Hoo boy. Why not just drive nails into your eyes and be done with it? I'm only half kidding.
There are many levels of information that are up for discussion:
Facility. Is the room too hot or too cold? Too small or too large? Are the bathrooms nearby? Are they clean? Is parking easy? Is it safe? It goes on.
Meetings. Are the club nights convenient? Is there adequate floor time? Does one level predominate and is it the right level? Should there be more dancing or less?
Caller. Is the caller a good teacher for class? Does he or she have decent music or is it too repetitive? Is the sound system decent? Is the caller too strict? too easy? a moron?
Dancers. Do the right dancers show up? Do you need more angels? Do some dancers need coaching? Does anyone mess up far too often? Are there dancers who dance as if they've never seen a square before? (“Please name names.”) Does anyone show up after a few drinks? Do women feel comfortable dancing with the men? Is there anti-woman sentiment that keeps you away?
Other. There are others.
I'm not a fan of anonymous polling or commentary. If everyone were strong dancers, consistent volunteers, and rational thinkers, then perhaps anonymity is fine. But should a dancer who shows up once a quarter have the same voice as one who's there every week?
I like the idea that a board member could reach out and have private discussions about sensitive topics but that's time-intensive and I agree that few people have those skills. Perhaps you could designate a board member as a caller contact and all feedback could funnel through that one person.
A better way to give feedback to the caller is to give that caller consistent and ongoing feedback. Finding out at contract renewal time that nobody likes your figures is probably the wrong scenario. The caller has to be aware up front that he or she will get feedback, some positive and some aimed at improvement.
I think you have to do surveys, ask questions, and always engage with folks about different questions and then talk with the board (and others) about what you and others have heard and seen.
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Date: 2009-09-18 09:02 pm (UTC)There are many levels of information that are up for discussion:
I'm not a fan of anonymous polling or commentary. If everyone were strong dancers, consistent volunteers, and rational thinkers, then perhaps anonymity is fine. But should a dancer who shows up once a quarter have the same voice as one who's there every week?
I like the idea that a board member could reach out and have private discussions about sensitive topics but that's time-intensive and I agree that few people have those skills. Perhaps you could designate a board member as a caller contact and all feedback could funnel through that one person.
A better way to give feedback to the caller is to give that caller consistent and ongoing feedback. Finding out at contract renewal time that nobody likes your figures is probably the wrong scenario. The caller has to be aware up front that he or she will get feedback, some positive and some aimed at improvement.
I think you have to do surveys, ask questions, and always engage with folks about different questions and then talk with the board (and others) about what you and others have heard and seen.