How to hack it? If a member has a burning question, does the CEO answer? At the National Association of the Deaf, he does. CEO Howard Rosenblum takes questions directly from members each month using YouTube, an accessible way to communicate with deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals.

The questions come from curious NAD members, and Rosenblum’s answers range from practical advice (like how to avoid consumer scams) to education (such as explaining the difference between closed and open captioning).

Why does it work? It works because it’s easy. Members can pose questions via Twitter, using the hashtag #AskHoward, or by email. And since social platforms make it easy to share video content, Rosenblum’s videos have become a key part of NAD’s social media strategy. (Here’s an example on Facebook.)

What’s the bonus? Depending on the weight of the topic discussed, many of Rosenblum’s videos go viral on social media. Last fall, a question about how to file a complaint in a case of discrimination against a deaf or hard-of-hearing person was shared and liked dozens of times on Twitter:

Federal agencies often tell the NAD that no one from the deaf/hard of hearing community complains, “Everything is fine.” We know this is not true. We've experienced problems & discrimination, we need to file complaints. #AskHoward

How To File A Complaint: https://t.co/DoALWvS2CO pic.twitter.com/8xNkZJarxK

— nad1880 (@NAD1880) October 28, 2019

(akinbostanci/DigitalVision Vectors)