National Speakers Association: Colorado Chapter

NSA Colorado, typical of many non-profits and associations, didn’t suffer from a lack of vision — in fact, they had far too many of them operating simultaneously.  The organization needed to create a compelling, uniting, powerful vision as a means to set the context for strategic planning and ongoing execution.  Membership numbers and meeting attendance had been stagnant — or even dropping — over the past few years, and new attendees to an NSA meeting had challenges understanding exactly how to gain value from the organization.

We used an appreciative inquiry process to underpin our “design the future process” for the board of NSA Colorado.  After developing insights surrounding the current state, and teasing out the board’s desires for future success for NSA Colorado, we lead the board through a series of facilitated processes to drive alignment related to vision and strategy.  Our approach created strong “want to” energy when it came to “what’s right” and not “who’s right” (which is so typical with volunteer boards).  The group of skilled, talented and opinionated leaders came together — around a singular message.

In the years since Team Tipton assisted NSA Colorado with their visioning and strategic planning process, the organization has accelerated all aspects of their success:  membership, meeting participation, revenue, satisfaction, customer service — you name it.  In all respects, NSA Colorado truly has become (and continues to drive further excellence in) the resource destination for professional communicators.

John Sileo and Tamara Kleinberg offer some kind words related to the effectiveness of Team Tipton’s facilitation for the NSA Colorado board retreat in the summer of 2012.