Webinar: Active Citizenship

Hosted by: NVP Paul Crawford (JCI Iowa) 

As members, our Mission is to create positive change in the world. We believe that by taking responsibility for our communities, we can create solutions to the problems we see around us. But just talking about positive change is not enough. To make an impact, we must turn our words into action. By using the JCI Active Citizen Framework, your chapter can create a method for developing, executing and tracking your initiatives to ensure successful projects and sustainable solutions to problems in your community. This webinar focuses on how to use this tool and create a chapter full of active young citizens.

Date: Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Time: 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM EDT

Reserve your Webinar seat now at:

https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/281734870

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

Three Public Speaking Skills for Earning Attention and Respect

The top three things that people fear the most are death, spiders and public speaking. While many young professionals can avoid the first two, perfecting your public speaking is a task that must be tackled if you want to be well respected among your peers. Instead of just winging it the next time you speak in front of a group, take some advice from the Jaycees.

1. Connect with your audience. Speaking in front of a group of your peers can be approached differently than making a pitch for potential clients – but don’t forget to connect with any group to which you are speaking. If you really want to earn the attention you deserve, be honest and real – and even add a little bit humorous in the appropriate situations. Your audience will sense your confidence and they won’t be able to help but hang on your every word. If you’ve already earned the privilege of addressing them, they know you’re smart – but are you relatable?
2. Start with an end in mind. While preparing – whether it’s five minutes before your weekly meeting or over the weekend before the biggest presentation of your career – it’s often helpful to prepare for a speech by starting with your closing message. What is it exactly that you are trying to express? It’s much easier to remain composed when you know exactly what message you’re sending and you know what it takes to make that point.
3. Remember your body language. One thing that the Jaycees have noticed is that while a speech can be well planned and thought out, it is often poorly executed due to a lack of passion that is mostly expressed in the way you present. Did you know that more than 90 percent of communication is nonverbal? What kind of nonverbal cues are you sending your audience? Remember to smile, consider your posture, know what you are doing with your hands, don’t forget to move and keep your tone upbeat.   

You’ll note that we didn’t mention confidence as a key to earning the attention and respect from your audience. The Jaycees believe that once you perfect the skills that we have outlined, your confidence will soon follow. Do you have any other tips to help advance your public speaking game? Visit out Facebook and Twitter to let us know what helps you!

Putting Your Best Foot Forward: Make Sure Your Social Media Profile Presents the Right Message

Gone are the days when your personal life and your professional life are separate – and you have social media to thank for that. We aren’t bashing social media. In fact, as a social networking club of young professionals, a lot of the Jaycees’ communication and press thrives because of social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. But in an age where employers are monitoring our social media contributions more than ever, it’s important to make sure you are doing your due diligence to keep a professional image on social media.

• Pictures – Are you just entering the workforce now that you’ve graduated college? Or maybe you really take advantage of your local networking events? You may want to consider hiding, untagging or deleting all of your crazy party pictures. Employers are searching for candidates that are responsible, well represented and trustworthy. If your pictures aren’t screaming, “I’m the right choice for you to hire,” you need to address the issue. The same thing goes for being considered for raises and promotions, especially if you are connected with your employer on social media.

• Connections – You are the company you keep. So many of us have contacts on social media that we don’t even know how we connected to in the first place. If your friends/followers/connections don’t shine a positive light on what you’re about, you may want to consider severing ties.

• Content – Does your profile bio send the right message and is it up-to-date? Are you sharing or retweeting nothing but funny cat memes? Do you like every.single.page that comes your way? If you want your social media profile to work in your favor, think twice about what you are putting on your social networking sites – after all, it is out there forever.

Had enough social media doom and gloom? Don’t worry—when it comes to employers looking at your social networking profiles, it isn’t all bad. Most bosses actually like to see that future or current employees have a personality – you are human! When it comes to social media, just remember to use your platform of choice to best represent your most valuable asset – yourself!  

Bzzz Tour

BzzzTour is a partnership between the United Nations Foundation/Nothing But Nets and the United States Junior Chamber/JCI USA designed to accomplish three key objectives.

• Fundraising - Raise $200,000 among JCI USA members by the end of 2013
• Awareness – Raise awareness of malaria issues worldwide and what we in the USA can do about it.
• Advocacy – Encourage US Senators and US Congress members to support the President’s Anti Malaria Initiative, The Global Fund and to participate in the Malaria Caucus.  By doing so we aim to increase the visibility of Jaycee chapters in the eyes of elected officials, paving the way for future cooperation between chapters and elected officials.

The major rallying point of Buzzkill 2013 is a summer tour, whereby JCI USA President Chrystal Ramsay-Dyess and others will visit 85 chapters over 71 days, promoting the objectives of Buzzkill 2013.  The tour commences on June 10 in Minneapolis and concludes on August 15th in Florida.  The tour will include media interviews, elected official visits, and appearances at community gatherings and chapter events.

Together, we will ignite discussion, raise awareness, rally our communities and chapters, and help drive positive action around Nothing But Nets and the need to eradicate malaria world-wide in our lifetime.
 

