Education Coordinator

This section is an educational resource designed to provide Members with information relevant to marketing one’s business through referrals. It is a document that will give you, the Education Coordinator, a means to provide Members with valuable referral education. Being the Education Coordinator does not mean YOU must present every week in your Chapter; having another Chapter Member present at least every six to eight weeks is expected. Allowing many Members to educate their fellow Members is also a very powerful way of coordinating.

BNI®’s Education Goals

To educate Members that networking is more about farming than it is about hunting… it is about cultivating relationships.
To better educate, guide and inform Members in the process of developing a referral-based business.

Members know that a commitment from BNI® and a commitment from Members helps accomplish these goals. The arena to help Members achieve success is their weekly Chapter meeting. At weekly meetings, Members teach Members about their respective businesses, and the Education Coordinator shares referral insights that have been documented or experienced. Success is generated through the referrals passed and the relationships that ensue.

The keys to effective referral education are:

Developing solid Weekly Presentations and Feature Presentations
Developing a Contact Sphere & activating a Power Team that truly complements your profession
Implementing a plan that puts the Givers Gain® philosophy at the forefront of helping others to achieve positive results
Providing fellow Members with from-the-heart testimonials that applaud the credibility of other Members’ hard work
Taking the time to develop new relationships
Participating in Advanced Training Opportunities to enhance referral generation and networking opportunities. Engaging in these sessions yourself will also arm you with the ability to empower others to take advantage of these sessions in pursuit of having your Referral Partners pass YOU more business.

You can polish your skills by reading BNI® articles and books and enrolling in courses in BNI® Business Builder about the art of networking.

In summary, make education a priority of your networking experience. The more you learn, the stronger the referrals and relationships become, thus solidifying your business foundation.

BNI® Training Framework

BNI® Members have different levels of education, attitudes toward learning, occupations, and aspirations. BNI®’s training is designed to take this context into account. Understanding “The art and science of helping adults learn,” BNI® acknowledges that Member learning is a process of self-directed inquiry.

BNI®’s training philosophy is based on the understanding that:

Members need to know WHY they should learn something
Members need to be self-directed and decide for themselves what they want to learn
Training is designed to connect learning experiences to Members’ past and future experiences
Members come ready to learn and engage fully
Members are motivated to learn both extrinsically and intrinsically

BNI®’s Training Approach:

Members participate in the learning process and have control over its nature and direction
Members are provided with real or simulated experiences through which they can experience the positive benefits of knowing and the negatives of not knowing.
Member self-evaluation is the principal method of assessing progress or success.

The Influence of Learning Styles

An individual’s learning style has a significant influence on the way an individual learns. The Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic (VAK) learning styles model suggests that most people can be divided into one of these three preferred styles of learning.

Visual Learners rely on pictures. They love graphs, diagrams, and illustrations. They want to know what the subject looks like. A facilitator can best communicate with them by providing handouts, writing on the whiteboard or flip chart, and using phrases like, “Do you see how this works?”

Auditory Learners listen carefully to all sounds associated with learning. “Tell me” is their motto. They will pay close attention to the sound of a facilitator’s voice and all of its subtle messages, and they will actively participate in discussions. A facilitator can best communicate with them by speaking, asking questions, and using phrases like, “How does that sound to you?”

Kinesthetic Learners need to physically do something to understand it. They trust their feelings and emotions about what they’re learning and how you’re teaching it. They want to touch what they’re learning. They are the ones who will get up and help you with role-playing. A facilitator can best communicate with them by involving volunteers, allowing them to practice what they’re learning, and using phrases like, “How do you feel about that?”

Most people use all three styles while they’re learning, but one style is regularly preferred. In BNI®, we encourage our Facilitators and Trainers, including Education Coordinators, to present information using all three styles.

The BNI® Referral Program

BNI® is unique in the marketing industry because of our commitment to Member education. The Education Coordinator is integral to this process.

Through the Education Coordinator, Members develop networking skills that help to increase their referral business. Education is extremely important for overall productivity in your BNI® Chapter. BNI® has an amazing depth of educational resources and a commitment to constantly educating its Members about referrals. The Education Coordinator should be an accountable and committed Member who has been with BNI® for at least six months and understands the concepts and policies of the BNI® system.

