Webinars on how industries are responding to COVID-19? Check. Pop-up Zoom happy hours so colleagues can connect for a moment and not talk about Coronavirus? Check. As I scan the feed, there is another element of connection that organizations should consider - the digital fireside chat.
At times of rapid change and uncertainty, we seek voices of leadership for a sense of stability and unity. While well-vetted emails and missives can succeed in providing information and direction, there is a human element that these don’t embody.
For the next few weeks, associations should consider weekly digital fireside chats – brief, open video invites to the membership at large, each week hosted by another Board member or leader. The organization can provide them with a 2 minute update to kickoff, and then have it be a space where members can give insights to what they are seeing on the ground, ask questions for the organization to explore, or give open feedback on what they need. The objective is not that the Board member hosting is all knowing – they should not provide answers where there isn’t clarity – but that the organization’s leadership is demonstrating a professional caring for their members and the member voice. This is a way to tangibly demonstrate that in this time of uncertainty there are avenues of dialogue and input that connect leadership to those that they serve.
Please select this link to read the complete blog post from LinkedIn.