Attending the AuSAE Conference & Exhibition gives you the chance to meet with other executives and professionals from many different associations and charities from around Australasia. Places are filling quickly and there is only five weeks until registration closes. 

Register now to secure your place and join other association professionals for a great educational program with over 30 sector leaders presenting.

Check out below some of the organisations that are already attending the two-day event in Canberra. We thank these organisations for registering to ACE, some of which are sending up to four staff members!

Not-For-Profit Organisations in Attendance at ACE 2016 (order alphabetically, as at 18 April)

An Asian Perspective

Hong Kong provided more insights and experiences than I expected. The catalyst was the Great Ideas Asia Pacific conference hosted by our (much larger) sister organisation the American Society of Association Executives. There was abundant opportunity to rekindle acquaintances, meet new colleagues and initiate new friendships. The content at the conference was excellent with a focus on digital media, doing business in Asia, governance and also management and events.

However, many of the significant insights for me were either on the fringe of the conference or outside it altogether. As Australians and New Zealanders we can easily take for granted many of our creature comforts – parks and open space, limited overcrowding (even in our biggest cities), labour laws, our clean and green reputation, and our freedom to associate. Those societal benefits, and many others, are enhanced or protected by our vast array of Associations and membership organisations. Did you know that government permission is required to associate in China!

I was encouraged at how progressive and advanced our associations are. Associations and organisations like AuSAE are fledgling across much of Asia, if they exist at all. In many countries there is a ground swell to establish and/or grow associations. AuSAE has been active in the Asian market thanks to the individual efforts of a number of our members. A commitment has been made by AuSAE to actively engage and assist where possible. Our individual (and possibly collective) challenge is to establish how best to achieve that while maintaining clarity and focus on our core purpose.

Whilst our small population (relatively) and remoteness means we don’t necessarily have the scale to maximise cost efficiencies or attract the most competitive pricing, I would certainly prefer to retain or improve upon our existing lifestyle and infrastructure.

Closer to home, I’m sure the AuSAE Conference and Exhibition (ACE) in Canberra will provide significant insights and experiences for everyone who attends. It’s only three and a half weeks away, so register now. Based on a 2 July election, accommodation prices should be coming down too!

PS: If you’re in Honkers, I can totally recommend the view and ambiance of the Ritz Carlton’s Ozone bar and restaurant which provided a 118 story, 484m highlight in the clouds experience for a group of us from USA, India, NZ and Australia. 

New Zealand location, international support

General Practice New Zealand (GPNZ) Chair Shelley Frost first got the idea of bidding for the World Congress on Integrated Care when she saw the residual benefits of Sydney hosting the event in 2014. “GPNZ hosted a two-day event that saw a number of the keynote speakers stop in Wellington en route home to Europe and the UK from Sydney. The idea of getting support for our bid was underway.”

Following a successful bid, the 4th World Congress on Integrated Care will take place November 23-25, 2016 at TSB Arena and Shed 6, Wellington. Co-hosted by GPNZ and the International Foundation for Integrated Care (IFIC), the event is expected to attract more than 500 international health practitioners, researchers, clinicians and policymakers across the health and social care sectors.

Frost notes that, just as New Zealand benefitted from the Sydney congress, a similar arrangement will take place this year, with an event to be held in Australia following the Wellington congress. “The potential for New Zealand and Australia partnering in events such as this is significant and very easy to achieve with the support of Tourism New Zealand and our excellent conference organisers.”

Backing the bid

Frost says that support from Tourism New Zealand’s Business Events team was instrumental in winning the event - and only wishes she had been aware of it earlier. “GPNZ has hosted a number of conferences without any understanding of the support that is possible,” she says. “Tourism New Zealand has been such an proactive, easy group to work with. Nothing was a problem for them. They were so professional, they met challenging deadlines and adapted their existing documentation and materials to the health sector and to our organisation.”

