--- title: "Put Members in the Spotlight as Meeting Storytellers" id: "45798" type: "post" slug: "put-members-in-the-spotlight-as-meeting-storytellers" published_at: "2019-02-27T04:58:05+00:00" modified_at: "2019-02-27T04:58:05+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2019/02/27/put-members-in-the-spotlight-as-meeting-storytellers/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2019/02/27/put-members-in-the-spotlight-as-meeting-storytellers.md" excerpt: "When members gather at conferences, you have a big opportunity to collect their stories to showcase the people who make up your community. Some specific tools, distribution channels, and strategies will help you put them in the spotlight." taxonomy_category: - "Membership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Member Engagement" - "Membership" - "Networking" - "storytelling" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Director" - "Manager" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Put Members in the Spotlight as Meeting Storytellers Face-to-face communication has grown scarcer in this digital age, when emails, texts, and social media posts often replace direct, two-way conversation. But if you surveyed your members tomorrow, I would be willing to bet they’d say that relationship strength, community, and face-to-face connections are primary reasons why they feel a sense of belonging to your organization. Don’t get me wrong—digital communications and social networking definitely make it easier for members to stay connected 24/7, but it’s at annual meetings or other conferences where people put down their devices and connect as human beings. What if you want to document these interactions as they happen and seize the moment to capture some of your members’ impressions, experiences, and best thinking? You’ll be showcasing your members being “[more human humans (opens in a new tab)](https://www.asaecenter.org/publications/109686-asae-foresightworks-workforce-and-workplace-action-set-pdf) ”—to use a phrase describing a driver of change identified by the [ASAE ForesightWorks (opens in a new tab)](https://www.asaecenter.org/resources/asae-foresightworks) research initiative. You may want to consider a few simple storytelling strategies to create evergreen content featuring your members that will last well beyond the meeting. **Curated** **video testimonials.**The ubiquitous and ever-growing presence of YouTube, which last year saw more than [1.8 billion logged-in viewers per month (opens in a new tab)](https://www.businessinsider.com/youtube-user-statistics-2018-5) , makes it a prime platform for highlighting member testimonials. Last week, in a robust discussion [on Collaborate (opens in a new tab)](https://collaborate.asaecenter.org/communities/community-home/digestviewer/viewthread?GroupId=823&MessageKey=808dc1e6-d84a-49ef-a17d-b8a51a8ba6f6&CommunityKey=0447955a-86a7-4cc9-a9f1-7ba3b2fcefec&tab=digestviewer&ReturnUrl=%2fcommunities%2fcommunity-home%2fdigestviewer%3fCommunityKey%3d0447955a-86a7-4cc9-a9f1-7ba3b2fcefec) [ASAE member login required], association pros talked about how meetings offer an excellent opportunity to gather these first-person stories on video. (Check out this [Membership Hack](https://associationsnow.com/2017/06/membership-hack-member-videos-techassure/) on the same subject.) However, you can’t just shove a microphone in front of a member’s face and expect to hear a compelling story. Jackie Wallenstein, director of membership, marketing, and communications at the Association of School Business Officials International, says you need to carefully prep members for video recordings. “Questions were prepared, and in some cases, shared with interviewees ahead of time so they had time to think out their answers,” she says. “Interviewees were targeted through discussions with program directors who would be at the meeting.” **Podcasting with members.**Another platform that’s seen a spike in popularity is podcasting. At last year’s Online News Association conference, staff and volunteer members teamed up [to produce ONA’s first-ever podcast](https://associationsnow.com/2019/02/tech-memo-podcasting-play/) , which highlighted and recapped a number of conference sessions. Its success hinged on a team of volunteer members, including one who is a podcast producer at a public radio station in San Francisco. But you don’t have to be a professional to get a podcast up and running. Recording tools, including [a quality lavalier microphone (opens in a new tab)](https://www.thepodcasthost.com/equipment/best-smartphone-lavalier-mics/) , can now be plugged into a smartphone, and easy-to-use audio tools, [like Anchor (opens in a new tab)](https://medium.com/anchor/anchor-is-now-the-easiest-way-to-make-a-podcast-ever-9c0505e2ff7a) , are available for download as smartphone apps. ONA’s podcast reached multiple nonmember audiences on distribution channels like Soundcloud, Google Play, Apple Podcasts, and Stitcher. And the team served up evergreen content to members by posting each recorded episode as a Soundcloud file for playback on [ONA’s meetings website (opens in a new tab)](https://ona18.journalists.org/sessions/adviseexplainengage/#audio) . **Instagram takeovers.**These days Instagram influencers are everywhere, and [it’s becoming a popular way to engage with younger members](https://associationsnow.com/2019/02/makes-young-members-tick/) , including those from the Gen Z and millennial generations. If you’re in need of on-the-ground social media support during an event, you could tap a volunteer to give their perspective in an “[influencer takeover (opens in a new tab)](https://www.prnewsonline.com/6-tips-influencer-takeovers) .” The American Dental Hygienists’ Association already does this type of storytelling with some of its youngest members. ADHA has a year-round program that gives members a day-in-the-life look at student members. Here’s a recent example: > [View this post on Instagram (opens in a new tab)](https://www.instagram.com/p/Btiup1zF91K/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading) > [A post shared by @youradha (opens in a new tab)](https://www.instagram.com/p/Btiup1zF91K/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading) (Before you hand over the log-in credentials to your association’s Instagram account, be sure to read this article from the influencer-marketing company The Shelf, explaining [how to effectively organize and orchestrate (opens in a new tab)](https://www.theshelf.com/the-blog/2017/11/29/the-gameplan-to-help-you-organize-and-host-an-instagram-takeover) an Instagram takeover.) When you use these tactics, it’s your members’ personal stories that are in the spotlight. But your team’s smart use of tech tools, distribution channels, and platforms will make them resonate far and wide. What storytelling tools or tactics are you trying at meetings? How does this strategy help support your association’s goals? Post your examples in the comments below. (MStudioImages/E+/Getty Images Plus) [Tim Ebner](https://associationsnow.com/author/tim-ebner/) Tim Ebner is communications director and press secretary at the American Forest & Paper Association in Washington, DC. He is a member of ASAE’s Communication Professionals Advisory Council and a former Associations Now senior editor. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/tim-ebner/) Tags: [#Member Engagement](https://associationsnow.com/tag/member-engagement/) [#Membership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/membership/) [#Networking](https://associationsnow.com/tag/networking/) [#storytelling](https://associationsnow.com/tag/storytelling/) **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 - [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/) - [ArticlePrioritizing Member Voices: Learning From and Sharing the Stories of Your MembersMay 28, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/05/28/prioritizing-member-voices-learning-from-and-sharing-the-stories-of-your-members/) - [VideoASAE TV Daily Recap: Final Day at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 14, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/14/asae-tv-daily-recap-final-day-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoDJ Johnson Shares His Experience at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/12/dj-johnson-shares-his-experience-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) ## 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%2F2019%2F02%2F27%2Fput-members-in-the-spotlight-as-meeting-storytellers%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !