Dear fellow Rotarians in District 7070,
Over the last ten or so years, many District 7070 Clubs have used Club Visioning to review their operations and future plans. Some Clubs have held Club Visioning sessions on a regular basis. We are using a format that we share with more than 100 districts around the world. However, for the last few years the activity has dropped, both in D7070 and other districts.
A couple of months ago, this downward trend resulted in Past District Governor Steve Wilcox, who once designed the program, to ask a few facilitators to be part of a committee reviewing and up-dating the program. As I assisted him to introduce Club Visioning in Sweden and Scandinavia, he invited me to be part of the committee....
We are on the homestretch of the committee work. The concept will still be the same; Rotarians place themselves three years ahead, e.g. 2023 if the session was done now, and describe in a writing exercise what her/his Club has done to become so successful.
The workbook used for writing exercise has been changed to follow the new Rotary International strategy. It will be sent electronically to the Club members after an information session at a Club event, either as a Survey Monkey or writable pdf. The visioning session, where the suggestions from the Club members are collected to be followed by voting, can either be held as an in-person meeting or as a Zoom (or any other format) meeting.
The biggest advantage of these changes is that we can get into the first steps of developing the Action Plan already at the Visioning Session. Looking back, developing an Action Plan has been a struggle for some Clubs. The Clubs that come up with an Action Plan shortly after the Visioning session have been more successful.
A few of the Districts have already tried fully virtual visioning sessions. We are interested in testing it in District 7070 as well, so Clubs that would like to be test pilots are welcome to contact me, either by email at pdglars.henriksson@gmail.com or cell 416 402 6093.
Lars Henriksson
WHAT IS VISIONING?
What is your Club like in three years? Rotary Clubs, like any other organization, change over time. Change may be the result of events outside our control, but change can also be the result of activities we take. One way to have impact on where your Club is heading is to plan for the future; have a Vision and create an Action Plan to reach that Vision. For many years, District 7070 is offering interested Clubs a Visioning Program. A team of experienced Rotarians act as facilitators for your Club. The concept is that the participants, Club members, place themselves three to five years into the future and paint a picture of what their Club is like at that time. How many members does the Club have? What is the image of your Club in the community? What projects is your Club doing at that time? Your individual members visions are combined and voted upon, reaching consensus on a common Vision for your Club
We have done! vs. We should do
In short, the Visioning exercise is about What we have done! Instead of We should do. This concept makes it easier to come up with concrete ideas about the future. Developing the Action Plan is then to describe how you as a Club will reach your vision.
The Club Visioning session is typically a three-hour event. However, there is some preparation beforehand, which may include a general presentation of the process at a Club meeting. After the Visioning session, the Club is responsible to develop the Action Plan. The Facilitation Team and your Assistant Governor can be of assistance but the responsibility is with the Club.
The three-hour Visioning session can take place in an evening or a Saturday morning, depending on the preference of the Club. The Club is responsible for arranging with a suitable venue and two flip-charts. The District’s facilitation team will arrange with all material required for the process. There is no cost for the Club to the District for a Visioning session. However, we want a commitment that an Action Plan will be developed as a result of the session.
Please, contact PDG Lars Henriksson, lars@norditrade.com if you are interested in running a Visioning session in your Club.