I’m at the last stop light, six buildings down from hell. Yes 12:30 in the afternoon I’m on my way to the dentist. As I pull up to the blue and brick building I enter the parking lot waiting for someone to exist so I can park my car. Thiers never any room in this small parking lot. My appointment was made during lunch hour, worse time to come so busy! Ugh, I hate coming to the dentist. I sit in my car after finally finding a parking spot, I see a dad dragging his daughter into the dental office kicking and screaming. You can hear her saying “please daddy no, please.” At twenty two years old I feel the same way this little girl does wishing I had my mom so I could make a scene and hope she’d bring me home. Finally after thinking of all the possible procedures that could go wrong when I go inside for my appointment, I open the door.
The worse smells come from inside a dental office. Ew. Standing in line to check my name in I cover my nose with my jacket. Why does it always smells like bleach and a sour substance? It’s the dentist office; it should smell like crest mint tooth paste and scope mouthwash! I’m next in line, I check my name in with a receptionist named Mandy she’s probably twenty five and seems very smily.She asked me to sign an encounter form. I asked her what the form was for and she said something for my insurance. I have no clue what she means by that. I see three other receptionist next to her, probably all the same age as Mandy except for one that’s looks like she’s in her sixties. They all seem like Mandy, happy, and all in pale blue button up’s with a smiling tooth on the left corner. Mandy, said take a sit in the waiting room. I cringe when I hear the word waiting room. Why does it have to be called that? It should be called the panic room because when you go in there you see lots of people sitting around and you can tell their scared just by the looks on their faces. I take a sharp left in to the “panic room” and take my sit until my name is called.
If you think about it sitting in the waiting room at a dental office is scaring but the again it’s kind of interesting. You sit in this little room with maybe fifteen single chairs with a table in the center filled with magazines. Thiers a TV on the wall that usually plays the news but since I came during the rush hour of the day it’s playing days of our life. Posters on the wells display pictures of teeth, some kind of removable teeth, teeth whitening advertisements, and a bunch of people with beautiful white smiles. Thiers all kinds of pamphlets on ways to brush and floss your teeth and there’s always something that you’ve never seen and makes you want to ask your dentist. Ugh. It always takes so long till your name is called. I don’t understand why if they say my appointments at 12:45 I’m still waiting at 1:15. What are they doing back their? Whats is going on? What's going to happen when they call my name and I enter that scary room I call hell? An older lady enters the waiting room with a big smile and says “chelsie”; I look up at her then walk towards her. “Thank you for waiting we are real busy round this time, all set to see you.” My nightmare begins.
As I take the long walk down in the hall with the dental assistant I ask her, “ what are we doing today?” She giggles and says “today we will take something called an fmx, then the doctor will come in take a look at the x-rays, then from their a treatment plan and fillings.” Excuse me I ask, what’s an fmw. It’s a full mouth serious of x-rays which consist of about eighteen x-rays she states. What about a treatment plan and fillings? I inquire. She replies with a comforting don’t worry about a thing we will take care of you. She never answers my question. Just makes me think awful thoughts about what this dentist is going to do to me today. We finally enter the room, and she tells me I can sit in the dental chair. The room is small, sort of like two bathrooms put together. Their a grayish dental chair for the patient which I’m sitting in. From there on my right head side is a small computer desk like dentist chair and on my left a weird looking round chair which I guessing is the assistant chair. There is a small metal like table which holds tools the dentist will put in my mouth. They look sharp, I get scared again. Above me on my chair is an over head light I guess so the dentist can look in the back of my throat, and a sink, and a lot of cabinets. These cabinets are locked. What are they hiding in them? Knifes, blades, I start to shake a little inside. Once again just like in the waiting room are pictures on the walls of nice white teeth and also nasty yellow teeth. I think to myself, “If they want people to come to the dentist, why can’t they put pictures of rainbows and care bears up? Why these pictures. The assistant comes from behind me put a bib around my neck. “Did I scare you,” she ask. I just shake my head. “We will start X-rays, then the Dr. will come in and we do one filling today,” ok? I shrug, whatever. She puts a heavy blanket on my chest. What is this? Shouldn’t you tell me what your putting on me, I say to myself. She tells me it’s a lead apron and it will protect me from radiation. Then she starts putting some kind of yellow object in my mouth. I think again to myself …what is this. I just stay quiet and let her do her work. After the x-ray she left the room for about five minutes then came back in and hung my picture on a bright lighted box.
The doctor walks in the room. Hello Chelsie, I’m Dr. Lee today we will do a filling. I still stay quiet and shrug. The doctor put my sit back and the assistant sit on the opposite side of him. That’s when all the crazy talk begin. I hear the assistant start by saying “DR. will we be doing amalgam and composite? “ “What is that I ask?” She lets me know that amalgam is a silver filling and composite is a white. I let her know I prefer white. She proceeds on by asking the Dr. what tooth. I think in my head the front one. The Dr. says number six. Again I ask, “what tooth is that?” She kindly points it out. That’s when I look over at the Dr. and he has the needle in his hand. I cringe a little then he ask if I’m ok. I shrug. He moves my lips aside and gives me the injection. Then the assistant puts suctions in my mouth and all the water exist my mouth. I can see them passing silver shinning tools over my head while their talking about what their having for lunch. It’s so noisy from the suctions, drills, and them talking. I can’t wait for it to be over. As soon as I think that to myself, she lets me know that we are done as the Dr. puts my chair up
They ask if I have any questions and I ask if I can eat now or wait till later. Dr says after the numbness wears off. I just say thank you as I ran out the door. Now walking back down the hall way that I entered from I’m so happy to leave this place I called hell.
Showing posts with label ethnography. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ethnography. Show all posts
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Automotive Technicians
I walk into the automotive workshop at the Chevrolet dealership. There is a lot happening around me, I pause and take a moment to take in all of the scenes. The floor is gray, smooth concrete; every few yards there are small puddles of a spilled, slippery fluid. The walls are made of concrete bricks, painted white and blue to match the Goodwrench theme which is displayed throughout the service and parts end of the building. I am standing in the center of the shop, facing the parts counter. There are six service bays on each side of me; each bay has a car lift and a technician’s personal toolbox. The lifts are all painted blue, again, sticking to the theme. Some tool boxes are large and shiny, others are smaller and worn out from years in the automotive repair business. As I walk through, I examine each technician’s personal workspace. Some have pictures of their children and wives. Some have calendars with scantily clad women looking over them. Some have funny signs posted on their toolboxes. They all have bottles and jugs of fluids, piles of rags for cleaning up their spills and plenty of shiny tools.
I stand in the center of the shop, close my eyes and take in all of the sounds. Radios are blaring; most of the guys listen to the same station, and the rock and roll channel is drowning out the less popular hip-hop channel. There is a clanging sound coming from one corner of the shop as a technician puts all of his strength into hammering an old, rusted rotor off of the car. In another corner, there is a loud hissing noise accompanied by a horrific burning odor, as another technician uses a torch to extract a stuck universal joint from a driveshaft. On the other side of the shop, there is a loud buzzing noise as another technician uses an air hammer to remove a hub from a vehicle. To my left, there is a pumping noise as an oil company re-fills the bulk oil drum used by all of the technicians. There are squeaking and squealing noises from all over as the ten large bay doors, in need of lubrication, open and close. Overhead, there is a loud, booming voice paging different employees to different areas of the building and paging for phone calls.
The technicians vary in age; some of them very young, just out of technical school, others are older and have been in the business for many years. They are all dressed in the same uniform: black pants, a black and blue collared shirt bearing the Goodwrench logo, and work boots. Most have rough hands, scarred from days of physical labor and burned from hot engines and fluids. Many suffer from physical conditions from the many years spent working on cars. Some have bad backs, others bad shoulders, others have damaged wrists. They all work through the pain; they are strong men and do not let it bring them down.
Every morning, they all drive to the dealership, most in GM vehicles. At ten minutes to eight, they punch in on their time cards and move on to the changing room. When they are changed and ready to start their day, they move to their assigned bays and make sure their tools and supplies are all in order. They head into the service drive where they meet up with the dispatcher who will give them their first assigned vehicle for the day. They review the repair order, grab the keys for the vehicle and get working on it. Sometimes, their job will be to diagnose a problem on a vehicle, other times it will be to perform a maintenance service on the vehicle. Most of the technicians enjoy the maintenance jobs, they are easy to perform and they pay them a good amount. If they are given a vehicle with a problem, they need to use all of their resources to diagnose the issue so that the service advisor can sell the repair to the customer. The technicians go through a lot of factory training, so they have their own knowledge to help them diagnose the problem. They also have on-line assistance and diagrams to follow to diagnose the problems. However they go about doing it, their goal is to find the answer to the problem and make a repair recommendation which the service advisor can then sell to the customer. When the job is sold, they need to perform the repairs and then test the vehicle to verify that it is repaired. Once they know it is fixed properly, they write up what work was performed on the invoice and give the keys to the service advisor. Most technicians will work on multiple vehicles every day.
While everyone is different, there are many similarities between the technicians. They get frustrated with common misconceptions that customers have. Many people believe that there is a computer that diagnoses problems on vehicles; unfortunately, this is not the case. The computer used by the technicians can give them diagnostic codes and they can use the computer to monitor different data in certain systems of the vehicle, but does not give them an answer to the problem. They need to do the actual work, not the computer. They take the codes and data given by the computer and need to run certain tests to actually get a diagnosis for a problem. When a customer comes in with a problem and says, “I don’t understand why you’re charging me to look at my car when all you have to do is throw it on the computer”, it is very frustrating to the technicians because they get no credit for the hard work that they do. They are similar in the way that they get frustrated by how jobs get paid. Technicians are paid on a flat rate system; they get paid by the job. Each job has a specific book time and that is how the technician’s pay is calculated. For example, a brake service pays two hours; if it takes three hours to do, they still only get paid two hours, but if it only takes them one hour to do, they still get paid for two. This system can be beneficial if they have the right kind of work. Sometimes, however, it is a disadvantage for them. When they are working on a vehicle under warranty and they are diagnosing a hard problem, GM warranty may only pay 0.9 hour even if the technician spends multiple hours on the vehicle; that is where it becomes frustrating for them.
I stand in the center of the shop, close my eyes and take in all of the sounds. Radios are blaring; most of the guys listen to the same station, and the rock and roll channel is drowning out the less popular hip-hop channel. There is a clanging sound coming from one corner of the shop as a technician puts all of his strength into hammering an old, rusted rotor off of the car. In another corner, there is a loud hissing noise accompanied by a horrific burning odor, as another technician uses a torch to extract a stuck universal joint from a driveshaft. On the other side of the shop, there is a loud buzzing noise as another technician uses an air hammer to remove a hub from a vehicle. To my left, there is a pumping noise as an oil company re-fills the bulk oil drum used by all of the technicians. There are squeaking and squealing noises from all over as the ten large bay doors, in need of lubrication, open and close. Overhead, there is a loud, booming voice paging different employees to different areas of the building and paging for phone calls.
The technicians vary in age; some of them very young, just out of technical school, others are older and have been in the business for many years. They are all dressed in the same uniform: black pants, a black and blue collared shirt bearing the Goodwrench logo, and work boots. Most have rough hands, scarred from days of physical labor and burned from hot engines and fluids. Many suffer from physical conditions from the many years spent working on cars. Some have bad backs, others bad shoulders, others have damaged wrists. They all work through the pain; they are strong men and do not let it bring them down.
Every morning, they all drive to the dealership, most in GM vehicles. At ten minutes to eight, they punch in on their time cards and move on to the changing room. When they are changed and ready to start their day, they move to their assigned bays and make sure their tools and supplies are all in order. They head into the service drive where they meet up with the dispatcher who will give them their first assigned vehicle for the day. They review the repair order, grab the keys for the vehicle and get working on it. Sometimes, their job will be to diagnose a problem on a vehicle, other times it will be to perform a maintenance service on the vehicle. Most of the technicians enjoy the maintenance jobs, they are easy to perform and they pay them a good amount. If they are given a vehicle with a problem, they need to use all of their resources to diagnose the issue so that the service advisor can sell the repair to the customer. The technicians go through a lot of factory training, so they have their own knowledge to help them diagnose the problem. They also have on-line assistance and diagrams to follow to diagnose the problems. However they go about doing it, their goal is to find the answer to the problem and make a repair recommendation which the service advisor can then sell to the customer. When the job is sold, they need to perform the repairs and then test the vehicle to verify that it is repaired. Once they know it is fixed properly, they write up what work was performed on the invoice and give the keys to the service advisor. Most technicians will work on multiple vehicles every day.
While everyone is different, there are many similarities between the technicians. They get frustrated with common misconceptions that customers have. Many people believe that there is a computer that diagnoses problems on vehicles; unfortunately, this is not the case. The computer used by the technicians can give them diagnostic codes and they can use the computer to monitor different data in certain systems of the vehicle, but does not give them an answer to the problem. They need to do the actual work, not the computer. They take the codes and data given by the computer and need to run certain tests to actually get a diagnosis for a problem. When a customer comes in with a problem and says, “I don’t understand why you’re charging me to look at my car when all you have to do is throw it on the computer”, it is very frustrating to the technicians because they get no credit for the hard work that they do. They are similar in the way that they get frustrated by how jobs get paid. Technicians are paid on a flat rate system; they get paid by the job. Each job has a specific book time and that is how the technician’s pay is calculated. For example, a brake service pays two hours; if it takes three hours to do, they still only get paid two hours, but if it only takes them one hour to do, they still get paid for two. This system can be beneficial if they have the right kind of work. Sometimes, however, it is a disadvantage for them. When they are working on a vehicle under warranty and they are diagnosing a hard problem, GM warranty may only pay 0.9 hour even if the technician spends multiple hours on the vehicle; that is where it becomes frustrating for them.
autistic boy
Have you ever wondered how autism affects a child’s life? Well I was lucky to learn more about it when I was given the opportunity to observe a classroom, at a catholic school, of 16 first graders with 1 boy that has autism. The boy’s name is Shawn and he is considered to be a very high functioning autistic child. Shawn is able to talk but it is hard for him to express himself using words. He reacted to his surroundings in unusual ways; a normal sound would bother him sometimes so much that he had to cover his ears.
Shawn is tiny for a 6 year old; he is an adorable brown haired, blue eyed, very small statured child. At first observation, you wouldn’t really think that there was anything wrong with him. Upon further observation I was able to see that he didn’t interact properly with the students in the class. He tended to isolate himself and play by himself instead of joining in with what all the other students were doing. There was a teacher’s aid in the room that worked with Shawn to try to get him to play more with the other students and she was also able to calm him down the couple of times that he got upset that week.
When I first started going to the classroom Shawn wouldn’t even look at me when I said hi to him, he would just turn his back to me and go back to what he was doing. After a week of seeing me on a daily basis he finally began to at least acknowledge that I was in the room by giving me the cutest little smile. On the last day that I was there, Shawn actually very shyly came up to me and gave me a hug when the teacher announced that this would be my last day visiting the classroom.
When I was in the classroom it was really surprising to me how Shawn was able to draw better than the average 6 year old. He put so much detail into the drawings that a child wouldn’t usually think of at such a young age. The other thing that I noticed Shawn was especially good at was putting together small puzzles that many of the other kids in the class had much difficulty with. These observations correlated with articles that I read online regarding how there are certain areas in which autistic children seem to almost have genius abilities, but then in social situations they can have what is referred to as “mind blindness”. This “mind blindness”, refers to not being able to recognize and understand body language and facial expressions like the average child can because of that even high functioning autistic children like Shawn, need to be taught the social niceties in a much more in depth way and constantly reinforcing these behaviors. This was extremely obvious to me, not only as I mentioned above with the smiling, but also in how he seemed to hurt the other kids feelings so intentionally and not really understanding why.
In my overall observations of the classroom settings I noticed lots of small activity stations which really are helpful because they allow each child to move at their own pace and keep their attention for short periods of time. This was very helpful to Shawn because he really didn’t seem to be able to sit still for very long. They had a reading station with not only an assortment of books but also with magnetic letters to form their own words, a math station with many different unique ways to explore numbers. In another area there was a sand table and a table where they were able to play with toys in water. I noticed that both of these tables were very popular with all the other students, but Shawn would avoid them as much as he could. This seems to be another issue for children with autism; they seem to have much more sensitivity to texture and need to be firmly encouraged to engage in these activities.
As my final observation, I noticed that from day to day when something was done at a different time or in a different way Shawn appeared to get upset. That seemed to correspond with what I read about the fact that most children with autism don't like changes in routines. They like to stay on a schedule that is always the same. Sometimes even a change in the way the objects and items at each activity center were arranged seemed to upset Shawn if it was different from the previous time that he had been there.
Based on my observations for the most, the classroom situation he was in seemed to be appropriately meeting his needs without isolating him from the rest of the classroom. The one thing I feel he could really benefit from would be an aid specifically assigned to him to help him deal with whatever situations may arise. You may have to try many different people before they find someone who he is comfortable enough with to be able to trust. It is also important that it is the same person all the time for him to be able to form a bond.