While the event is a win for New Zealand, Tourism New Zealand’s support has been world-wide, she notes. This included funding through the Conference Assistance Programme for travel and accommodation to deliver the bid to the IFIC board in Edinburgh in person. With Tourism New Zealand’s help, Frost arrived with bid materials including a special promotional booklet featuring a letter of support from the Mayor of Wellington, a draft programme and a draft budget. “The promotional video was outstanding, it drew people in and really presented our country well, "Frost adds. “And the Foundation was very impressed with the presentation and standard of the document; so much so, that they are now using it as a template for future events.”

Post-win, Tourism New Zealand has offered ongoing support. “We couldn’t make the 3rd World Congress in Mexico in November in person because it coincided with the GPNZ AGM. Tourism New Zealand assisted with promotional material to be presented there on our behalf, including an update of the video welcoming delegates to New Zealand, and Save the Date cards for a seat drop,” Frost notes. “They are also helping with material for a stand at the International Conference on Integrated Care in Barcelona in May. We really want to hit that event hard to get more European delegates coming to New Zealand. We are looking at silver fern badges and other innovative ways to attract people to this side of the world.”

Tourism New Zealand support even extended to venue-finding and logistical assistance. Organisers particularly wanted to host the event in capital city Wellington to ensure key policy makers would be able to attend. “Tourism New Zealand also supported our attendance at the ‘Show Me Wellington’ event, which really opened up our eyes to what the city can offer and ways we can ‘jazz up’ our conference experience,” Frost adds. “Wellington is a great little city. There are a lot of opportunities. We will hold our conference dinner at the marae at Te Papa which will provide such a lovely, unique cultural flavour for our international visitors.”

New Zealand’s knowledge capital

New Zealand’s health system reputation was another key factor in securing the event. Holding a convention in New Zealand taps into the network of local thought leaders working within healthcare and showcases best practice and innovation. The event has received excellent support from New Zealand’s Ministry of Health, Health Quality and Safety Commission, and the Accident Compensation Corporation as Principal Partners, and Frost is pleased that the great work being done locally can be shared internationally.

“New Zealand has a very good health system, and our meso-level primary care networks in particular are the envy of many other health systems. Our Whanau Ora model is of great interest to other countries as it focuses on people and their families and wrapping services around and across the full health and social care sectors. The benefits of hosting this event are two-fold: We in New Zealand learn from the world leaders in healthcare; plus we have the opportunity to showcase our own initiatives and put our GPNZ member networks on the world stage.”

Planning, prevention is not possible and prediction is fraught.

When you raise this topic, your IT Manager will calmly tell you that they were never given the authority to properly do their job and buy sufficient equipment to cover this contingency. They will also advise you that they are absolutely not responsible for the supply of mains power.

So what to do:

• Check, by careful interrogation, that all critical one way software upgrade operations cannot be compromised should there be an unexpected mains power fail mid upgrade
• Check, by planned demonstration, that the Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPSs) are rated to provide sufficient operation to automatically shut down in a controlled manner. This will prevent any consequences of an unplanned shutdown which will leave the software in an unknown state on resumption of power.
• Check, by careful inspection, that the UPSs' battery packs are within their expected lifetime. If not, they may be useless when needed
• Check, by physical inspection, that all critical systems are provided with a UPS
• Check, by physical inspection, that all critical systems are electrically protected against the possibility of intermittent mains power cycles on/off damaging their power supply circuitry
• Check, by planned demonstration, that when each device is manually powered down for 5 minutes, automatically resumes the expected and correct operational mode when restarted
• Check, by execution from a "newbie" staff member, that the "check lists" used to manually bring equipment to an operational state are complete. If not, instruct the IT Manager to upgrade the instructions and repeat the test with a different "newbie"

So what next? Join us next month to learn more.

You can contact IVT on 03 9723 9399 and talk to our staff about your needs.

Directors of not-for-profit organisations are regularly encouraged to ensure they are aware of, and comply with, the duties and obligations required by the role. However, in addition to knowing what a director must do, and what a director is prohibited from doing, it is also important for a director to know what rights he or she has, and how those rights can be relied on and enforced.

Directors’ rights are outlined in a variety of sources, including the organisation’s constitution, under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (Corporations Act) (for public companies limited by guarantee), under the various State / Territory associations incorporation acts (for incorporated associations) and under the general law. Such rights allow directors to enforce the constitution, provide freedom for directors to participate in the decisions of the organisation and remain in office, and also ensure directors have access to the information and resources they need to efficiently and effectively carry out their valuable role.

The primary rights of a director of a not-for-profit organisation, and some suggestions regarding how to protect and enforce these rights, are set out below.

1. Right to enforce constitution

Section 140(1)(b) of the Corporations Act states that “[a] company’s constitution (if any) and any replaceable rules that apply to the company have effect as a contract … between the company and each director and company secretary”. Similar provisions are contained in some State / Territory legislation for incorporated associations. For example, section 26(1) of the Associations Incorporation Act 2009 (NSW) provides that “an association’s constitution binds the association and its members to the same extent as if it were a contract between them under which they each agree to observe its provisions.”

Whilst there has been an increasing trend for companies to enter into specific, individual contracts with directors, the absence of such contracts does not mean directors are disentitled to enforce their rights. Constitutional rights which may be important to individual directors include remuneration, indemnity and participation in board decisions.

2. Right to participate in board decisions

Directors generally have a right to participate in board decisions, including through receiving notice of board meetings, attending and voting at board meetings, and signing resolutions. The rights, and the mechanisms to ensure these rights are made available, are generally set out in the constitution.

Directors should be aware of the constitutional provisions regarding board meetings and decisions, and ensure any notice provisions are complied with. That being said, the constitution may provide that an accidental omission to send a notice of a meeting to a director, or the non-receipt of such notice, does not invalidate the proceedings of the board meeting, or any resolution passed at the meeting.

3. Right to remain in office until validly removed

The constitution will likely contain provisions permitting a director to resign, and circumstances in which a director may be validly removed, including upon the conclusion of his or her term (unless validly re-elected / reappointed).

In addition to any such constitutional provisions, section 203D of the Corporations Act provides that a director may be removed by ordinary resolution of the members. However, this is contingent on special notice being given and the other procedures required by section 203D of the Corporations Act being complied with. The requirements of this section cannot be overwritten by the constitution, and any non-compliance (including regarding the notice period and requirement to circulate a written statement) will likely result in any purported removal of a director being invalid. In some circumstances, failure to comply with certain provisions of the section may give rise to a criminal offence of strict liability.

Section 203E of the Corporations Act also provides a protection for directors to not be invalidly removed from office. The section provides that any notice, request or resolution of any or all of the directors that purports to remove a director from office is void.

Incorporated associations should consult their constitution and the applicable legislation in their State / Territory for the circumstances in which a director may be validly removed. For example, section 78 of the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012 provides for certain circumstances in which a director (or committee member) may be removed from office, which includes by special resolution of the members. Removal of a director in these circumstances is unlikely to come with the same threshold of protection afforded to directors under the Corporations Act.

It is important for directors to be aware of their term of office, and the constitution and statutory situations in which they are able to be validly removed, before the conclusion of that term.

4. Right to access financial records and other corporate information

Directors have a right to access financial records and other information in the possession of the organisation regarding its affairs. In relation to this important right, the Court has stated:

“It would be difficult for the court to overemphasise the importance of the director’s statutory and common law rights of access to corporate information. They are the foundation of the system of corporate governance as it exists in Australia today. Directors cannot be expected to carry out any of their substantial responsibilities … unless they can be sure of having full and unfettered access to the documents of the company … What should happen, when documents are demanded by a director, is that the gate is opened wide and the director has full and unfettered access at all reasonable times.” (Fox v Gadsen (2003) 46 ACSR 713)

Directors’ rights of access include a right, provided certain criteria are met, to:

(a) access to the financial records at all reasonable times (s 290(1) Corporations Act); and

(b) inspect the books (but not the financial records, which is covered under (a)) for the purpose of legal proceedings (and extends the right to former directors who have ceased to hold office within the last seven years) (s198F Corporations Act).

It is important for directors to understand the circumstances and scope of these rights, in relation to both the fulfilment of their duties and any potential or actual legal proceedings or disputes.

Directors may wish to enter into a Deed of Access, Indemnity and Insurance with the organisation in order to confirm and protect the application of these rights (including a continuation of such rights after they cease to be a director).

