What’s Your Vision?Chris Rimple

President, Voices Incorporated

Course Information

u Name: What’s Your Vision

u Length: 1 session of 90 minutes

u Size: Unlimited

u Participants: Any, but targeted to chapter leaders

u Prerequisites: Noneu Materials: PowerPoint slides

u Description: Has your chapter lost its way? Is it difficult to explain why your chapter exists, what it does, and why someone would want to join? It may be time to revisit your Vision and Mission. We’ll review the purpose of a Vision and Mission, how to brainstorm and define them, and how they impact chapter culture. We’ll examine your chapter “persona” (the public face that you present to the world) and how that helps or hurts. Back home, you’ll have the skills needed to take your chapter leadership through a Vision/Mission brainstorming exercise.

Objectives

u Provide participants with information and tools to become more effective chapter leaders

u Provide participants with an understanding of chapter identity

u Provide participants with an overview of Vision and Mission and their impacts

u Provide participants with the skills to lead a Vision/Mission brainstorming exercise

Participant Expectations

uBasic knowledge of the barbershop world and terminology

uBasic knowledge of chapter operations

Instructor – Chris Rimple

u Barbershopper since 2003u Former chapter VP Music and VP Marketing, District VP

Marketing, BHS Marketing instructoru President of Voices Incorporated chapter, HCNW instructor,

Harmony U instructoru Disciple of Chuck Greene and J.R. “Digger” MacDougall –

focus on generational/societal impacts to barbershopu 52, married, no kids, work in high tech – in our “target

market” for recruiting

u First barbershop experience at 18, but didn’t join for 20 years – plant the seed, it will grow

u Email – chrisrimple@yahoo.com

Agenda

uLogisticsuClass DemographicsuUnderstanding IdentityuVision & MissionuElevator PitchuSummaryuQ & A

Logistics

uClass is 90 minutes with no breaksu If needed, step out and rejoin quietly

uSilence the noisemakersu Phones, pagers, etc. can be on but in silent mode

uAsk questions at any timeu There is also time at end for general Q&A

Logistics

uTalk about itu Post to social media

uVideo recordingu Class may be recorded for later viewing online

uAll materials availableu Slides, recordings, and all content is online

Class Demographics

uHow many in BHS? SAI? HI? Other?uHow many years in barbershop?

u 1-10? 11-20? 21-30? 31-40? 41-50? 51+?

uHow many chapter administrative leaders?uHow many chapter music team members?uHow many are here for the first time?

Understanding Identity

Chapter Identity

Identity is how your chapter is perceived – by members, audience, and the community

If you don’t know who you are, how will anyone else?

Identity Examples

uStrong identityu Clowns, Circus, etc.

u Ballet, symphony, and opera

u Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson

uWeak identityu Most stand-up comedians

u Modern a cappella groups

u Most barbershop chapters and quartets

Identity Elements

uSinging IntentuRepertoireuPerformance StyleuPersonnel / AppearanceuAssociationsuAudienceuContest Participation

Singing Intent

uFor Ourselvesu Focus on member enjoyment

u Quality is less important

u Rehearsals for “fun” and less about preparation

uFor Othersu Focus on audience enjoyment

u Quality is more important

u Rehearsals for preparation

Repertoire

u A cappella, or also with instruments?

u Barbershop, or also other a cappella styles?u Jazz, choral, contemporary, etc.

u Old songs, or also newer music (1980+)u Any genre or theme specialization?

u Country, big band/swing, rock & roll, parodies, etc.

u What portion is uptunes?u Audiences want 75%+

Performance Style

u Concert chorusu Little riser movement or visual elements

u Focus on singing quality

u Performance chorusu Riser movement for every song, with designed choreography for uptunes

u Focus on entertainment quality

u Show chorusu Costumes, props, sets, and designed staging

u Focus on themes

u Narration / Emceeu It’s a science and art, and often done poorly

Personnel / Appearance

uMembershipu Male-only or mixed?

u Young, old, or a mix of ages?

u Diverse (racially, etc.) or not?

uUniformsu “Barbershop” or contemporary/modern?

u Themed outfits (clown suits, newsboys, etc.)

u Should match intended identity

Associations

u A cappella worldu BHS only, or also CASA and others?

u Eventsu County fairs and other “old-timey” environmentsu Corporate and civic functions

u Philanthropicu Educational and school programsu Local and national non-profits

u Positionsu LGBTQ+, world peace, etc.

Audience

u Narrowu Family and friends

u Existing barbershop fans

u Older persons having familiarity with older songs

u Broadu Potential barbershop fans

u Potential a cappella fans

u Younger persons having familiarity with newer songs

u Targetedu Youth, seniors, etc.

u Minority communities

Contest Participation

u Evaluationu Assess chapter level and progress against self

u Can include qualification for later contests

u Focus on assessment, not on winning

u Placementu Assess chapter level and progress against others

u Includes qualification for later contests

u Focus on winning

u Preparationu How much time spent getting ready?

u What requirements for participation?

Identity BrainstormGroup Discussion – 20 Minutes

Identity Brainstorm

For your chapter, what are important Identity specifics?

Vision & Mission

Vision & Mission

uA vision statement is the world as you would like it to beu Often begins with “A world in which…”

uA mission statement is the actions you’ll take to create that worldu Often begins with a verb, such as “Provide…”,

“Utilize…”, “Promote…”, and similar

Example: Non-Profit

u Visionu A world in which no child goes to bed hungry

u Missionu Raise awareness through direct and indirect marketing,

events, and other activities

u Solicit funding from governmental, philanthropic, and social organizations, as well as individual, through targeted campaigns and other means

u Distribute funding to highly-rated programs and continually measure their success

Example: Car Dealership

u Visionu A world in which sales, service revenue, and customer satisfaction

exceed our competitors

u Missionu Ensure that sales staff have the necessary tools and training to

achieve targets

u Ensure that service staff have the necessary tools and training to achieve targets

u Measure customer satisfaction at every point of engagement, compare to competitors, and correct for any deficiencies

Example: Early Voices Incorporated

u Visionu A world in which men of diverse backgrounds join together to sing a cappella,

predominately but not exclusively in the barbershop style, enriching their lives and the lives of their audience through the high quality of their performance

u Missionu Foster an atmosphere of excellence, fellowship, and friendship in which every member is

encouraged and committed to performing at the highest possible level at all times

u Provide access to comprehensive education resources, helping members achieve continuous improvement in their singing and performing quality

u Measure singing quality regularly via evaluation, competition, and other meansu Outreach to all parts of the community through performance and education opportunitiesu Entertain audiences through a wide repertoire representing many decades and a cappella

stylesu Minimize operational distractions that could negatively impact singing quality

Be Narrow & Specific

uIf your Vision is too broad, it may be difficult to achieve and focus could be lost

uIf your Vision is too generic, it could be hard to quantify actions for a Mission

uAfter achieving your Vision, you can always make a new one

Example: Bad Vision

u Vision

u A world that values a cappella singing in the barbershop harmony style

u Too broadu As a single chapter, can you impact the whole world?

u Even if you could, how long will it take?

u Not measurableu What does “values” mean?

Example: Good Vision

u Visionu A world in which our chapter membership is growing, we are

performing to appreciative and growing audiences, and our financial needs are met or exceeded

u Reasonably narrowu As a single chapter, you can define actions with meaningful impact

u Very measurableu Membership trends are easily computed

u Audience trends are easily computed, and there are ways to measure satisfaction beyond “butts in seats”

u Financial trends are easily computed

Vision/Mission ElementsGroup Discussion – 10 Minutes

Vision/Mission Elements

What are possible elements of a chapter Vision and Mission?

Chapter identity elements are a part, but there can be many more

Identity Elements

uSinging IntentuRepertoireuPerformance StyleuPersonnel / AppearanceuAssociationsuAudienceuContest Participation

Other Elements

uEducationu Members and the public

uFellowshipu Members and other barbershoppers

uLeadershipu Examples set for other chapters, district, and BHS

uQualityu Qualification requirements, contest targets, etc.

Other Elements

uCreationu Arrangements and songs

uFinancialu Revenue sources, targets, and so on

uMembershipu Size, participation, diversity, age, etc.

uFunu At rehearsals, performing, outside rehearsals, etc.

Vision/Mission BrainstormGroup Discussion – 20 Minutes

Vision/Mission Brainstorm

For your chapter, what are important Vision specifics?

For your chapter, what are important Mission specifics to achieve that Vision?

Elevator Pitch

Elevator Pitch

uCan be stated “during an elevator ride”

uExplains your identity in simple termsu Comparisons to known things always help

uNo more than 25 words, and usually a single sentence

Elevator Pitch Examples

u We’re the Tesla of barbershop chorusesu Evokes quality, modern/cutting edge, speed, etc.

u We’re like Cirque du Soleil, but for barbershopu Evokes acrobatics, colorful costumes, etc.

u We’re a chorus that sings about dogs in the barbershop styleu Great if your audience is mostly dog fans

u We’re a chorus that’s promoting singing through educational events at local high schoolsu Tells the listener that you have a civic service aspect

Elevator Pitch BrainstormGroup Discussion – 10 Minutes

Elevator Pitch Brainstorm

For your chapter, what are important Elevator Pitch specifics?

Can you combine the specifics into a single sentence or short phrase?

Summary

What Have We Learned?

uUnderstanding and defining an identity is critical to chapter culture and success

uVision and Mission define chapter goals and actions

uAn elevator pitch makes it easier to explain your chapter to the world

Questions?

Additional Resources

u Harmony College Northwestu http://www.harmonycollege.org

u BHS Healthy Chapter Initiativeu http://www.barbershop.org/education/healthy-chapter-

initiative

u BHS Education (Harmony U / HU Online)u http://www.barbershop.org/education

u BHS Everyone In Harmonyu http://www.barbershop.org/everyoneinharmony/