Shawn is tiny for a 6 year old; he is an adorable brown haired, blue eyed, very small statured child. At first observation, you wouldn’t really think that there was anything wrong with him. Upon further observation I was able to see that he didn’t interact properly with the students in the class. He tended to isolate himself and play by himself instead of joining in with what all the other students were doing. There was a teacher’s aid in the room that worked with Shawn to try to get him to play more with the other students and she was also able to calm him down the couple of times that he got upset that week.
When I first started going to the classroom Shawn wouldn’t even look at me when I said hi to him, he would just turn his back to me and go back to what he was doing. After a week of seeing me on a daily basis he finally began to at least acknowledge that I was in the room by giving me the cutest little smile. On the last day that I was there, Shawn actually very shyly came up to me and gave me a hug when the teacher announced that this would be my last day visiting the classroom.
When I was in the classroom it was really surprising to me how Shawn was able to draw better than the average 6 year old. He put so much detail into the drawings that a child wouldn’t usually think of at such a young age. The other thing that I noticed Shawn was especially good at was putting together small puzzles that many of the other kids in the class had much difficulty with. These observations correlated with articles that I read online regarding how there are certain areas in which autistic children seem to almost have genius abilities, but then in social situations they can have what is referred to as “mind blindness”. This “mind blindness”, refers to not being able to recognize and understand body language and facial expressions like the average child can because of that even high functioning autistic children like Shawn, need to be taught the social niceties in a much more in depth way and constantly reinforcing these behaviors. This was extremely obvious to me, not only as I mentioned above with the smiling, but also in how he seemed to hurt the other kids feelings so intentionally and not really understanding why.
In my overall observations of the classroom settings I noticed lots of small activity stations which really are helpful because they allow each child to move at their own pace and keep their attention for short periods of time. This was very helpful to Shawn because he really didn’t seem to be able to sit still for very long. They had a reading station with not only an assortment of books but also with magnetic letters to form their own words, a math station with many different unique ways to explore numbers. In another area there was a sand table and a table where they were able to play with toys in water. I noticed that both of these tables were very popular with all the other students, but Shawn would avoid them as much as he could. This seems to be another issue for children with autism; they seem to have much more sensitivity to texture and need to be firmly encouraged to engage in these activities.
As my final observation, I noticed that from day to day when something was done at a different time or in a different way Shawn appeared to get upset. That seemed to correspond with what I read about the fact that most children with autism don't like changes in routines. They like to stay on a schedule that is always the same. Sometimes even a change in the way the objects and items at each activity center were arranged seemed to upset Shawn if it was different from the previous time that he had been there.
Based on my observations for the most, the classroom situation he was in seemed to be appropriately meeting his needs without isolating him from the rest of the classroom. The one thing I feel he could really benefit from would be an aid specifically assigned to him to help him deal with whatever situations may arise. You may have to try many different people before they find someone who he is comfortable enough with to be able to trust. It is also important that it is the same person all the time for him to be able to form a bond.
Disney Fanatics
I have been a fan of Disney for quite some time; my introduction was the animated film The Little Mermaid in 1989 and a trip with my family in February of 1990. Since then I was hooked. I’ve visited the Disney parks here in the states several times and have been to Disneyland Paris twice, my next goal is to visit the Tokyo Disney resort. I make it a point to see all of the animated films in the theater and buy the DVDs before they are locked away in the “Disney vault”. I am also an annual passholder for Walt Disney World and visit about one or two times a year. I had pretty much defined myself as a Disney fanatic until I met John and Stacey, in their presence I lowered myself from fanatic to fan.
Webster’s dictionary defines fanatic as, “marked by excessive enthusiasm and often intense uncritical devotion”. The one part that doesn’t apply to John and Stacey is that they can be very critical if they feel that Disney makes a bad decision, there latest film isn’t up to par, or their new attraction is just so-so.
I met Stacey at work when she was hired into my department, we went through the requisite introductions and she seemed like a nice person. It wasn’t until she started to bring in personal items from home to make her desk feel more personal that I thought we would get along well. She had pictures frames with family photos of visits to the parks, pieces of memorabilia, and a collection of small snow globes that surely cost quite a pretty penny. She always had something Disney on her person as well, be it Mickey Mouse silhouette earrings, a pin of one of the characters, or a necklace with Tinkerbell. I decided to strike up a conversation about Disney one day and the floodgates opened. From speaking with Stacey I found that she borders on the fanatic. It was our love and enjoyment of Disney that brought us together as friends. Eventually I would meet her husband John and find that he was just as obsessed as she was.
