Spring 2008 - The Western District » Kappa Kappa Psi | Tau Beta ...

The AccentCommunication: Not Just a Buzzword!Communication is a word you hear a lotaround Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma. It isthe answer to every problem and the issue that everyofficer runs on. “What do you want to do with youroffice?” “I want to improve communication!” The realquestion is how do we, as officers, active members, oreven alumni, improve communication?In order to answer that question, we have tolook at what communication is. Communication hasbeen defined as “the exchange of thoughts, messages,or information” and “interpersonal rapport”. Bothdefinitions are useful for members of our fraternityand sorority. We definitely want to exchange ideasand thoughts, and we also should be building ourrelationships with one another. But again, how do wedo that?In the arena of exchanging thoughts, we assisters and brothers have many opportunities to shareideas. If you have a great idea, don’t hesitate to shareit with your chapter, either in a meeting setting or justby calling up an officer. If your chapter is running dryon project ideas, have a brainstorming session butmake it fun! Turn it into a social event with snacks;have one person give words or topics to get the ballrolling, and divide up into teams. Give small prizesto the team(s) that come up with the best ideas. Also,don’t be afraid to steal ideas from other chapters! Ifyou heard about a great project that Omega did, callthem up, e-mail them, or Facebook them and justask. “I thought that your work with Relay for Lifewas great and I would like to try something similarwith my chapter. Can you give me any suggestions?”Chances are, that chapter will be flattered that youthought their project was worthy of imitation.Another form of exchanging information is theever popular bulletin board. If your chapter does nothave a bulletin board in your music department, talkto your sponsor, Director of Bands, and/or departmentchair about getting one. This is a great tool for leavinginformation about upcoming events or just little notesfor your members. You can also use your bulletinboard to publicize your projects once they have beencompleted through pictures. This not only tells yourdepartment what you have been doing to serve thebands, but can also be a recruiting tool, as potentialmembers have the chance to see exactly what KappaKappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma do.[By Janet “Dagny” Maggio]Spring 2008 EditionWhile sharing ideas is important, the biggestcommunication problem members face tends to beinterpersonal. This can mean communication betweenmembers of a chapter, communication betweenchapters, or communication between active membersand alumni members. This article is not going to focuson how to resolve conflict, but instead is meant to giveyou ideas on how to reach out to all these types ofsisters and brothers.Everyone likes to feel special. An easy wayto accomplish this is simply through a pretty note orcard. I just received a note in the mail on cute floralstationary from a sister who wanted to simply send megood wishes and offer her support. I felt honored andtouched that she took the time to sit down and writeme. This is an example of how a simple gesture canmake us as brothers and sisters feel more connectedto one another and strengthen our bonds. Have a daywhere you sit down as a chapter and make somethingspecial but simple for each member of another group,like a different chapter or your brother or sister chapterat your school.Many chapters send out Christmas cards witha picture of their chapter in them. While this is greatand should continue, why only at Christmastime? Trycelebrating little events, like your chapter anniversary,their chapter’s anniversary, or even Secretary’s Day(yes, this does exist). Secretaries from all around theWestern District could send each other little cards and/or gifts.Take the time to acknowledge your ownmembers as well. Many chapters do roses orcarnations at their meetings; you could extend thisto sending in roses and carnations to The Accent(shameless plug #1) or having mock awards for eachmember at the end of the year. Remember that bulletinboard from earlier? Give members little notes ofencouragement or just write a quick hello and leaveit there. Everyone likes seeing something with theirname on it; again, it helps people feel special.Alumni often feel left out or unimportant.For those new alumni who were active leaders, thetransition from active to alumni can be very hard.Reach out to those alumni by making them feelwelcome at all your chapters’ events. Make sure yourAlumni Secretary keeps them up to date through useof a listserv, newsletter, or most importantly, personalPage 10