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What is going on at NGH?

*** Warning, I am about to complain. ****

I recently started the Hartford chapter of NGH. They are willing to send postcards to market our FIRST event, however the only mechanism that they are going to use to market future events is a posting on the NGH website.

I have sent emails and made phone calls and most of my inquiries go unanswered. I have offered to pay them to send postcards notifying other members of the meetings and after about 3 weeks of no answer I call back and they say that they won't even do that.

In my opinion building an organization like NGH requires that chapters have a strong sense of solidarity, and to do that you need to build a strong core of participants. We need numbers to do this, I am looking to add value to everyone in the Hartford area that is an NGH member and it seems very short sighted on the part of NGH to squelch that effort. I am volunteering my time and my own money to build this organization and make it stronger and they are unwilling to allow me to pay them out of my own pocket to do that! This is stunning to me. As an organization they can not rely on 50 years of inertia to carry them through, people will simply get their needs met somewhere else. I am new to hypnotism and maybe it is blasphemy to criticize the guild, but I have to call em as I see em.

I have been in business for myself for 10 years and I know that from a marketing standpoint you can't just post this event to the NGH website and hope that people are going to come to the NGH website and find the event there, that is an unrealistic expectation.

So I wonder, what role do the chapters even play in this organization? What exactly are the priorities for NGH? They are clearly not committed to growing the chapters. Is the organization all about the convention (which was very good last year, my first year).

Perhaps this is an inappropriate message to post, however I am getting very frustrated with NGH and I am wondering if I am the only one and I am not sure what other mechanism I have to communicate with THEM and get my point across.

Thanks for reading
Erik

Tags: nhg

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Pnosis on July 16, 2008 at 5:46am: Hi Erik,

Of course it isn't blasphemy to criticize the Guild. But I believe it rather myopic. The Guild is an extraordinary organization and an invaluable one. The services it provides -- based on a relatively small and hard-working staff -- to its over 10,000 members clearly stretches its administrative resources to the limit. If you are coming to Marlborough this year, you will have ample chance to meet the staff members and to ask them -- and other chapter heads -- for ideas on what will be productive to improve your outreach in Hartford, which is a very commendable thing. Hope to see you there.

Pnosis

PS -- Come visit Pnosis.com and, while you are there, read the tribute to Dr. Damon that starts on the homepage for a tribute the Guild's accomplishments! (And while there you might check out the Directory and post your practice there -- and also, separately on the homepage, sign up for the weekly emailed feature article on hypnosis if you are interested in receiving this, we'd love to have you as a Pnosis subscriber.); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Erik Blazynski on July 16, 2008 at 6:19am: OK I looked at your website and read that piece on Dr. Damon. The article states that he is a canonical figure in hypnotism, and made hypnotism a distinct profession. So you tell me what I am supposed to think about the guy, and you list some accomplishments. The accomplishments are great. I don't know this gentleman, and without past knowledge of what NGH has done in the past I certainly will not refute this person's place in hypnotism. I am simply stating what my experience is TODAY, not 10 years ago. Perhaps my view of what NGH should be is unrealistic, but I do believe that strong chapters would be the cornerstone of membership, clearly my view differs from Dr. Damon's. So what is the cornerstone of membership? Convention? Union affiliation (which I don't even really understand why a sole practitioner will affiliate with a union), insurance?

I have asked the staff how to increase my outreach in Hartford. They tell me to send emails, well that is great but I only have 13 email addresses and they are unwilling to give me the email addresses or send the emails for me.

If the staff is stretched thin then wouldn't it make sense to hire additional staff? Maybe they need to charge more for membership. If you add value I am certainly willing to pay for it. Perhaps I am in the minority.

My view is in fact myopic, I have been a member for one year and I don't see all of the wonderful things that they done in the past, but the past is the past. I am talking about the organization TODAY! And if we are going to talk about myopic short sightedness then we can point to the NGH treatment of new chapters. For me the chapter meetings define the value derived from this organization.

Thanks
Erik; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Conrad Cook on July 16, 2008 at 8:10am: Hey, you think you got problems? Postcards! At least you get postcards. At Sleepwalkers, we don't even get postcards. I don't even know who I would call to complain to about the fact we don't get postcards.

Why, when I was your age...

Conrad.

ps - I use Craigslist; but I suppose you're looking for members only.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Lisa Mills on July 17, 2008 at 7:56pm: conrad, you a funny man. serious.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Scott Sandland, C.Ht. on July 16, 2008 at 9:11am: It's understandable to be frustrated with the NGH, ABH, IMDHA, ACHE, or any organization from time to time, especially when you are trying to help them do something for their members. We should also recognize that we don't have all the information or perspectives they have when making big picture decisions for their organization as a whole

I recognize the value these organizations provide, I really do. I'm not a member of the NGH but I do understand they have been some of the people that help defend against negative legislature. I've also heard they only do that for members of their union, which if true, would be myopic. I think the organizations (understandably) focus on taking care of "their own" and leaving the other hypnotists to fend for themselves. This is a feuding tribes mentality that keeps us seperate from helping one another to the best of our abilities.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I have been a chapter president for IMDHA and been on their board of directors for a few years now. I'm not anti-organization. Have I ever been confused or frustrated by a decision made by the organization? Of course. In the past 9 years that I've been a member there have been things that confused or concerned me. At the end of the day, though, we either have to trust the leadership to make good decisions for us or leave the organization.