John and Stacey had invited me to their house before to meet other Disney fans; they hold informal meetings with other Disney fanatics once every few months. I never had the desire to go as I didn’t want to feel, for lack of a better word, inadequate to those whose obsession ran thicker in their blood then mine did. Once this paper was assigned I figured it would be the perfect opportunity so I accepted the invitation to their next meeting.
I went to the meeting not sure what to expect or the demographic of those that would be attending. The driveway and street in front of the house were lined with cars normally found in middle-class families, the people at the meeting were white and ranged in age from early 30’s to mid-50’s. Most of them had on some type of Disney apparel, mostly t-shirts that were stamped with a date. It almost seemed that the older the date stamp the more superiority the wearer felt. I attested this to what I call “the black dog” syndrome; the Black Dog started off as a tavern on Martha’s Vineyard but has blossomed into much more. Its signature are the year stamped clothing that they sell, the older the year stamp the “cooler” the individual is wearing it, or so that is the perception. I noticed that some people had t-shirts that not only had a date stamp but also displayed a special event, this people seemed to be held to an even higher regard. The main topic of the conversation was anything Disney, it centered on whatever was “new” with Disney. Smaller groups or couples would break off to talk about politics, current events, or what was going on in their lives. But everything would come back around to Disney. Most of these people have known each other for years, they are a very close group, and they even travel together to Disney. They mostly met through an internet forum board, Disboards.com, or “The Dis” as they call it. John and Stacey seem to be central to most of the people here so I assume this is why their house is used as a meeting location, either that or to show of the latest merchandise they bought from their last trip. This group tends to use a lot of abbreviations or as they call it, Disney slang. Being a fan of Disney myself I was familiar with some of the abbreviations as it pertained to some of the attractions and shows, yet there were some I questioned about. I knew that “ToT” meant Tower of Terror and “AK” and “MK” were for Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom respectively. I thought I had a grasp on most of the lingo but then “CS” and “BCV” started coming out and I found myself lost. For the record “CS” is counter service and “BCV” is Beach Club Villas. After asking Stacey what a few of the abbreviations mean I found myself being able to follow the conversation with more ease. And it isn’t just that certain parts of sentences are abbreviated, the whole sentence is abbreviated as much as it can be. Here is a sample conversation that I heard between a Bob, a man wearing a Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party shirt and Debbie, a woman wearing more Disney inspired jewelry then I thought was possible:
Deb: Oh it was fantastic; first we took the ME from MCO directly to AKV and checked in. CRO had made a mistake on our room so we got upgraded to a savannah view room.
Bob: That is awesome! How was MVMCP?
Deb: It was fun except that SM was closed and it was far too cold to do SM, but CoP was open which was great. The TTA was running so we got to see some of the work they were doing on SM, which was neat. And we had a great skipper on JC so we made it a point to mention the CM’s name at GR. We didn’t want to stay too late so took the monorail out to the TTC and drove back to AKV.
I’m not kidding, this was an actual conversation and it continued on in this manner for another fifteen minutes. For those that don’t speak Disney, allow me to translate:
ME = Magic Express
MCO = the airport
AKV = Animal Kingdom Villas
CRO = Central Reservation Office
MVMCP = Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
SM = Space Mountain
SM also = Splash Mountain (confused yet?)
CoP = Carousel of Progress
TTA = Tomorrowland Transit Authority
JC = Jungle Cruise
CM = Cast Member
GR = Guest Relations
The other thing I was surprised about was the tenacity that many held to their opinions of Disney. I heard several discussions about what is the best ride on property, what is the best hotel, and what is the best-animated feature. Every individual in the room had a separate thought on it and a list of reasons why everyone should share their opinion.
Disney fanatics have even found a way to recognize one another when out on vacation, even if they aren’t in Disney. The color of Disney fanatics who post to the Disboards is lime green. So anything lime green from shoelaces, shirts, or bits of yarn adorn backpacks and baby strollers. It is common, I’m told by the group, that when you see someone with the lime green indicator it is common courtesy to introduce yourself with your real name and your handle on the website. When planning a visit to any of the Disney parks it is quite ordinary to go to Home Depot and take one of the lime green paint swatches, conveniently in the shape of Mickey’s head and write your Disboard handle on it. This is then proudly displayed for all to see and to precipitate interactions with other Disney fanatics.
