State Sunshine Chair Roundtable Discussion at DC Convention
Aug. 27,
2007
To: All SPJ FOI (Sunshine) state chairs
From: David
Chartrand, FOI Committee, Kansas City
RE: State Chair Roundtable
Discussion at DC Convention
NEEDED: Head count
We've decided to
schedule an informal — very informal — workshop and discussion session for all
state Sunshine Chairs at the DC annual convention.
Time: Oct. 6, Saturday, 2:30 pm (We will stop well before the
4:30 SPJ business meeting)
Place: Hyatt
Regency Capitol Hill (the conference hotel)
Room Name: to be announced
We'll let the discussion follow with the
questions and the needs of those in attendance. We can cover basic
instructions for new chairs, or jump right into the deep end of the pool —
hot, current topics and troubles. It's our room and our time to use as we
wish.
The format will be "roundtable." Well, okay, it won't be one table;
it won't be round. More like an Open U with a head table and ... forget I
brought it up. The point is that we'll sit face to face. No lectures. No
PowerPoint presentations. Just questions and answers, compliments and
complaints. That sort of thing.
Teensy weensie favor to ask: I need
THREE of SPJ's most experienced (i.e., hard-bitten, cynical, mouthy) state
chairs to serve as Discussion Starters. Note that I didn't say Discussion
Leaders. I said Discussion
Starters. You don't prepare a speech. Your opening
remarks last five minutes, entitled: "The most important information I want to
share today because no one shared it with me before I volunteered to be a state
chair." An alternative title: "If I could ask God for one thing — one tool or
trick to help me help journalists in my state pry public information from the
grip of government officials — I would ask Him for __________."
In other
words, the job of the Discussion Starters is to send a message to those in the
room that it's okay to ask questions, even the really dumb ones.
I don't
know most of you, so if no one volunteers I'll appoint the three Discussion
Starters. I'll visit with them separately to discuss details.
First, I
need a head count.
Please RSVP as soon as you can:
___ Great idea.
I'll be there. My name ___________________
___ Great idea, but I plan
to be in a bar, or asleep, that time of day.
___ I'll attend but I have
a better idea on the format and how we should spend the time.
___
Round-table format is okay, but I'm superstitious. I prefer a square,
rectangle, or even a "hollow U" format. Circular formations make me
nervous.
Thanks. Looking forward to hearing from you.
David
Chartrand
Member, National FOI
Committee
www.davidchartrand.com
913-768-4700 office