The Journey
A newsletter for chapter advisors, chapter officers, and
regional officers.
May 2001
Issue
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Journey Survey!
Great Beginnings
The Basics of a New Officer Orientation
It happens all the time … new officers assume their leadership positions with little or no guidance from their predecessors. Result: Many feel overwhelmed, frustrated and off-track from the very beginning. To make matters worse, the chapter loses momentum and time that could be better spent building on the chapter's accomplishments from the previous year.
There is a solution! A New Officer Orientation -- tailored to meet the individual needs of your chapter -- can set a course of smooth-sailing ahead for your chapter's newly-elected leaders.
Here are a few suggestions from past successful new officer orientations.
1. Incorporate both the outgoing officers and the advisors into the orientation.
2. Officers should keep a notebook or file of things accomplished during their year of service. This should be given to incoming officers.
3. Be honest about the past year. Outgoing officers should be candid about problems they had and mistakes they made so that incoming officers may benefit from the wisdom of their experience.
4. Plan an interactive, rather than a lecture-styled orientation. This will keep the attention of incoming officers and make learning fun.
5. Order a Chapter Resource Packet for each of your officers. (To place an order, contact the Recognition Services Department, 800.946.9996.) If money is tight, then consider ordering at least one Resource Packet for the group. Officers will then be able to begin their terms of service with set guidelines on their duties and detailed information on Phi Theta Kappa programs.
6. Set high expectations. Make sure new officers understand their responsibilities and the importance of follow-through. Delegating is one thing; dumping is quite another.
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Continue to "It's
Made All the Difference . . ." for insights from
officers about their orientation experiences.
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