As I said my goodbyes John and Stacey were busy planning another trip with another couple, they already have one lined up next month, this trip is for July, all the while speaking in their abbreviated language and deciding on dinner reservations. I hope that one day I will ascent to their level of fanatic and proudly display my Disboard user name on a lime green tag firmly attached to my Mickey Mouse backpack.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
BNI
Have you ever heard the slogan “Givers gain”? If you where a member of BNI you would live it. Members of BNI (Business Networking International) are like a click of their own. This group is open to businesses of all sizes. The goal of the group is to continue to grow, to have someone from each profession represented at each group. Each group can only have one business representing a particular profession. To be able to join this group you have to submit their written application along with the processing fees. If you are accepted as a member of this group you then need to attend a training class. At this training class you are given your handbook, some pamphlets, a leather business card holder that has BNI in gold lettering on the cover, and a name lanyard. BNI is taken very seriously you must be at each weekly meeting or have a substitute cover for your company. You can and will be asked to leave the group if you have too many unexcused absences. As a member of this group you are expected to pass referral as appropriate to the other members helping them build their business and in turn they pass referrals your way to help you grow yours. The other task that is expected of you is to have One-on-Ones. These are informal meetings that are set up for later times in the week, sometimes something as simple as coffee. This meeting is used to discuss what each other’s business is really about so that you are better able to generate referrals and leads for the business member you are meeting with.
The room is a bustle of chatter and plates clanging. As the group comes in they meet and greet, get breakfast and grab a seat. Because there are so many different professions that are represented in one group you get a wide range of styles and personalities. You have the banker dressed to the nines, with a suite and a smile. You have the carpenter in cargo pants a sweatshirt and a lumberjack style beard speaking when spoken to. The computer guy in the stereotypical khaki’s, button down shirt with a sweater vest over it, he completes the look with a pair of glasses. Though it is a mesh of people from all walks of life they get along well and seem to have a goodtime together.
This BNI is at a hotel so as part of their monthly dues the room and a light breakfast is provided. The room is a normal hotel conference room set up in a horse shoe shape with tables and chairs. The is one table near the main entrance that is home to the sign in sheet to make sure that you get counted as present you must sign in. There is a set schedule to each meeting. Like many other groups there is a president, treasurer, and secretary. The President then starts the meeting as the PALMS report is circulated. The palms report is the weekly report that includes your name, how many meetings you have been present and how many you have been absent. The number of one-on-ones you have had, the number of referrals you have received/given and the dollar amount that has been generated for your group from these referrals. At this point of the meeting any new business is discussed and announcements are made about upcoming outside networking events that might be of interest.
Now is the time the 60 seconds start, you stand and the rest is up to you. Some people in the room start with their name and the name of the company that they are representing then go into their dialog and others close with their name and company name. The 60 seconds for the most part are a free for all. You are allowed to do and say as you please during your time frame, though talking more than 60 seconds is not an option. There is a person at the back of the room stop watch in hand, that holds up a small sign to let you know when you are down to 10 seconds. Next to the time keeper is another man on his laptop. At first glance he doesn’t look like he is paying attention to anything going on around him but he is. It is his job to type a quick couple of sentences of each person’s 60 seconds to give the overall jest of it. This then gets emailed off to the members after the meeting. They can use this to remember what another company had spoke about or if they had a sub filling in for them it can bring them up to date on what the other companies are look for in the way of referrals.
Most are the same mundane speech week after week, what their company does and who they would like to get connected to this week which could lead to a referral if you know that business owner. My company is a little different we like to make people laugh, engage them in the speech and they will remember you and your company better. The most recent week my husband’s 60 second went something like this. How many people have pets in their home? How many people’s pets sit on the furniture? Does your dog or cat wear pants? What if your brother-in-law sat on your couch without pants? At least he showers daily and uses toilet paper. I have never had the dog ask me to spare a square, yet we think nothing of the dog sitting next to us on the couch. Good enough reason to have your furniture cleaned? I think so! Enviro Pro Clean is trained and certified in cleaning leather and upholstery now is the time to schedule your appointment.
