--- title: "Daily Buzz: Manage Member Expectations" id: "46052" type: "post" slug: "daily-buzz-manage-member-expectations" published_at: "2019-03-26T20:43:04+00:00" modified_at: "2019-03-26T20:43:04+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2019/03/26/daily-buzz-manage-member-expectations/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2019/03/26/daily-buzz-manage-member-expectations.md" excerpt: "Unclear communications can leave members guessing—and disappointed if their expectations aren’t met. Also: networking tips from Terry Gross." taxonomy_category: - "Membership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Communications" - "Member Engagement" - "member expectations" - "Membership" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Manager" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Daily Buzz: Manage Member Expectations We all have expectations, and there is nothing worse than feeling let down. To avoid members feeling misled or disappointed in your association, it’s important to manage expectations and communicate clearly—whether or not you have all the information. “When you don’t have exact information for things—for example, an exact date or an exact schedule—it can be tempting to want to use fluff language,” [says Callie Walker on the MemberClicks blog (opens in a new tab)](https://blog.memberclicks.com/managing-member-expectations-4-tips) . “But that can lead to trouble because fluff language is often vague and open to interpretation.” Instead, Walker recommends underpromising rather than overdelivering. “Think about it: If you tell someone you’ll do something in the next 24 hours, but it takes you a week, that person is likely to be pretty frustrated,” she says. “But on the flip side, if you tell them you’ll do something in a week, but then you actually complete it in the next 24 hours, they’re likely to be pleasantly surprised.” Another tip: Don’t be afraid to overcommunicate. “People don’t always read our emails or login to their member profiles,” Walker says. “Therefore, if a message is really important (for example, the date of something changed or the location of an event changed), it’s better to overcommunicate than it is to undercommunicate.” ### Talking Tips from Terry Gross > How to Talk to People, According to Terry Gross [https://t.co/61vaQKJjhu (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/61vaQKJjhu) > Great article for when you´re [#networking (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/networking?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > at an [#association (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/association?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > event or [#interviewing (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/interviewing?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > . [#assnchat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/assnchat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > > — Nabil El-Ghoroury, PhD, CAE (he, his) (@drnabil) [March 25, 2019 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/drnabil/status/1110183951253946368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **The key to successful networking:** talking to people. And nobody better to give a lesson in talking than Terry Gross, host and co-producer of NPR’s *Fresh Air* program. For one, open the conversation with “Tell me about yourself”—the only icebreaker you’ll ever need, [Gross told The New York Times (opens in a new tab)](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/17/style/self-care/terry-gross-conversation-advice.html) . More pointed questions (e.g., “Where do you work?”) can feel presumptuous. And if you don’t have anything in response, have no fear. “If somebody is asking you questions and you don’t feel that you have a strong response for it, say, ‘Let me share an experience,’” Gross says. Then, from there, you can share something that points to your own talents. ### Other Links of Note **Transforming one-time volunteers** into long-term partners starts with [a sustainable volunteer program (opens in a new tab)](https://nonprofithub.org/volunteer-management/how-to-create-a-sustainable-volunteer-program/) , from Nonprofit Hub. **Meetings that don’t stay on time** [wreak havoc on attendees and event partners (opens in a new tab)](https://www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/event-design/2019/03/stay-on-time/) , says meetings designer and facilitator Adrian Segar. **Feeling underappreciated at work?** *Fast Company* outlines how to [make your contributions known by the people who matter (opens in a new tab)](https://www.fastcompany.com/90321668/this-is-the-right-way-to-assert-your-importance-at-work) . (LumineImages/iStock/Getty Images Plus) [Jeff Hsin](https://associationsnow.com/author/jeff-hsin/) [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/jeff-hsin/) Tags: [#Communications](https://associationsnow.com/tag/communications/) [#Member Engagement](https://associationsnow.com/tag/member-engagement/) [#member expectations](https://associationsnow.com/tag/member-expectations/) [#Membership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/membership/) **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/) - [TemplateMembers onlyMember Onboarding ToolkitNovember 5, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/11/05/member-onboarding-toolkit/) - [ArticleThe First 30 Days: Three Essential Touchpoints for New MembersDecember 8, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/12/08/the-first-30-days-three-essential-touchpoints-for-new-members/) - [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%2F2019%2F03%2F26%2Fdaily-buzz-manage-member-expectations%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !