The Change of the Seasons

Autumn is a beautiful time of the year. In my little corner of the world, the temperatures turn cooler (but not cold), and the leaves of the deciduous trees turn to awesome hues of red, gold, and orange. This change in the seasons draws my attention to the upcoming holidays, then to the new year, and then to the annual Professional Development Conference in Tulsa in March.

NALS experiences change too. The election results will be announce in November and the preparations for transitioning to the 2010-11 year will begin sometime after the first of the year. While I dislike pushing the seasons forward, to ensure a smooth transition, the initial preparations must begin now.

I am searching for NALS members willing to serve on next year’s national committees. The Committee Preference Sheet is available on the NALS website under the Leaders page. http://www.nals.org/download/NALSPreferenceSheet.pdf or contact me and I will e-mail it to you.

Change your association. Change yourself. I challenge YOU to Think Big! and consider serving as part of the 2010-11 Leadership Team. Together, I know it will be an inspiring and remarkable experience!



Patricia E. Infanti, PP, PLS
2009-10 NALS President-Elect
infanti@ballardspahr.com

ReadyTalk Conference Center

I had the opportunity to participate in ReadyTalk’s Conferencing Tutorial and Demonstration on Tuesday, April 7, 2009. It required me to take my lunch hour from 2 to 3 pm (ET) and I did have numerous telephone calls and other interruptions, but it was WORTH attending. This company has amazing things to offer.

Via a toll-free teleconference number, I dialed into the session and once I connected my computer into the meeting, I viewed slides on screen while Jay Mills and Shawn Cardinal took us through the ReadyTalk site. Shawn described how to (1) schedule a meeting, (2) customize registration for follow-up purposes, (3) have multiple speakers for a Web meeting, (4) eliminate background noise, and (5) how to send a post meeting survey to attendees as well as sending thank you emails; while Jay fielded multiple questions from the attendees.

There are many, many more features to this totally awesome service (see www.readytalk.com) including the ability to record a Web Meeting then send a link to others to access the meeting’s discussions. WOW!

April 16, 2009 is the first NALS WebEd Session - Guess Who Is Coming to Dinner? discussing diversity and May 20 is the next NALS WebEd Session entitled, So You Think That Document is Confidential? covering ethics.

Are you registered? Hope so and I’ll meet you there. NALS is THINKING BIG!

Are YOU?

PattiPP
a/k/a Patricia E. Infanti, PP, PLS
2009-10 NALS President-Elect

New Oceans

"You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore."

What a great quote. While in Tulsa sharing a piece of Dove Chocolate, the inside of the wrapper contained this quotation. How apropos in light of the THINK BIG! concept rolled out in Tulsa and now sweeping through NALS.

Think Big. Change your association. Change yourself.

And NALS is thinking big with its first Webinar (Guess Who Is Coming to Dinner? by David Horowitz, Esq.) on April 16, 2009, at 8 pm CT. Then there's the new NALS Community at Ning - it's awesome! (nalsnet.ning.com) I mean, just check out the NALS Web Site these days. But I'm getting off track here.

I suffer sometimes from the "that's the way we've always done it" malady - have you? This "sickness" is the very mistaken idea that something new cannot possibly work and that the only way to tackle a project is by following the same tried and true procedure used many times before.

Why do we do that? Probably because it is comfortable and predictable to maintain the status quo. However, it also kills the enthusiasm and morale of the person proposing a new and different way of doing something. More importantly, perhaps, is the fact that it is a new era and if NALS and all of its regions, states, and chapters wish to remain healthy and relevant (especially to Generation "X" and the Millennial "Y" generation), we have to embrace "new oceans" -- meaning, new ways of doing everything.

When I feel a recurrence of the "malady" starting to come back, I ask myself, "What is the absolute worst thing that might happen?" and "What is the best thing that could happen?" It is the antidote to counteract the malady's poison. The good outweighs the bad, and I make every effort to stay out of the mix and let the good take place.

We have to cast off and lose sight of the shore, my friends. Use the talents of all members and don't be afraid to try something exciting, different, and new. Change procedures around and shake things up. Be Brave. Be Bold. and . . .

THINK BIG!


Patti PP
a/k/a
Patricia E. Infanti, PP, PLS
2009-10 NALS President-Elect