Education Coordinator Expectations

The Education Coordinator ensures that Members are provided with information about a BNI® related technique, skill, or strategy during the 3-minute Education Moment at each Chapter meeting. The Education Coordinator also coordinates and assigns Chapter Members to present a topic every six to eight weeks. BNI® Tampa has prepared 52 weeks of Education Moments posted to the BNI Education Moments website (BNIem.com), that you can use in your Chapter.
Networking Education Moment

c. It is strongly recommended that you require a cash or check deposit on books borrowed from the Chapter library. This will enable you to replace unreturned items.

d. Please ensure that the Chapter Library and your respective checkout system are placed on the Member Resource Table at each week’s Chapter meeting.

Conduct One-to-Ones with New Members as part of the Passport to Success Mentor Program.
Regularly review the BNI® Global website (bni.com) and the Member Resource Center accessed via your BNI® Connect Login by hitting the “?” help icon in the upper right of the home page.
Consistently be ranked as one of the top learners on the BNI Academy® Leaderboard in your Chapter.
Work closely with your Chapter Event Coordinator to facilitate and promote Member Success Program, After Chapter Advanced Trainings, Member Success Program Advanced Series, and Professional Development workshops.

Education Coordinator Checklist of Responsibilities

BEFORE the Chapter Meeting each Week

▢ Arrive 15 minutes before Open Networking

▢ Bring the complete Chapter Library and check-out system to each meeting

▢ Prepare, in advance, a 3-minute Networking Education Moment from BNI material see BNIem.com

▢ Regularly assign Members to provide the Networking Education Moment, giving plenty of advance notice

DURING the Chapter Meeting each Week

▢ Provide the 3-minute Networking Education Moment

▢ Prepare great questions to engage your Members; practice, practice, practice.

▢ Caution: Although handouts are good, they often take up too much time if the exercise requires a response from each Member during the meeting

▢ Caution: Reading to a group of Members will put them to sleep

AFTER the Chapter Meeting each Week

▢ Schedule upcoming Networking Education speakers, if applicable

▢ Collaborate with the Chapter President weekly to ensure the upcoming Networking Education Moments are in line with Chapter goals

AS NEEDED

▢ Conduct One-to-Ones with New Members as part of the Passport to Success Mentor Program

▢ For Leadership Team support please attend our weekly Leadership Team Support zoom meetings each Monday from 12:00-1:00PM. Leaders can receive additional training to perform their roles with EXCELLENCE!

▢ For Leadership Team support throughout the week please submit a support request by simply sending an email to Support@BNITampa.com and we will have the right Team Member get in touch to solve the need.

MONTHLY

▢ Plan topics for the next month’s Education Moments that can assist the Chapter in reaching any short or long-term goals and objectives in alignment with the GP101 Document. This needs to be planned at your monthly Chapter Success Meeting with the Leadership Team.

▢ Maintain a Chapter Library

▢ Display Chapter Library at meetings

▢ Create a checkout system for Members to borrow items

▢ Suggestion: It is strongly recommended that you require a cash or check deposit on books borrowed from the Chapter Library. This will enable you to replace unreturned items.

▢ Coordinate with Leadership Teams and/or Membership Committee on Chapter goals and education necessary to accomplish the Chapter GP101 results.

▢ Keep and update the Networking Education Tracking Sheet on completed and upcoming topics.

Education Moment Sample Outline

Relate it to business first

Provide an example or a story to help illustrate what you’re talking about. Example: “As business professionals, we often set appointments. But what happens if you don’t show up, are late, or have to leave early? Does it make a difference to the client? Of course, we all know life happens, so we’ll often forgive someone. But what if it became a habit? What if you had a business professional you were trying to meet with who consistently arrived late without calling or simply didn’t show up? Would it impact your relationship with that person?”

Let the audience know WHY this topic is important

Example: “Scheduling a 1:1 is a promise we make to another person to be somewhere on a particular day at a particular time, right? That other person has set aside the time to meet with us and is probably looking forward to learning more about you. When you arrived when you said you would, what are you building? Trust. What does trust build? The relationship. What does a professional relationship build? Business.”

Relate the topic to BNI®

Example: “In BNI®, our goal is to build quality professional relationships that make it easy to pass referrals. Open Networking is a great time to get a question answered, set up a One-to- © 2023 BNI Global, LLC 130 One, or find out one more thing that you can do to help generate a referral to someone. During the meeting, we get the opportunity to train one another about our businesses through the Weekly Presentations as well as the Feature Presentations. If we’re not here for these important pieces, it becomes more difficult to build the trust we need that leads to business.”

Provide additional resources (if applicable) / Wrap Up

“If you have questions about BNI®’s attendance policy or need help finding a powerful substitute, please contact someone on the Membership Committee (list Membership Committee Members’ names, including the Vice President). They’ll be happy to support you in any way they can. Thank you.”