The 60 seconds are done and now on to the 10 minute speech. On a rotating schedule each company provides the group with a 10 minute speech on their business concluded with questions. The next phase of the meeting is where they literally pass the referrals. The carpenter of the group also does random woodworking. This gentleman Bill has made a box for the group complete with the BNI letters on the front side, hinge on the top and a slot to put the slips of paper in. As this box is passed from member to member they stand put their slips in as they state what each slip is for. For each referral and one-on-one there is a slip that is completed (this is where they gather the numbers for the PALMS report). Before they pass the box to the next member some close with “Go BNI!” It seems a little awkward and this is probably why not all members do this. There is a short pause when this is finished as a designated person counts the one-on-one slips and the cash totals of the referrals received. As the meeting closes the president again addresses the group. He provides them with the totals that had been received for that week. The president then reminds them to keep their eyes and ears open for leads and closes with a “GO BNI!” Although this is the official close of the meeting the members linger behind. They discuss referrals that they had passed, giving the other person more information and scheduling this coming week one-on-ones.
Don’t forget “Givers gain”, what are you giving?
The room is a bustle of chatter and plates clanging. As the group comes in they meet and greet, get breakfast and grab a seat. Because there are so many different professions that are represented in one group you get a wide range of styles and personalities. You have the banker dressed to the nines, with a suite and a smile. You have the carpenter in cargo pants a sweatshirt and a lumberjack style beard speaking when spoken to. The computer guy in the stereotypical khaki’s, button down shirt with a sweater vest over it, he completes the look with a pair of glasses. Though it is a mesh of people from all walks of life they get along well and seem to have a goodtime together.
This BNI is at a hotel so as part of their monthly dues the room and a light breakfast is provided. The room is a normal hotel conference room set up in a horse shoe shape with tables and chairs. The is one table near the main entrance that is home to the sign in sheet to make sure that you get counted as present you must sign in. There is a set schedule to each meeting. Like many other groups there is a president, treasurer, and secretary. The President then starts the meeting as the PALMS report is circulated. The palms report is the weekly report that includes your name, how many meetings you have been present and how many you have been absent. The number of one-on-ones you have had, the number of referrals you have received/given and the dollar amount that has been generated for your group from these referrals. At this point of the meeting any new business is discussed and announcements are made about upcoming outside networking events that might be of interest.
Now is the time the 60 seconds start, you stand and the rest is up to you. Some people in the room start with their name and the name of the company that they are representing then go into their dialog and others close with their name and company name. The 60 seconds for the most part are a free for all. You are allowed to do and say as you please during your time frame, though talking more than 60 seconds is not an option. There is a person at the back of the room stop watch in hand, that holds up a small sign to let you know when you are down to 10 seconds. Next to the time keeper is another man on his laptop. At first glance he doesn’t look like he is paying attention to anything going on around him but he is. It is his job to type a quick couple of sentences of each person’s 60 seconds to give the overall jest of it. This then gets emailed off to the members after the meeting. They can use this to remember what another company had spoke about or if they had a sub filling in for them it can bring them up to date on what the other companies are look for in the way of referrals.
Most are the same mundane speech week after week, what their company does and who they would like to get connected to this week which could lead to a referral if you know that business owner. My company is a little different we like to make people laugh, engage them in the speech and they will remember you and your company better. The most recent week my husband’s 60 second went something like this. How many people have pets in their home? How many people’s pets sit on the furniture? Does your dog or cat wear pants? What if your brother-in-law sat on your couch without pants? At least he showers daily and uses toilet paper. I have never had the dog ask me to spare a square, yet we think nothing of the dog sitting next to us on the couch. Good enough reason to have your furniture cleaned? I think so! Enviro Pro Clean is trained and certified in cleaning leather and upholstery now is the time to schedule your appointment.
The 60 seconds are done and now on to the 10 minute speech. On a rotating schedule each company provides the group with a 10 minute speech on their business concluded with questions. The next phase of the meeting is where they literally pass the referrals. The carpenter of the group also does random woodworking. This gentleman Bill has made a box for the group complete with the BNI letters on the front side, hinge on the top and a slot to put the slips of paper in. As this box is passed from member to member they stand put their slips in as they state what each slip is for. For each referral and one-on-one there is a slip that is completed (this is where they gather the numbers for the PALMS report). Before they pass the box to the next member some close with “Go BNI!” It seems a little awkward and this is probably why not all members do this. There is a short pause when this is finished as a designated person counts the one-on-one slips and the cash totals of the referrals received. As the meeting closes the president again addresses the group. He provides them with the totals that had been received for that week. The president then reminds them to keep their eyes and ears open for leads and closes with a “GO BNI!” Although this is the official close of the meeting the members linger behind. They discuss referrals that they had passed, giving the other person more information and scheduling this coming week one-on-ones.
Don’t forget “Givers gain”, what are you giving?
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