5. Right to indemnity

A director may be entitled to be indemnified against losses and expenses properly incurred in the due performance of their duties. However, this right is subject to any contrary provision in the Corporations Act, applicable State / Territory legislation and the organisation’s constitution.

The Corporations Act places certain limitations on the circumstances in which a company may indemnify its officers (including directors), or otherwise exempt them from liability. Similarly, State / Territory legislation for incorporated associations provides varying degrees of prescription regarding the circumstances in which a director may be indemnified. Despite such limitations, there is still scope for indemnity to be provided for directors.

In order to strengthen the protection of former directors (and other officers of the organisation), it is often advisable for directors to enter into a Deed of Access, Indemnity and Insurance with the organisation.

6. Right to access assistance and advice, including to engage external advisors, at the organisation’s expense

There is currently no express statutory right for directors to access assistance and advice in relation to the discharge of their duties, at the organisation’s expense. Such assistance, through proper procedures, may come from the organisation’s officers, employees or external advisors.

Where such a right is desirable, it may be covered contractually, either in the constitution or through individual agreements between the organisation and each director.

7. Right to enforce statutory provisions

Directors, by virtue of their position, generally have no right to enforce provisions of the Corporations Act or other legislation. However, they may have such a right by virtue of other positions held, such as being a member of the organisation.

In addition to understanding their obligations, directors should ensure they are aware of their rights, under the constitution, the Corporations Act (for public companies limited by guarantee), applicable State / Territory associations incorporation legislation (for incorporated associations) and the general law. Organisations that are registered as charities with the ACNC should also consider any additional requirements that may arise from registration. Knowing about these rights, and the circumstances in which they can be relied on and enforced, is an important part of a director’s role, and one that should not be overlooked.

This article originally appeared in Third Dimension – Summer 2016.

For more information, please contact:

Vera Visevic | Partner

T: +61 2 8289 5812

E: vvisevic@millsoakley.com.au

Learn how outside-the-box thinking makes successful leaders. Plus: Commuting doesn’t have to be a nightmare.

Strong leaders are crucial to a strong operation. But while organizations spend heavily every year to ensure that their managers are top-notch, Harvard Business Review contributors Ron Ashkenas and Robert Hausmann warn that associations may not be getting the best return on their investment.

Companies may invest big bucks in leadership training, but many have fallen into the practice of teaching potential managers with a “leadership development ‘equation,'” by which they cultivate their skills and then expect these execs to more efficiently achieve goals.

Taking a different tack, Ashkenas and Hausmann are experimenting with a strategy that requires executives to do critical thinking by presenting them with real-world problems and having them develop the solutions.

“[L]eadership development begins with a real business challenge that leaders need to solve, instead of with a hypothetical case study or simulation,” the authors write. “In order to succeed, they have to act, reach outside of their comfort zone, and adapt their approach.”

The program, currently in its test phase, introduces potential managers to those involved in a specific organizational challenge. After gathering details, candidates are then asked to design and implement a low-stakes experiment to solve the problem.

“The small-scale project would test a possible solution in a low-risk way, in 100 days or less, and without the pressure of having to be right,” the duo explain. “In other words, the main purpose was to quickly learn about what does or doesn’t work.”

No matter how organizations use this method, they agree allowing participants more flexibility is crucial to growth.

“What all of these programs have in common is the belief that by focusing on constant experimentation, leadership development can be a driver for strengthening organizational capability and business success.”

A multilevel membership structure that varies by benefits chosen, not by company size, could eliminate the headache of verifying member revenue or staff numbers. One trade association shares its positive experience with its fledgling tiered-benefits system.

A common source of frustration for executives at trade associations—those with company members rather than individual members—is the verification of company size for the purpose of allotting dues. The concept is simple: For the same set of benefits, big companies (whether measured by staff size, revenue, or unit sales, for instance) pay more, while small companies pay less. But it comes with an obvious problem: How do you ensure every member pays its fair share? The honor system risks enabling freeloaders who understate their size, while verification requirements introduce an undercurrent of distrust between association and member right from the start.

The Portable Sanitation Association International wrestled with this dilemma until about three years ago, says Karleen Kos, PSAI executive director. “It was really basically an honor system, and what was happening over time is that the system disincentivized growth and disincentivized candor, because the larger you got the more dues you were expected to pay,” she says.

The solution PSAI eventually arrived at essentially eliminated the problem. Rather than using company size to set dues levels, it created levels based on varying choices of benefits. As with many other associations that have introduced tiered-benefits structures, the choice is now in the members’ hands. How much they pay is tied directly how much they get. And the incentives now point in the other direction, says Kos

“There is incentive to move up as your company grows, because you’ll save money on things that matter to you. In the same way, there is incentive for us as an association is to engage members more thoroughly in the organization and then to show them ‘You’d be doing better if you stepped up to the next membership level because you’re already using these valuable benefits and paying more for them. In the last year you’ve sent this many people to the conference or you’ve got his many people certified,'” she says.

We’ve examined tiered benefits structures often here at Associations Now, though more commonly at individual membership organizations. Trade associations work in some different ways, but, as PSAI shows, a tiered benefits model can work in that context too. Two key differences are that the dues amounts per member are typically higher for companies than individuals, and the decision to join is often a group decision, rather than a personal one. With more money at stake and more people involved, the transactional value and hard ROI of membership may take priority over intangible benefits and emotionally driven reasons to join.

Hence PSAI’s tiers, which offer specific quantities of specific member benefits [PDF] in increasing volumes and at increasing discounts at each higher level (Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum). The association’s first attempt at the tiers three years ago was both difficult to manage and less successful than hoped, because the packages were loaded with too many low-value “goodies,” Kos says. The revised list of benefits offered in the second and third tiers are now simpler. “We’ve got a basic package of benefits, and that’s the Bronze Level, or the entry level, on both sides [operator and supplier]. With each ascending level we’ve added a small number of things that more engaged companies really do value and buy anyway. Then we’ve packaged it so member companies are, in essence, prepaying at a discount for valuable benefits they would likely have sought from the association anyway,” she says. In cases when packages aren’t used in full, the association comes out ahead.

PSAI is yet another example of letting members and their behavior show you the way. Kos says the prepay model provides “risk management” for both the association and its members. “As an association we’re getting a certain amount of revenue up front that we previously would have waited for til different points in the year. Now we have a better ability to plan, and the members are locking in prices and discounts, sometimes a year in advance,” she says.

Most member companies start at the Bronze level, but when renewal time comes around, PSAI’s nature as a medium-sized trade association proves advantageous, because Kos can easily identify companies that are on the rise.

“As we hear about our members and their company activities, I might reach out to those owners and talk to them about their business, because I like to know what’s going on in our industry,” Kos says, “Then I’ll make a note of it so when it’s time for renewal, or even on that phone call, I’ll say ‘Wow, with that many more employees, you’re going to probably need more certifications, right? It might make sense to think about a higher level next year.'”

The system of multiple benefits packages comes with a couple pitfalls, Kos says. For one, it’s more complex to administer, keeping track of which member companies get which benefits and tracking if and when they’ve received them during the year. (This was especially problematic for PSAI in the first year of the tiered system, when the packages came with a lot of small perks, she says.) But it also forces PSAI to plan carefully and project costs further into the future, if possible, because the rates for membership packages are set yearly.

For instance, the rates for 2015-2016 were set at the beginning of PSAI’s fiscal year, July 1, 2015. A new member company could buy a package in April 2016 that includes two annual meeting registrations and attend PSAI’s Annual Meeting in March 2017, having paid a rate built in to its membership nearly two years earlier. “If we see the need to raise our package costs because our underlying costs are likely going to go up, we have to recognize there’s going to be a lag before we start realizing the impact of that on our bottom line,” Kos says.

Overall, the results have been positive, though. PSAI’s move to a tiered membership structure came after an embezzlement incident had roiled the organization under its previous executive, so the change was part of an overall revitalization for the association, but the past year has been its best year ever for recruiting new members.

“Some of that is certainly momentum from the turnaround,” Kos says, “but I think there’s something to be said too for a member benefits system that makes sense and that clearly ties to value that matters to the members.”

This article was originally sourced from Associations Now and was written by Joe Rominiecki. 

I just back last week from Colorado Springs and ASAE’s Great Ideas conference, where, for the first time, Susan Cato, Director, Digital Strategies and Member Services at the American Society of Plant Biologists, Joe Colangelo, VP, business development at Bear Analytics and I were able to share the huge and exciting work we are doing for ASPB as part of a process of transformational change. Plantae.org is the result, a holistic, content-driven online community that is free and open to all plant scientists.

Main points from the presentation:

ASPB – traditional scientific society, 90 years old, publishes two big scientific journals, Plant Cell and Plant Physiology. 20 staff, 4,000 members.

Business model is under threat from open access – 80% of ASPB’s revenue has come from journals. About 4 years ago realized they needed to diversify their revenue stream, faced with the possibility that their business model was at risk.

ASPB only represents maybe 4% of the total number of plant scientists; wanted to think about how they can increase footprint and provide more value to more people.

Brought in the famous design thinking agency IDEO, to help them go through an ideation and market research process which resulted in a many really interesting ideas for digital products and services that would attract ASPB’s prospective customers.

Resulted in digital products like, a searchable member directory. Professional websites for ASPB members. The Greenhouse – an incubator for crowdfunding for plant science research. A digital career and job training program called Plant Food. MyJournal, which was a way for plant scientists to collect articles into their own library. Each product, however, would need to be individually created and marketed. Beyond the realm of possibility to do it all. 

• Even though the IDEO concepts and recommendations were spot-on, we knew that this was just part of the overall strategy; we needed to improve our value to the community – we weren’t doing a very good job of this. Not only did we have to improve our value, but we had to get serious about expanding our footprint and growing our community. We also knew that beyond our traditional membership – we had a larger community interacting with us…
  
• We started to evolve idea of traditional membership towards the idea of broader community. We were very siloed in our thinking – stuck in the “old” model of membership, so we were not approaching our community in a holistic manner. We needed to truly understand who as in our community, so we brought in Bear Analytics.
  

The seed was planted with IDEO, but it continued to grow with everything Bear Analytics discovered in their data cleanup. Scoured thousands of records in multiple databases, plus market research, including examining organizational records.

Factored in natural abandonment and churn; distilled data down to most engaged based on recency of touchpoints with ASPB, frequency of touchpoints, and specific channels (e.g. journals vs events)

Armed with all this data and research, and the sense that the idea of membership was changing, we realized we needed the infrastructure to support the ideas that IDEO had helped them come up with. We were headed towards a fundamental shift in our overall organizational strategy.

When you put digital products together with a database of engaged people in the ecosystem around ASPB, you get online community.

But you can’t build online community without the infrastructure to support it ASPB went all in and upgraded their AMS and their CMS as well as implementing Small World Labs for their online community platform.

And Plantae was born.

Plantae is an experience; content is what draws people in. We are ensuring that value is provided at all times and in many ways – content is organized in hubs – Research, Career Center, Education, Grants and Funding, Science Policy. We are building valuable content in each of these hubs and throughout the site.

The marketplace powers the experience.

The revenue model – Amazon prime model; the community is free, members can level up for deeper functionality and access. Monetizing products not the experience. ASPB membership is decoupled (you don’t have to be an ASBP member to join Plantae) but ASPB members give you premium access to Plantae automatically. Still in the process of truly understanding how to differentiate Plantae membership and ASPB membership.

This is an incubator project that could evolve in many different ways, and we’ll watch to see what grows inside it. We’ll make decisions based on what we learn. And we know we’re only at the beginning of a long journey.

But if we’re successful, we will have turned a little seed of an idea into a huge, bold innovative project that turns the traditional membership model inside out. And in the process, we’ll have nurtured a huge, thriving ecosystem for plant science – which ultimately is what this is all about.

This article was originally source from Social Fish and  was written by Maddie Grant. 

Panel discussions are still a commonly used format for conference organizers. They’re easy to program and put the kids in the show, but rarely add learning value to the paying participants.

Some of the reasons panels fail to connect include:

• Lack of preparation and take-charge leadership in the learning design.
• Watered down content due to general vs. relevant topics and opinions.
• Low learning value equivalent to a lecture. (Instead of a monologue lecture, panels are often dialogues).
• Panelists forget who they’re serving…the audience!

