--- title: "Tuesday Buzz: Win Over Busy Members" id: "35915" type: "post" slug: "tuesday-buzz-win-over-busy-members" published_at: "2016-11-22T22:46:59+00:00" modified_at: "2016-11-22T22:46:59+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/11/22/tuesday-buzz-win-over-busy-members/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/11/22/tuesday-buzz-win-over-busy-members.md" excerpt: "It’s not easy to get busy members to take a breath that's long enough to read what you have to say, but it’s possible. Here’s how. Also: Consider your process when building out event engagement." taxonomy_category: - "Meetings / Events" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Communications" - "Live Events" - "Member Engagement" - "Membership" - "Mid-Level Professional" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Director" - "Manager" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Tuesday Buzz: Win Over Busy Members How do you win over members who barely have time to relax, let alone engage? It’s a challenge, but one that Alexandra Biddle Mouw, CAE, a senior consultant of strategic web solutions at Results Direct, fully understands. (See, she’s one of those people.) Often, the solution to this problem comes down to messaging—messaging that understands that your users are busy and not necessarily able to respond quickly when something comes up. “Members pay attention to your communication because it is relevant to them, important, quick and to the point, delivered in a way they appreciate,” [Mouw writes in a post on LinkedIn (opens in a new tab)](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/grievances-5-minute-member-how-engage-them-alexandra-biddle-mouw-cae) . Be sure to check out her full post for thoughts that just might help your targeting capabilities. ### Who’s to Blame? > New post: Guaranteeing audience engagement at your events [https://t.co/BUCfpxdsUQ (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/BUCfpxdsUQ) > [#eventprofs (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/eventprofs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#assnchat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/assnchat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [pic.twitter.com/eZe7kIuikj (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/eZe7kIuikj) > > — ConferencesThatWork (@ConfThatWork) [November 22, 2016 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/ConfThatWork/status/801078284670812161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) Finding that your meeting sessions are putting folks to sleep? If that happens, who gets the blame? Some suggest that it’s the audience’s fault, or maybe the speaker’s—but not according to author Adrian Segar. He suggests it might be the *process* that’s the problem. “In 25 years of experience, I’ve found that most people have a fundamental need and desire to connect with others with whom they share something in common,” Segar writes. “When you use good group process to safely facilitate appropriate connection, ~98% embrace the opportunity and learn, connect, and engage effectively with their peers.” [Check out his full thoughts (opens in a new tab)](http://www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/event-design/2016/11/guaranteeing-audience-engagement-at-your-events/) in his latest post. ### Other Links of Note **”There has never been a better time to take email seriously”:** According to *A List Apart*’s Jason Rodriguez, there are a number of things [email designers should look forward to (opens in a new tab)](http://alistapart.com/article/the-coming-revolution-in-email-design) in the years to come. **Event planning back in the day** was painful. The *Event Manager Blog* goes back two decades [and highlights all the gory details (opens in a new tab)](http://www.eventmanagerblog.com/event-planning-today-vs-20-years-ago) . **Content marketing has been around long enough** that it’s not really a buzzword anymore. It’s just what you do. [CMSWire contributor Kaya Ismail breaks down (opens in a new tab)](http://www.cmswire.com/content-marketing/why-2017-must-be-the-year-of-content-marketing/) why next year is going to be even more important from a content-marketing standpoint. (iStock/Thinkstock) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#Communications](https://associationsnow.com/tag/communications/) [#Live Events](https://associationsnow.com/tag/live-events/) [#Member Engagement](https://associationsnow.com/tag/member-engagement/) [#Membership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/membership/) [#Mid-Level Professional](https://associationsnow.com/tag/mid-level-professional/) **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 - [VideoTerin Bates, MBA, CAE, CX-PRO, Shares Her Experience at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 18, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/18/terin-bates-mba-cae-cx-pro-shares-her-experience-at-the-2026-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Tech Stack: How AI Is Changing the Association PlaybookOctober 29, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/29/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-tech-stack-how-ai-is-changing-the-association-playbook/) - [VideoThe Adaptive Leader: Integrating Values and Strategy to Thrive Under New LeadershipDecember 15, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/12/15/the-adaptive-leader-integrating-values-and-strategy-to-thrive-under-new-leadership/) - [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/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2016%2F11%2F22%2Ftuesday-buzz-win-over-busy-members%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !