NAP Connections
Virtually Anything Is Possible
By Pamela Harmon, PRP
If you are determined to resume life as was usual pre-2020, please change your mind! 2021 is not looking much different than 2020, so Parliamentarians must make plans to continue to educate and promote the use of parliamentary procedure in the virtual environment. During 2020, the NAP Sounding Block Unit, Dallas, Texas, provided a virtual RP study for over 60 individuals, and held the first virtual Institute and Symposium in Texas. The success of the virtual Institute and Symposium can be attributed to four important steps: • Designing a game plan. • Identifying key players. • Holding practice sessions. • Executing the plan on event day, as designed and practiced. Game Plan Determine the chairman of the event and committee members. The chairman must be detail oriented, committed to seeing that the overall program takes place, and able to lead a large committee of other dedicated members. The committee must set goals, e.g., to provide training for over 300 persons interested in parliamentary procedure. Decide the date and time the event will take place. Keep in mind, we are all busy. We don’t want to take over the attendees’ entire day but do want to efficiently provide an event that will increase their parliamentary knowledge. Is there to be a cost for attendance? Is there a cost for 34
National Parliamentarian • Summer 2021
the technology used, such as Zoom? Does the technology offer everything you need in order to execute the event, like breakout rooms? Will thank you gifts be provided to the presenters? As with all events, develop a budget. The Players The players consist of subcommittees and presenters. Determine the types of subcommittees needed, such as technology, publicity, door prizes. Make sure the subcommittees have their own game plans, and are clear on their assignments. They should also work with other subcommittees that might overlap. For instance, the technology committee should work with the presentation committee to ensure final presentations are received, or that each presenter knows how to share their screen and unmute themselves. All subcommittees should have a plan that includes deadlines. The publicity committee should develop a flyer and distribute it to the community. Use of social media for event promotion can pay dividends in attracting virtual attendees from across the nation. Ask unit members for a list of names and email addresses for those that might be interested and benefit from learning parliamentary procedure. Determine who the presenters will be for the event. Ask Registered Parliamentarians and Professional Registered Parliamentarians in your unit if they will conduct a workshop.