Today’s premium attendee wants to participate and feel like they’re the fourth or fifth member of the panel. They want to experience a fast-paced, unpredictable, relevant and forward leaning conversation. They don’t want a formal presentation with a moderator who ignores the audience.

Holding Panels Accountable

A big mistake conference organizers make with panels is not holding them accountable for the learning outcomes of the session. Coach the moderator and the panel participants just like you would a solo speaker for any other educational session.

Borrowing from TED’s speaker commandments, we created the Ten Panel Commandments. These commandments may be borrowed in whole or part to help your continuous improvement efforts and speaker coaching. Some organizations make this part of their speaker agreement. Others share helpful tips like these in their speaker portal or bulletins.

Ten Panel Commandments

1. Thou Shalt Serve the Audience. They paid good money (at the very least invested their time) to be there so speak to them (not just each other). Remember without an audience, there is no panel. Don’t make them feel like their ease dropping. Help them solve problems and find solutions. Help them connect the dots. Meaning trumps content; always.

2. Thou Shalt Be Prepared. Research the other panelist’s positions and determine what makes you/your position unique from the others. Keep your answers short and concise. Prepare 3-5 key messages that matter to this audience. Be ready to support your points with concrete examples and crisp, concise stories that humanize your message and drive it home.

3.Thou Shalt Not Bluster. When you are speaking, keep it short. No more than 2 minutes is a good goal. People prefer snappy, well thought out answers to interesting questions. Think and respond in sound bites.

4.Thou Shalt Be Additive, Not Repetitive. Don’t repeat what has already been said by another panelist. Speak up if you have a different perspective or point of view.

5. Thou Shalt Disagree Diplomatically. At some point, one of the panelists will say something that is not consistent with your own view or perspective. You’ve got to weigh in! Respectfully disagree without being disagreeable. Don’t disagree simply because you can. Disagree because the discussion will benefit the audience.

6.Thou Shalt Not Self Promote. Some panelists just can’t help themselves pitching their product, service or company. Don’t be that person. NO ONE wants to hear your sales pitch. Instead, make your comments in service to the audience.

7.Thou Shalt Not Pontificate. Don’t talk down to or lecture the audience. You are there to have a conversation with the other panelists and audience as colleagues, not to serve your ego.

8.Thou Shalt Remember All the While Laughter is Good. So have fun.

9.Thou Shalt Remember Images Speak Louder Than Words. If you’re using PowerPoint use text sparingly. Font size should be 40 or greater. Select an impactful image that conveys your message.

10.Thou Shalt Remember Attention Span Drops After 10 Minutes. Change up the energy every 10 minutes with an audience question, poll, story or 30 second rapid response to a question. Follow TV programming guidelines (commercial break every 10 minutes).

What other commandments would you add? What other interventions have you tried to improve the panel discussion format experience?

This article was originally source from Velvet Chainsaw Consulting and was written by Sarah Michel.  

I’ve been working in internet marketing and SEO since about 2000 and there are several skills I have learned that have been instrumental to my success.

As I moved into teaching people how to flip websites I kept hearing the same concern over and over again, “what do I actually need to know to be successful online?”

I get that most people don’t want to spend all day every day learning how to be a web developer but these 7 skills are absolutely necessary if you want to earn good money on the internet.

1. SEO

I’m a huge advocate of SEO. SEO is amazing because if you can get to the top of Google, you can get free targeted traffic to your website all day.

And because those people are searching for what you offer, that traffic will convert.

But how do you master the art of SEO? There are many resources out there that will teach you SEO. I’ve personally been doing SEO professionally for 14 years and the person I trust the most to give you the most up to date information that is working right now is Brian Dean at Backlinko.

He gives no nonsense training and backs it up by data. In other words, he’s not guessing.

One strategy that I invented myself and have been seeing a lot of success with is what I call building link maps. This in essence is the art of doing link building and then building links to those links (link stacking) in a strategic way so they become more powerful.