No organization is ever going to be perfect. Venting is good. It's just important to remember what work you are doing, who you are doing it for, and why. I do my best to try to think about "what's best for hypnosis as a profession" rather than "what's best for this organization." I'm not saying I make all the right decisions, but I do my best to stay aware of my intentions.

Hope this helps,
Scott Sandland; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Erik Blazynski on July 16, 2008 at 11:51am: I am not asking for perfection, I am asking that they simply return one of the several phone calls or emails that I have sent. Perhaps if they shared this big picture I would be a little more understanding, but my trust in leadership quickly diminishes when I don't get any response at all. If they are getting away from a chapter meeting type of organization then just say so. (I guess their actions say this?)

-Erik; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Sean Michael Andrews C.H. C.I. - WorldsFastestHypnotist.com on July 17, 2008 at 2:04am: Erik:
I'm the Maryland chapter president and I agree with you that the postcards were VERY helpful for getting new chapters rolling. We need to find a way to replace them because a new chapter really needs something to achieve critical mass. An established chapter doesn't need the postcards as much.

On the subject of responsiveness though, my experience has been very different from yours. The staff at NGH has always gotten back to me very quickly no matter what my request was.

Sean Michael Andrews

P.S. Anyone in Maryland (NGH member or not) who would like to receive information about future NGH meetings, please email me at sean@worldsfastesthypnotist.com; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Eric G. Schneider on July 17, 2008 at 8:10am: The bureaucratization of the prophetic!

When organizations don't really support the members, we take steps to participate in supporting transformation in the organizations. When that does not work we look for other organizations to join and when that does not work we go and create other organizations.

The issue that you speak of is only a symptom of a much larger problem.

While I agree with Scott on trusting the leadership and that good followship is in order the leadership needs to earn that followship and they do that through what they say and what they do.

Best of luck,

Eric; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Don Rice on July 17, 2008 at 8:25am: Hi Erik, You are right that NGH supporters often talk about what was done in the past and that is because NGH saved hypnosis as a practice in this country. I have been in the business for over twenty five years and I can assure you that without Dr. Damon and the NGH staff I would have been put out of business years ago. NGH is in the process of replacing the good old boys with new blood, but it takes time and must be done slowley so we don't lose what has been gained in the past. In response to your email I can only repond to my experience with the NGH. I have been a member for over ten years and I have always received rapid response to my emails and phone calls. In fact I have always been amazed how efficient the staff is. Perhaps your experience was just bad luck or your attitude. Your emails don't sound like a person I would enjoy having a beer with. I can't speak for NGH, but I would guess that chapters play a small roll in the total business. If you have been successful in business for ten years then you certainly understand the marketing process. Get busy and make your chapter grow.

Enjoy Life,

Don; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Erik Blazynski on July 17, 2008 at 9:04am: Again, I am not trying to take away anything from the accomplishments of Dr. Damon.

You would have a beer with me, I am a great guy. Unless of course your conversation defies all logic then we'll debate. I was very polite to the staff, it is possible that the delay was in figuring out whether they wanted to let me pay them to send out the postcards or not, I even offered to pay them to email people and I was very nice about it. The time between the asking and the response was about a month and I only received the response because I called again to get the answer.

I started the chapter because I really want to learn more about every aspect of hypnosis and each of my peers can teach myself and everyone else something, If NGH do not market the events then what are they adding? I am not willing to help an organization that is unwilling to help itself. Instead of spending my money to market their stuff I could take a class or buy a DVD every month.

-Erik; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Shelley Stockwell Nicholas on July 18, 2008 at 5:49am: Dear Eric
Dr. Shelley Stockwell-Nicholas here. I'm proud to be the President of the International Hypnosis Federation. This is our ten year anniversary. The IHF would be thrilled to support your good work as a chapter president.

It is people like you who make an organization healthy and brings our great work of mind, body and spirit to the attention of a public starving for REAL help in their lives.

Call me; my number is (310) 541-4844. I am here to support YOU.
We have a fabulous "It's All About YOU!" Fun Conference March 7-9 in San Pedro California. You may want to join us in that as well!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Don Rice on August 27, 2008 at 11:00am: I'm sure YOU would have a beer with YOU and I'm really certain YOU feel YOU are a great guy. It's sort of like TRUST ME isn't it? If you are not willing to help NGH then you have every right to not help them or help another group. I'm certain Dwight wouldn't say this, but if you left today I wouldn't miss you and the NGH wouldn't miss you.

Do Good & Make Money Don Rice; ▶ Reply to This