Show And Tell Policy At AAW Group?

[George Van Beynen]

[FONT=&quot]How do you handle “Show And Tell†at your AAW meeting? Does each individual come to the display and describe the piece, does one person review the pieces, are they just left on the table to look at, or……….? It seems that a lot of good information is lost if they are set on the table like the Instant Galley at a symposium.
Thanks, George
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[waltben]

I agree with you, especially in a club setting where all would like to learn from others. We have them on a table for most of the meeting, but then each person gets to describe how they made it, what the challenges were, what they learned while making it, finishes used, etc. We usually pass each one around so everyone can get a close look, but we've only thirty or so members.

 

[Captain Eddie]

We stepped it up a notch and call it "Gallery", but it's still show and tell. We have a few tables with a black table cloth where items are displayed before and during the meeting. Members have to get up and describe the piece and the process, etc. We ask them to be brief, but that often doesn't work. We award points in a contest for the first three pieces per member each month. It's a great way to show off your talents, learn from your mistakes, etc. Just letting them sit there is dull, dull.

 

[George Guadiane]

We have a few club members who would still be explaining from the July meeting (I'M ONE OF THEM), so we have a "moderator" who talks about them and asks questions of the turner that can (USUALLY) be answered briefly... You know what kind of wood (if it's not obvious), finish, etc.
I was just at another club and they each got up, came to the front and described their work, a couple of them gave REALLY short descriptions, almost like they were less than proud of their work.
At our "gallery," the moderator looks for the good things in the piece and points them out to encourage those who need it.

 

[Max Taylor]

show and tell

Our club," Woodturners of North Texas" does almost exactly like yours does, George. A moderator goes thru each piece on the table and asks questions of the turner of the piece. We have about 125 members. that seems the best way. Max

 

[George Van Beynen]

Our group has only 15-20 in attendance at a time which should allow for an individual explanation as Walt and Capt. Eddie as long as things stay on topic and somewhat brief. I would hate to miss out on experiences during a project that all the members could benefit from. We are fortunate to have two members with art degrees, one whom teaches pottery to moderate and help with design.

 

[George Van Beynen]

[FONT=&quot]

We award points in a contest for the first three pieces per member each month.

Eddie, would you care to elaborate a little on the award points? Is there a prize for the most points? Is this an incentive to get members to bring items?[/FONT]

 

[Captain Eddie]

Rewards

The Bayou Woodturners is working on a program called "Members' Rewards" at this time. I hope to post an article on the President's Forum following the rewards program in December. It all started with a comment from a member, "how can we pay them to be involved?"
Essentially, we pay points for members who participate in different aspects of club activities. From set-up crews, demonstrators, assistants, gallery items, challenges, challenge winners, newsletter or website articles, etc. The points accumulate during the calendar year and are used at a special meeting in December to bid on items in a silent auction. This year we have 36 items, ranging in value from $10.00 to $275.00, incuding chucks, tools, jigs and even a one-of-a-kind Gorst Duplessis work or art. They all total over $2000.00 retail at this time. Members can bid using their points or cash, a point is worth a buck. They can combine the points and cash to make a purchase. We're even auctioning off the existing club lathe to make way for a new one. It's been well received to date with several members earning over 300 points or $300 to use in the auction.
We made a committment to the first $1200 and raised the balance through donations or special deals. It meant that we put the membership fees for 40 members on the line with hopes of increasing involvement. It worked.
Our gallery is the largest ever, challenges have full tables. Set-up crews are there early and eager. We get articles for newsletters, etc.
Want to learn more? Go www.bayouwoodturners.com and look for the link to members' rewards.
Capt. Eddie
The Bayou Woodturners.

 

[hockenbery]

I have recently seen the moderator approach at two clubs.

I'm recoomending that approach for the clubs I belong to.

The moderator has at least 3 advantages.
1. I lets the moderator be responsible for the overall time taken for show and tell.
2. It pulls information out as needed and
3. It minimizes the long winded in a friendly way.


Award points is a cool idea.

-Al

 

[Captain Eddie]

Al, I'm thinking of the moderator approach to shorten our overall program. Any tips or hints of how to make it work?

 

[hockenbery]

Eddie,
From my limited experience ( I've seen two) you need a moderator with a good sense of time who can run a meeting. The trick is to go through the pieces quickly without rushing.

The moderator starts of with "we have 45 pieces so we'll try to cover 2 pieces a minute". This leaves room for an interesting discussion. A digital clock can be a big help.

One moderator just picked up the next piece when it was appropriate to move to the next piece. This did not interrupt the current speaker but when they finished the new piece became the subject. The moderator usually got the name of the maker, type of wood, and finish from the maker and let the maker add other comments or answer questions.

With a moderator there is never indecision about which piece gets talked about next and there is less disturbance form people moving to the show and tell table.

One thing that really helps in any time crunch is to have members talk about just one piece. I've seen show and tells where individuals bring in everything they have done since the last meeting.

have fun,
Al