. This kind of list is useful for sharing ideas and information among participants. (In fact, this is the sort of list our UP! Program has - the UP! "Google Group" list.)
A chat or group list offers many more opportunities for misunderstandings or miscommunication, however, so it is very important, however, for participants in these lists to understand good email etiquette! (See the companion article on email for more about email guidelines and etiquette.)
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UP! Team and the Congregation
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 As the UP! Team for your congregation, what do you do with this information about electronic communication?
We hope our UP! process can help your UP! Team take steps to make all the communications better. How are you as the UP! Team passing on this information? Who needs to know? Who else needs to know? When and how have you shared?
It is very important that you:
- Understand the usefulness of the electronic tools available to your congregation.
- Talk with the board at your congregation about setting up guidelines for the use of all electronic communications.
- Share all of the brilliant ideas that your congregation has come up with about electronic communications
- Make sure that the leaders in your congregation in charge of the web, newsletters, announcements etc. have this information
We'll talk more about which steps you may want to take next on our November 18th conference call!
Watch the MSD web site for more tools and resources.
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