Fall 2012
Issue 1
Mission edition A
a section with a mission PRESIDENT’S CORNER Hello Mission Valley FBLA! Welcome to the 2012-2013 school year! It is my honor to serve as your president this year; I am so excited and look forward to what I know will be one successful year! As the seventh and newest addition to California FBLA, Mission Valley will surely stand out and make an impact at the section, state, and national level. Some of the goals of your Mission Valley Section team include: increasing communication, giving back to the community, and increasing membership. With these goals in mind, your section team has compiled new section projects, developed the liaison system, and improved the section webpage on the California FBLA website. Most importantly, I, along with the rest of the section team, will help to ensure that your experiences at Officers and Advisers Training (OAT) Day, Leadership Development Institute (LDI), and the three leadership conferences are nothing less than fulfilling. Please feel free to contact me via email at missionvalleypresident@cafbla.org for any questions or comments you may have throughout the year. I look forward to meeting you and let’s “Pioneer Possibilities!” SINCERELY, YADANAR OO, MISSION VALLEY SECTION PRESIDENT
OAT DAY PREPARATION
UPCOMING EVENTS September 23: Mission Valley OAT Day October 26: LDI South Hyatt Regency Irvine Reservations Due November 16-18: LDI South
3 EASY STEPS TO A SUCCESSFUL YEAR As we are all busily settling into our new school year, we are also looking forward to an exciting year of FBLA ahead of us. But how can you lead FBLA to a successful year? Here are three easy steps to make this year of FBLA the best it can be: Step 1: The Blueprint: A Self-Assessment. With all of the excitement with LDI coming up, we begin to lose sight of why we’re here. It’s always good to sit down, with a fellow member or even by yourself, and discuss what it is that you aim to accomplish in FBLA. What do you want to do for yourself, your members, or even your chapter as a whole? By realizing what your objectives in FBLA are, you are one step closer to achieving success. Step 2: A Set of Goals. A set of goals can give you a better sense of direction and specify the tasks you would like to accomplish. These goals can range from short term, such as completing a certain amount of BAA activities per week, to long term, such as qualifying for the National Leadership Conference in the summer. Write them down and share it with fellow members to encourage them to accomplish their goals as well! Step 3: Update! Lastly, be sure to visit the California FBLA or National FBLA website and mark your calendars for any due dates, deadlines, or event dates you may need. It is very important that you and your chapter stay updated and informed of what is happening within the organization. With the help of your updates, FBLA will continue to flourish, ultimately achieving a successful year! BY: DAPHNE CHEUNG, LEADERSHIP ASSOCIATE
On Sunday September 23, 2012, the Mission Valley Section is honored to be hosting its first Officers & Advisers Training (OAT) Day at the California Science Center and Exposition Park in the heart of Los Angeles. The team has been working countless hours and nights preparing for this historic event. Attendees should expect a full day ahead of them with workshops, icebreakers, and networking. This year for OAT Day, there will be two rounds of workshops. The first workshop will be specifically geared towards the attendee’s officer position and the second workshop will focus on State/Section Projects and an Overall Roadmap of FBLA. After the workshops, lunch will be provided and attendees will be allowed to network with one another and explore the Science Center. The Section team has truly put a lot of work into planning and preparing for OAT Day. The officers have divided up the work from designing the registration packet to figuring out what type of delicious food and beverages to offer. All the officers have held an important part in planning for OAT Day. Therefore, the officer team hopes to make this a worthwhile and memorable experience for all members. BY: WILLIAM LIN, LEADERSHIP ASSOCIATE
SECTION OFFICER TEAM WITH CHAPTER ADVISERS AND DIRECTOR
service, education, and progress
Fall 2012
Issue 1
Mission Valley SECTION OFFICERs Yadanar Oo – President Sara Pak – Vice President of Activities Noelle Maryne – Vice President of Membership Gregory Gunadi – Secretary- Treasurer Brenda Tran – Public Relations Officer Daphne Cheung – Leadership Associate Jackie Hwang – Leadership Associate William Lin – Leadership Associate
