<html><body> <DIV>HI Dean,</DIV> <DIV>Great post, and well put.  Women talking is  what I tuened out so I could hear the piano while doing tuning practice at that thrift store yesterday. :) </DIV> <DIV>Marshall</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid">-------------- Original message -------------- From: "Dean May" <deanmay@pianorebuilders.com> <META content=Word.Document name=ProgId> <META content="Microsoft Word 10" name=Generator> <META content="Microsoft Word 10" name=Originator><LINK href="cid:filelist.xml@01C611F7.C7624BA0" rel=File-List> <STYLE>  </STYLE> <DIV class=Section1> Jeanni wrote:<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p> It might take a while of attending meetings before people will respond to your needs.  The members may not jump up and come to your rescue just because you showed up. Give them a chance to see how serious you are about learning, to get to know you and appreciate you as a person.  I've seen it happen time after time..... after this "getting to know you" period, someone may just step forward and take you under his/her wing.  PTG is a great resource, but like anything else, it's up to you to make most of the effort to learn.  <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Jeanni had some excellent things to say but I wanted to comment on this. It is always difficult to “break in” to any kind of group, particularly one that is exclusive and closed. Add to the mix someone inexperienced in the craft who is suffering perceived intimidation from the other expert attenders and it is especially difficult. I had been in the business almost 20 years before I joined my “local” chapter (80 miles local) so I was not inexperienced in the craft but I still felt intimidated and like an outsider. Not that the others in the chapter are snobbish, far from it. It is just the nature of things. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> It would behoove all of us involved in local chapters to take steps to minimize this breaking in period. It has to be intentional; it won’t happen automatically. Name badges are a very good first step. They are cheap and they work. It is hard to develop any kind of friendly relationship when every time you see someone you are embarrassed because you can’t remember their name. A photo directory would also be good. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> And then old timers have to go out of their comfort zone to make newcomers feel friendly and welcome. This involves conversation, guys. That’s the thing we see women doing with each other when we see their lips moving. ;-)  There were 2 or 3 regulars in my chapter that did this for me, and it works. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <DIV> Dean<o:p></o:p> Dean May             cell 812.239.3359<o:p></o:p> PianoRebuilders.com   812.235.5272<o:p></o:p> Terre Haute IN  47802<o:p></o:p></DIV> <o:p> </o:p> <o:p> </o:p></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></body></html>