Education Resources:

BNI® Education Moments Website

Visit BNIem.com to access fully prepared Education Moments for all 52 weeks of the year. If your Leadership Team identifies a more relevant or pressing topic for your Chapter meeting, feel free to prioritize and use that topic for the week.

BNI Business Builder®

On BNI Business Builder®, you’ll find courses and content to support your entire BNI® journey, whether you’re a BNI® Member, you’re on a Leadership Team, or you’re a BNI® Director. Be sure to record your Chapter Education Units (CEUs) after completing items on BNI Business Builder® and continue to support BNI®’s Core Value – Lifelong Learning. Note: Courses can be assigned to Members who might need help on a specific topic.

BNI® Business Builder Mobile App

BNI® Business Builder is BNI®’s global online learning platform, developed with BNI® Members top of mind. You will have access to a range of training content – including videos, podcasts, webinars, and other resources – as you do using BNI Business Builder® accessed via your desktop.

BNI® Tampa Newsletter "Connecting the Dots”

Region Newsletter distributed by email to all Members in the BNI® Tampa Region. Member highlights, Chapter success stories, process changes, upcoming events, inspirational messages, and quotes.

IvanMisner.com (IvanMisner.com)

“As a business person, what's your most important question on how to accelerate the growth of your professional network?” Join Dr. Ivan R. Misner on regularly scheduled Facebook Live Events, where you can ask him any questions regarding networking and referrals.

Follow Dr. Ivan Misner on Facebook & Twitter

Daily postings that can give you some additional insight into BNI and how Members can make the best of their experience

BNI® Region Website (BNITampa.com)

At our BNI® region website, you will find upcoming educational events that are relevant to building your business through networking and referrals. From here, in the upper right-hand corner, you can log into BNI Connect® with your personalized username and password to access the BNI Connect® Resource section.

BNI® National Website (BNIAmerica.com)

You can search for a BNI® Member or BNI® Chapter in any city throughout the United States.

International Website (BNI.com)

At our BNI® international website, you can search for a BNI® Member or BNI® Chapter in any city, state, or country.

BNI Connect® Mobile App (BNIConnectGlobal.com)

You can download the app from the links on the login page to be able to access it. BNI Connect® mobile is an application exclusively for BNI® Members. Initially, you can enter electronic SLIPS for Referrals, TYFCB, and One-to-Ones. You can search the entire world for Members! Additionally, you can invite visitors to your Chapter and update your profile. We will be adding new features to BNI Connect® mobile regularly.

Chapter Education Opportunities:

Director Consultant Feature Presentation

BNI® Director Consultants have access to hundreds of different presentations ranging from Networking Education Moments to Feature Presentations. Be sure to utilize a BNI® Tampa Director Consultant and their knowledge and assistance in bringing ongoing education to your Members regarding networking and referrals.

Member Success Program

Offered monthly in all major markets, the Member Success Program is an invaluable tool in helping Members get the most out of their membership. It can jump-start your knowledge and help you get a better return on your investment in BNI®. It can re-energize you and remind you why you decided to build your business through referrals! Required for all Members in the first 60 days of membership and recommended annually before renewing, the Member Success Program schedule can be found on the BNI regional website under Events.

Advanced Member Success Series and Advanced Trainings

We offer the option to replace your Chapter meeting with the Advanced Member Success Series workshops so your entire Chapter can learn together. These workshops provide an unparalleled learning experience on various topics and are held regionally, offering a unique experience each time you attend. They are available at different locations and times throughout the month, ensuring flexibility and convenience.

Contact your Chapter's Executive Leadership Team to find out how to bring Advanced Trainings directly to your Chapter. Here are the available topics:

Hosting One-to-Ones
Weekly Presentations
Feature Presentations
Generating Referrals
Power Teams

Passport to Success Mentor Program

All New Members participate in the Passport to Success Mentor Program upon joining your Chapter. This series of One-to-Ones helps New Members make connections that result in business more quickly. If you have a seasoned Member who could use a refresher or isn’t finding the value in BNI® that they once did, encourage them to participate in the Passport to Success Mentor Program. Any Member may participate in the Passport to Success Mentor Program at any time, or as often as they would like. The BNI® Mentor Program is designed to:

Foster relationships between new Chapter Members and current Chapter Members
Assist in the maximization of Members’ knowledge and involvement
Ensure new and current Members are receiving the support they need to gain the biggest return on their investment
Build strong relationships between a Mentor and Mentee to help build a strong Chapter
Help Members understand how to best utilize each part of the Chapter meeting