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Seminar questionnaire

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The Bowler Hatted Turner:
I didn't want to get embroiled in a war of words so have not commented on any of this so far..........however I have one or two observations to make.
The AWGB is a member led organisation and without the members stating what it is they want the Executive will gain no feedback regarding anything they say,do or organise.
 Regarding the questionnaire, specifically the question about the internet. As I went around the country meeting members in my former capacity of SW rep I came to realise that many of the older generation simply do not understand the internet at all. One person told me that he will not get the internet as he does not want his bank details to be hacked, he didn't believe me when I said you have to put your bank details in first for that to happen. So any question that clarifies a point, no matter how ridiculous it may seem, can only be a good thing.
 The other point I would like to make is the forum is open to all turners and not just AWGB members and although it would be nice to swell our numbers by trying to get new members through the forum I think we are more likely to achieve that by behaving in a polite and civil manner regardless of the way we interpret the tone of comments, it is difficult to detect inflection of written words.
Lastly, when you look back over the posts our small group are usually of one accord which although nice is not necessarily the best thing  for the organisation. We probably have a blinkered view and so I feel that it could be a good thing to get an opinion from someone who is not a member, has not attended the seminar and is not afraid to upset anyone. It would also be nice to have constructive comments from all participants. One way to get these comments is to email Dave as he said in a previous posting , the other is to fill in the questionaire regardless of how we as individuals feel the information will be used.
 But it should all be done with good grace and with the same outcome in mind.

bodrighywood:

--- Quote from: The Bowler Hatted Turner on November 08, 2015, 11:04:43 PM ---I didn't want to get embroiled in a war of words so have not commented on any of this so far..........however I have one or two observations to make.
The AWGB is a member led organisation and without the members stating what it is they want the Executive will gain no feedback regarding anything they say,do or organise.
 Regarding the questionnaire, specifically the question about the internet. As I went around the country meeting members in my former capacity of SW rep I came to realise that many of the older generation simply do not understand the internet at all. One person told me that he will not get the internet as he does not want his bank details to be hacked, he didn't believe me when I said you have to put your bank details in first for that to happen. So any question that clarifies a point, no matter how ridiculous it may seem, can only be a good thing.
 The other point I would like to make is the forum is open to all turners and not just AWGB members and although it would be nice to swell our numbers by trying to get new members through the forum I think we are more likely to achieve that by behaving in a polite and civil manner regardless of the way we interpret the tone of comments, it is difficult to detect inflection of written words.
Lastly, when you look back over the posts our small group are usually of one accord which although nice is not necessarily the best thing  for the organisation. We probably have a blinkered view and so I feel that it could be a good thing to get an opinion from someone who is not a member, has not attended the seminar and is not afraid to upset anyone. It would also be nice to have constructive comments from all participants. One way to get these comments is to email Dave as he said in a previous posting , the other is to fill in the questionaire regardless of how we as individuals feel the information will be used.
 But it should all be done with good grace and with the same outcome in mind.
[/quote

Amen, thank you Johm

Goodnight

pete
--- End quote ---

PaulH:

--- Quote from: The Bowler Hatted Turner on November 08, 2015, 11:04:43 PM ---We probably have a blinkered view and so I feel that it could be a good thing to get an opinion from someone who is not a member, has not attended the seminar and is not afraid to upset anyone.
--- End quote ---
It's nice to read that at least one person here understands that alternative views might be of some value if you seriously want to encourage new members to join up, compared to the "everything is wonderful" and the "if you don't like it you're worthless" attitude some people have expressed.

Yes, sure there are some people who don't use the internet, but as I've said before, if you have a survey on the internet "do you use the internet?" is a foregone conclusion that doesn't need asking.
Maybe more importantly for the longer outlook. The future of woodturning is with younger people and they universally understand the internet and think it's important. Having questions like "do you use the internet?" on an online form, just discredits the organisation from it's future potential membership.

The Bowler Hatted Turner:
Paul I am afraid I have to disagree with you on this point. Just because people are on the internet does not mean that they actually use it. Also bear in mind that it is easier to produce one lot of questions that can be viewed on the net or via snail mail such as Revs.

fuzzyturns:
I've been following this thread (and also the other one about seminar attendance and the next seminar) with quite some interest. And before anybody asks, I am an AWGB member, I was at the seminar, and yes, I am also an active turner.
It would appear to me that the AWGB as an organisation is in a slightly tricky spot. Although the seminar was very well organized and executed, attendance figures were insufficient, resulting in a loss of 10k. To the folks who did all the work that is basically adding insult to injury. Clearly something went wrong.
It is always in these situations that emotions ride high, because for many there is also personal pride at stake (and don't get me wrong, I think they have reason to be proud of what was achieved).

I do think that PaulH has made a lot of valid points. The way they are presented is very matter-of-fact, and whilst I can see where Pete is coming from, I happen to think that the times of being nice to each other so we don't cause any offences are over.
There is a real danger of the next seminar not happening. There is also a possibility that some new kids on the block (UKIWS) pull a magic rabbit out of the hat, and steal the show. If these are to be avoided, the naked truth has to be faced square on. It shouldn't matter whether PaulH is a member or not, his contributions here should be considered and then either be discarded (for whatever reason) or implemented.

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