TOUGH TALKING: INITIATING & MANAGING TOUGH CONVERSATIONS

Some people will only have difficult conversations when it is safe and they genuinely feel you care. When people don’t think the conversation is safe they either remain quiet or they turn verbally violent. (“Quiet or riot”). Silence is masking to agree or being sarcastic), avoiding (steering conversation away from subject) or withdrawing. Violence is trying to control the conversation, labeling (name calling) or attacking (belittling or threatening). We tend to be more forceful with …

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RACE FOR RELEVANCE – NFDA Leadership Conference

By: Mary Byers In 1960 20% women worked outside the home, now 71%. When a member would not renew, they claimed they did not have the money for dues, now the most common reason is “I didn’t have time to take advantage of your programs”. Associations have problems getting active members and officers. Time can hurt associations more than money. We have always expected our members to come to us. How can we bring the …

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NFDA Policy Board Report – July 2013

POLICY BOARD- JULY, 2013 By Steve Palmer, Westcott Funeral Homes  ELECTION I was not successful in my bid for at-large representative. Scott Anthony from New York, who was the first to announce his candidacy and worked hard to prepare for the job (and a natural leader) and Chuck Bowman, who is John Horan (of Horan & McConaty)’s manager and has served six years on the policy board were elected. Chuck Bowman entered the race late, …

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2013 AFCCA Convention – Recap!

What a great three days at convention! We want to thank our sponsors, speakers, vendors, volunteers and attendees for making it all possible! We look forward to seeing everyone next year at Convention 2014, at the Omni Tucson National Resort. AFCCA 2013 Onsite Brochure – small Business Meeting Congratulations to our new executive board and board of directors of 2013-2014: David Long, Greenwood Memory Lawn – President, Cemetery Council Paul Neville, Bring Funeral Home – Vice President, …

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2013 AFCCA Convention – Awards Banquet Dinner

At the culmination of AFCCA’s annual convention is the Awards Banquet Dinner. This is an evening of delicious food, recognition and an overall fun time. This year’s banquet dinner was different from past years as it was up at the A Different Point of View restaurant. The views over looking Phoenix were breathtaking and gave the atmosphere a very elegant, yet relaxed feeling. To enhance the beauty, Arizona Expressions provided the beautifully arranged floral centerpieces for …

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2013 AFCCA Convention – Supplier Reception

The Supplier Reception is always such a fun night. It’s a night for our wonderful vendors to shine. With light fare buffet and drinks, attendees get to mingle, network and catch up with old friends. This year we had a silent auction that raised almost $2000 for the Foundation for Children. Prizes that were donated were: Coffee Lovers Gift Basket – Donated by Greenwood Memory Lawn iTunes Gift Card and Docking System – Donated by …

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2013 AFCCA Convention Opening Ceremonies

It has been boasted that Arizona  has the nicest Convention Ceremony out there.We feel that this year’s ceremonies were no different. A special thank you to the following groups who came out to help make our ceremonies as special as possible for everyone involved: BOOM! Percussion Entertainment Drum Line  Posting of the colors by VFW Post 41 Pledge of Allegiance led by Mortuary Science Student Graduates National Anthem Sung by Taylor Napadona The US Navy, …

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2013 AFCCA Convention Poker Tournament – Benefitting the Foundation for Children

Another popular event at the AFCCA annual convention is the Texas Hold’em Poker Tournament, benefitting the AFCCA Foundation for Children. The crowd was large this year, with over 120 poker players. Some were dead serious about winning that $1000 Cash Prize, donated by Past President Kurtis Lauffer. Some were there just for the good time. Either way, we were glad everyone came and supported school aged children in Arizona. Through donations, tournament entry fees and …

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2013 AFCCA Convention Golf Tournament

True to form, the 2013 AFCCA Annual Convention kicked off bright and early on June 5th with a golf tournament. We had 54 players this year, sun screened and raring to go. Starting off with a healthy continental breakfast and pastries (okay, somewhat healthy), our golfers were teamed up with new friends and colleagues. Some with old friends and colleagues, and I’m not just talking about age. At 7:05 (only five minutes late for our shot …

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Social Media and the Death Care Industry

Everyone has now heard the necessities of businesses, yes even Funeral Homes, being on Social Media. More than ever, it is important for companies to create at least some presence on Social Media, as this is how Google considers rankings. The more ties and links back to your website you can create, the higher your ranking in Google Search Results will be. This is great news for those who may not have the budget to …

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