2. Email Marketing

It has been proven over and over again that nurturing leads through email will dramatically increase your conversions. People like Ryan Deiss teach very specific methods on how to do this.

There are a few good email marketing platforms that will make your job a lot easier. Here are the tools I actually use:

Aweber – I use them to collect email addresses and send out follow up emails automatically.

Mailchimp – these guys have pretty much the same features as Aweber.

Lead Pages – these guys have pop up windows to collect emails that have been tested and proven to increase subscribers.

SumoMe – similar features to Lead Pages but they do have other tools as well.

In my own businesses, I have seen email follow up increase conversions over and over again and in many different niches. This is something that will mean more to your bottom line than anything else.

3. Evaluating Potential

If you’ve ever spent any time over at my Prosperly blog, you know that I love buying undervalued websites. I am only able to do this if I can evaluate the potential of a website and understand that it is actually undervalued.

Even if I’m not buying a website, if I’m starting an online business from scratch it is the same principle. I always look at what the market looks like, and then I look at what the competition is doing online. Are they proficient in SEO? Do they understand basic internet marketing principles?

When those key indicators match up, I know the potential is there and I feel confident moving forward. If the competition is extremely knowledgeable and deeply embedded in the industry, I will typically move on.

On the other hand, when I find a website that is trying to sell donkey socks, I am able to filter that out quickly because believe it or not the demand isn’t there.

4. Backend Website Administration

I hesitated including this one in this article because, let’s be honest, you started falling asleep as soon as you read the heading for this section.

The reality is, if you really want to be successful online you must get a sound base in html. You must learn how FTP works. At the very least you need to become a WordPress master.

You also need to become proficient in working with images. I use a program called Fireworks from Adobe, but many people use Photoshop as well.

If earning a living online is something you are really serious about then you need to learn how to be a webmaster. Youtube tutorials need to become your new best friend.

5. Increasing Conversions

The only thing better than getting more targeted traffic, is taking the traffic you already have and getting more of those people to give you money.

The reason this is so great is because it is completely in your control. If your website converts at a typical 1%, all you would have to do to double your revenue is to increase conversions to 2%. Easy.

How do you do it?

Split test, split test, split test. Also known as A/B testing, this means you show one version of a page to half of your visitors and show another different version to the other half. Then you see which version generated more sales.

I bought a website with traffic one time and just made a few (but significant tweaks) to the site and in less than 30 days the monthly revenue jumped by 968%.

Google Analytics offers a free AB tool in their software. There are other paid options but I will typically just use Google’s AB tool.

6. Pricing

If you don’t price a product or service correctly, this can quickly put you out of business either because you’ve overpriced your product and don’t get any sales or because you’ve underpriced and can’t cover expenses.

You must learn how to arrive at the perfect price so that you maximize revenue and customers. After all, it is so much easier to sell to a previous customer than to a new one. Maximizing number of sales along with revenue is extremely important for the long term growth of your business.

This goes back to the testing part of this article. You need to test different prices to see which one performs better. This is not something you should guess on. There is too much at stake.

Get the price right.

7. Monetization

When I am looking to buy an undervalued website, one of the first things I look at is whether or not I can monetize the website in a way that will either greatly increase revenue or at least give me a good return on my investment of time and money.

Any site can be monetized by putting Google ads on it, but to me that is short sighted thinking. It has been my experience that Google Ads have generated the lowest amount of income on websites that I have owned.

So you need to learn what people want and what they will pay for or how to find good affiliate programs that are worth promoting.

For example, I used to run a website that was a directory of lawn care companies in the US. I sold advertising on the site and didn’t make very much money ($30-$100 a month). I had awesome traffic from SEO and knew I should be making a lot more money than I was.

I created a “how to start your own lawn care business kit” packaged with everything a person would need to know to start their own lawn care business. I priced it $97 and people bought like crazy.

Once I started selling the kit, the website made me from $30k-$50k every year.

It was a powerful lesson on monetization. I learned that I should always be trying to come up with new and better ways to monetize websites that I owned.

So those are the 7 traits I think are most important to master if you want to be successful online. Am I missing something that has been critical to your success? 

This article was originally sourced from Business 2 Community here and was written by Adam White.