--- title: "Social Media Roundup: Rethink Your Group Discussions" id: "22820" type: "post" slug: "social-media-roundup-rethink-your-group-discussions" published_at: "2014-04-24T22:00:40+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T03:59:50+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2014/04/24/social-media-roundup-rethink-your-group-discussions/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2014/04/24/social-media-roundup-rethink-your-group-discussions.md" excerpt: "Kick a possible source of boredom out of your small group meetings. Also: What a marketing revolution means for associations." taxonomy_category: - "Marketing / Communications" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Communications" - "engagement data" - "Meetings" - "Social Media" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Social Media Roundup: Rethink Your Group Discussions We’ve all have group discussions of every conceivable shape and size, but when was the last time your dialogue included ambassadors? Find out why your association may want to include them in today’s Social Media Roundup: ### Relieve Reporting Fatigue > Try Ambassadors Instead of Reporters [http://t.co/LQ5GsMIoO5 (opens in a new tab)](http://t.co/LQ5GsMIoO5) > via [@jcufaude (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/jcufaude?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#assnchat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/assnchat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > > — Digitec Interactive (@digitec) [April 24, 2014 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/digitec/status/459303326451253248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **Experiencing diminishing enthusiasm** when members of your association or attendees at a workshop complete their small group discussions and move on to reporting? The traditional model of having group members report their conclusions or ideas to everyone is due for a shake-up, as [Jeffrey Cufaude suggests on his Idea Architects blog (opens in a new tab)](http://www.ideaarchitects.org/2014/04/facilitation-friday-44-try-ambassadors.html) . “One by one, report by report, attention and interest will diminish,” he notes, advocating that diplomacy replace reporting. To foster collaboration and creative thinking, groups should consider having ambassadors who move freely between groups, exchanging ideas and sharing insights in a way that doesn’t run the risk of turning into a tiresome lecture. “Ambassadors carry forward the spirit and key insights of their group conversation into another brief conversation with a different group,” Cufaude explains. “Instead of standing and reporting out to a number of small groups as is traditionally done, ambassadors rotate to a new group and join them at their table.” Give it a shot during your next event, and you may find that these idea exchanges kick-start creative thinking and remove tedium. *(ht @[digitec (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/digitec) )* ### Sailing Through Marketing’s Rough Seas https://twitter.com/dashtonwagner/status/458706949446434817 **The world of marketing is becoming more data-driven** and quantitative, and associations aren’t exempt from this trend. Management consultant Meredith Low issues a valuable reminder [in a guest post over at Greenfield Services (opens in a new tab)](http://membershipengagement.greenfield-services.ca/2014/04/managing-through-marketing-sea-change.html) . “Associations are facing the same fundamental shift in membership marketing and engagement, but on a different timeline,” she writes. “Because many associations are addressing relatively constrained markets within specific industries or professional designations, they’ve been relatively insulated from the speed of change in the marketing world.” But that insulation is wearing thin, Low warns, and associations should brace for what could be a “rapid and possibly difficult transition.” To deal with these changes, Low recommends associations become smarter about keeping track of their data, how they control access to the data, [and much more (opens in a new tab)](http://membershipengagement.greenfield-services.ca/2014/04/managing-through-marketing-sea-change.html) . *(ht @[dashtonwagner (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/dashtonwagner) )* (Sean Prior/ThinkStock) [Morgan Little](https://associationsnow.com/author/morgan-little/) Morgan Little is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/morgan-little/) Tags: [#Communications](https://associationsnow.com/tag/communications/) [#engagement data](https://associationsnow.com/tag/engagement-data/) [#Meetings](https://associationsnow.com/tag/meetings/) [#Social Media](https://associationsnow.com/tag/social-media/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [Video2025 Summit Award Recipient: American Speech-Language-Hearing AssociationOctober 3, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/10/03/2025-summit-award-recipient-american-speech-language-hearing-association/) - [VideoSneak Peek: Highlights from Day 2 of the 2025 ASAE MMC+Tech ConferenceMay 14, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/05/14/sneak-peek-highlights-from-day-2-of-the-2025-asae-mmctech-conference/) - [VideoSneak Peek: Highlights from Day 1 of the 2025 ASAE MMC+Tech ConferenceMay 13, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/05/13/sneak-peek-highlights-from-day-1-of-the-2025-asae-mmctech-conference/) - [VideoThe Future is Yours to Create. 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