Get your interactive NBN BzzzTour Toolkit.

Follow BzzzTour

To learn more about the tour, how you can help, where the bzzz is, what events are taking place, please visit BzzzTour Summer 2013.

2014 National Officers Elected!

Delegates at the Meeting of the Corporation in Seattle elected officers to lead the association in 2014.

Delegates elected Fay Poissant of the MI Ann Arbor chapter to serve as National President.  She will continue in her current position as National Membership Director through the remainder of 2013 and will serve as President-elect during this time period, too. She will assume her new duties as National President on January 1, 2014 and will serve in that capacity for the duration of the 2014 year.

Delegates also elected a slate of eight (8) National Vice Presidents, who will also take office on January 1, 2014 and will serve with President-elect Fay for the duration of the 2014 year.  These newly elected NVPs include:

• Laurence Bolotin - IN JCI Indianapolis chapter
• Eve Epitome - HI Rising Phoenix chapter
• Carla Kramer - PA Hamburg chapter
• Mark Napierkowski - NY JCI Liverpool chapter
• Trisha O'Cheltree - MO St. Charles chapter
• Paul Ottinger - TN Sevier chapter
• Joanne Rinaldo - IL Hoffman Estates chapter
• Stephanie Traugott - TX Bryan-College Station chapter

Congratulations to these great leaders who will lead us in 2014!!! 

Free Webinar: If You Build it They will Come (Membership Prospecting)

Hosted by: Membership Director Fay Poissant

The hardest part of recruiting is finding individuals to recruit.  During this training, we will discuss several different proactive approaches to building your list of prospective members.  Most are no cost or low cost, so your chapter doesn't have to worry about coming up with the funds to try these things.  We'll provide you with several practical ideas that can be implemented immediately.

Date: Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Time: 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM EDT

Reserve your Webinar seat now at:

https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/857945414

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

Free Webinar: How to Develop and Use Social Media Websites

Hosted by: NVP Valerie

This training will focus on utilizing numerous social media sites as well your own chapter website as yet another means of recruiting and communicating with members and yet-to-be members. 

Date:     Thursday, June 17, 2013  

Time:     9:00 PM - 10:00 PM EDT  

Reserve your Webinar seat now at:  

https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/693695734

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

Leadership Skills Required for Young Entrepreneurs

As the saying goes, not everyone is born a leader. Why do young professionals let that deter them from seeking management roles or starting their own business? Just because you need to improve on certain leadership traits doesn’t mean you weren’t cut out for it. Developing the skills necessary to be a leader – a good leader – takes patience, time and lots of practice no matter who you are.

In the school yard, the natural leaders that emerge are the outspoken, opinionated kids that no one wants or cares to challenge. Note that once we grow up, we know that superior leaders are skilled in the art of listening rather than talking. Listening is the key to learning and passing your knowledge along to everyone else – and isn’t that really what having a leadership role is all about?

Many people incorrectly identify coworkers that are persuasive as leaders in the workplace. It is not up to a leader to convince anyone; rather, they need to be able to understand that others will always have different views and opinions. A good leader will be able to walk-in someone else’s shoes. A great leader will not only walk in someone else’s shoes, but they’ll also paint a larger picture of what needs to happen and why.

As a young entrepreneur, you may be used to being one of the smartest in the room. When it comes to leading a business or a boardroom, it pays to surround yourself with coworkers and colleagues that are smarter than you. Even if you are running your own company, you can’t do it all. Who else would be better candidates to have at your side than those that are just as ambitious and smart as you?

Taking the steps now in your young career to finesse your leadership skills will ultimately help you in your quest to become an effective and successful entrepreneur. Did we miss any characteristics that would help young professionals become better leaders? Take to our Facebook and Twitter to let us know! Already have your leadership skills down and want to work on your networking? Contact the Jaycees to find out more about our social networking club!

Getting Involved: Community Engagement Key to Building Real Life Skills

Between life and all that it encompasses – work, family, friends and of course, the Jaycees – little time remains to engage in the community that surrounds us. It is easy to feel overscheduled, but it’s important to remember all we can gain as businessmen and women by giving more attention to the causes that need it most. That’s right – giving back to your community can actually give you beneficial skills for life in return.

Young professionals often participate in their communities as both betterment to themselves and their local neighborhood. What many Jaycees and other participants may not realize is that community engagement can also lead to establishing relationships, building trust, refining leadership skills and more. What you are doing by becoming more involved is actually the gaining skills that will ultimately set you apart from others in the real world.

As you participate in your community, professionals can get a better sense of your identity while also learning the importance of social responsibility and the advantages that networking has to offer. Want to play an even larger role in your community? Consider organizing a community event of your own or with the help of fellow Jaycees members.

Oftentimes young entrepreneurs let their busy schedules dictate what they do or do not have the time to achieve. Be sure that you are setting aside extra time to become more engaged in your community – don’t forget that you are helping yourself as much as the people around you. Do you have any suggestions on becoming more involved in your community? Visit our Facebook and Twitter and let us know!