ELEVATOR SPEECHES What is an elevator speech? An elevator speech is a short 30 second speech that promotes, in our case, FBLA, and would be used to recruit and market FBLA. It’s important to have an idea of what you would say in an elevator speech because you might find yourself in a situation where someone approaches you for more information about the organization. These situations can be thrust upon you at any time, so it’s crucial that you know what to say so you don’t lose an opportunity to market FBLA or recruit a new member. Here’s a few tips to get you started! 1) There’s no need to actually write out a script! You want your speech to sound natural, so create a bulleted list of topics to talk about instead of writing a script. Your speech could start with an overall explanation of FBLA such as “FBLA stands for Future Business Leaders of America, and it’s the largest student business organization in the nation.” Afterwards it’s important that you include all the components of FBLA—service, education, and progress—and give an example of each. Spend more time on the component that your audience is more interested in! Most of all, do some research on FBLA so that you won’t find that you are out of things to say. 2) Rehearse your elevator speech. It’s important that you not only know what you’re going to say but also that you remember it! Rehearsing your speech will make it much more natural to your audience and make it seem more like you know what you’re talking about. 3) Be prepared for different audiences. There’s a chance that many different people will ask you about FBLA so always be ready to tailor your elevator speech according to your audience. 4) Make sure you smile and sound friendly and excited! This will help draw in your audience! BY: NOELLE MARYNE, VICE PRESIDENT OF MEMBERSHIP
MISSION VALLEY & NORTHERN SECTION OFFICER TEAM WITH STATE PARLIAMENTARIAN
INCREASE YOUR CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP! As club membership drives begin, you may be wondering: What can I do to increase my FBLA chapter’s membership? Here are a series of tips that will help attract potential members. 1. Plan with your officer team to develop the tools necessary to bring as many people to your table (and ultimately FBLA) as efficiently as possible. Make an eye-catching, colorful, but simple and easy-to-read display that shows what FBLA is and does. 2. Be sure to have a 20-30 second elevator pitch that sounds natural and personalized, rather than rehearsed and robotic. (Read the article about making elevator pitches for details on this step). 3. Have those plaques out on the table! Many high school students are looking for organizations that can provide them with not only opportunities and fun experiences, but also ones that can impressively fill up their college applications. 4. Show potential members the endless list of topics they can compete in. Emphasize that FBLA is for anyone. 5. Have a list of some of the conferences and events that FBLA holds. 6. And lastly, be passionate about FBLA! Passion can take you far, especially when you need to persuade students why they should join FBLA over the multitudes of other clubs and organizations. Keep in mind that you shouldn’t be limited by the suggestions in this list. Be open-minded and whenever you can think of anything that will attract students into FBLA, (as long as it is appropriate), implement it! BY: SARA PAK, VICE PRESIDENT OF ACTIVITIES
AMBASSADORSHIP
One of the most important elements of FBLA is its portrayal of professionalism. Whether it’s traveling to a conference, or networking with others, FBLA members always look and sound professional. They proudly represent FBLA by showing the best and brightest aspect of themselves. In order to display ambassadorship, members must always look professional. Dress appropriately for every event. Take note beforehand if the dress code is business professional, business casual, or casual. This will greatly improve your image, and show that you are a model representative of FBLA. Another important aspect of ambassadorship is demonstrating professionalism. Always be polite and respectful. Remember, presentation is key. If you are able to incorporate all these aspects of ambassadorship, you will be able to reflect all of FBLA’s ideals. Through all of FBLA’s events and conferences, students become leaders. BY: JACKIE HWANG, LEADERSHIP ASSOCIATE HAVE AN IDEA FOR AN ARTICLE? EMAIL ALL SUBMISSIONS TO THE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER, BRENDA TRAN AT MISSIONVALLEYPR@CAFBLA.ORG
service, education, and progress