Blogger and futurist Seth Godin had a great post the other day about the importance of listening. And maybe that’s what associations should be doing more of when they talk about the next generation of their annual meetings, conferences and conventions—listening.
As association professionals, we have lots of clever ways to talk to members through our communications and live events, but are we really listening to what they have to say? What do sponsors and exhibitors really want from us? What are members saying to each other? “Listening is not a passive act if you want to do it right,” wrote Godin. “If listening better leads to better speaking, then [listening] becomes a competitive advantage.”