Complete Coordinators Guide

t h e c a m a r i l l a fa n c l u b

Coordinator’s Guide

ar t i c l e 1

Direct Assistants: The Life Preserver of a Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . 3 ar t i c l e 2

Training Your Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 ar t i c l e 3

Independent Chapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 ar t i c l e 4

Movin’ On Up in the Camarilla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 ar t i c l e 5

Time Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 ar t i c l e 6

Communicating at Various Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 ar t i c l e 7

Common Problems: A Doctor’s Bag for the Coordinator . . . . . . . . 24 ar t i c l e 8

Reporting and Auditing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 ar t i c l e 9

Stuck in the Middle with You – A Guide to Mediation . . . . . . . . . . . 29

T h e c a m a r i l l a fa n c l u b

2

Coordinator’s Guide

Direct Assistants: The Life Preserver of a Coordinator Lana Tessler US2002022632 Ryan Coogan US2003081944 b y Shelley Skipper UK9705-0336

Co n t en t b y Ed i t i n g b y Ar t wo r k

A

t some point in their coordinating career, most coordinators look about and realize that the number of hands and brains required to do all the work on their plate would require them to possess a few extra heads and another four pairs of arms. Since cloning or sprouting extra limbs is not a viable option to getting all that work done themselves, most coordinators come to the realization that they could use some help. Enter the direct assistant staff.

Direct assistants are life-savers for any chapter or domain coordinator. They can assume tasks that may be completely necessary to running a domain, but that you personally may not have the time or resources to keep up with. A well-trained assistant can take on small, repeated and regular tasks, or they can be hired for larger projects. Typically, if you find yourself realizing that you do not have time to keep up with routine tasks, it is time to consider an assistant for that job set. A coordinator needs to examine the job set itself and be certain it is something that he or she can teach another individual to perform, and that it does not violate any confidentiality with their players. Mediation and other conflict resolution should probably be handled by the coordinator directly, however it is pretty simple to teach an assistant how to regularly advertise game times T h e c a m a r i l l a fa n c l u b

3

Coordinator’s Guide

and special events. You might want to start by going through the job duties of the coordinator office and identifying which tasks can be taught and reasonably passed on to an assistant. The number of assistants that you hire really depends on how much work you can reasonably do yourself and the number of members in your domain. More members means more work for you overall — on reports, in communication time, in prestige reviews, and in many other ways. Large and active domains can be a handful to take care of, particularly because newer members will need more reminders than older, more experienced members. If you find yourself always running around trying to keep up with every little task, it is time to hire assistants. However, you also want to keep in mind that you are in charge of all this administration and if your entire domain is on the assistant staff you have probably pawned off a bit to much. Work load should reasonably reflect the number of assistants hired. If there is one announcing job to be done, do not hire three people to do it. A domain of 40-50 people can easily have five or six assistants — sometimes more. For smaller domains, consider starting with two or three assistants and expanding if you find you need to divvy up tasks more. Once you’ve figured out how many jobs you have that you can give out, and how many people you need to hire to accomplish those tasks, the next step is figuring out who to hire. An all call over your local e-mail list can really help create a pool of potential assistants. This gives all of your members, especially the new ones, an opportunity to apply. A brief resume of skills, both in and outside of the camarilla, can be useful in judging an applicant’s qualities; you should not hire assistants just because you have known them forever — give them a chance to outline their skills and convince you why they might be good for the job. Hiring assistants is a matter of matching skill sets to the assistant job tasks. For example, if a position has a lot of interaction with members (or new recruits) then your assistant needs to be able to communicate clearly and reliably with new members and current staff. Regardless of your assistant’s natural skills you may still have to train them — particularly if they are new to the Camarilla — but the work and time in training them can really pay off in the long run as they will be able to help the domain grow and may be encouraged to become elected officers in the future. Certain qualities make for very good assistants, no matter how little or how much experience they may have. Assistants should have enthusiasm first and foremost. All of the experience in the world is useless if a member does not want to put energy into their job — and an enthusiastic assistant staff can really make a domain take off. Creativity, flexibility, and the ability to work well with a team are skills that are always in demand. It is T h e c a m a r i l l a fa n c l u b

also important that any assistant you hire can keep in touch with you and the membership regularly. Traditionally, there are several positions that coordinators have found helpful to keep on their staff. An assistant admin is a good position for times when the coordinator is unavailable — this is also a great way to train someone into a full coordinator position over time. An assistant to help organize social events can help add more activity to a domain, while another member in charge of organizing and running charities can help maintain the philanthropic activities of our organization. An assistant in charge of websites may be useful for administering a domain site if you keep a very active web presence. Lastly, an assistant in charge of recruitment can keep an eye out for new recruitment chances to gain new members. Other possible positions include prestige, finances, sites (if you are constantly looking for and switching game sites), and settings and props. Make certain that each of your assistants has a set task of duties that they are responsible for keeping up with on a monthly basis. That might mean announcing games, mailing out reminders, or other day-to-day tasks. Each month you may want to meet or have an e-mail or phone discussion with your entire staff to set up any special events or to brainstorm upcoming ideas and projects. This is the time to assign tasks to your assistants, or take them on yourself — as needed. Being up front with your assistants can really help the staff run smoothly. Establish your expectations early. Give your assistants defined tasks and teach them how to do those tasks if they do not already know. Do not be afraid to tell your staff to slow down either; everyone sometimes gets a little too enthusiastic and it may be necessary to remind an enthusiastic member that their term paper for school or their overtime at work really is more 4

Coordinator’s Guide

important than getting a prestige review done. Frequent communication is really the key to everyone working together and maintaining a healthy level of activity. An assistant with an appropriate workload should be working on at least one or two projects a month (including their regular tasks). So you have set clear expectations, you have got a staff; they are doing great brainstorming and coming up with activities to work with in the domain. They communicate regularly and everyone seems pretty happy. But then you get a question on a ruling made by one of your assistants in your absence. You are certain you never authorized that ruling and the players are all confused — after you have delegated all of these tasks, where does your assistant’s authority stop? The authority of your assistants often depends on the coordinator and on the job being done. It is important that you consider this before you hire an assistant and be up front with them about where their authority stops. Do not be vague about what they are in charge of. Your charities person, for example, may be totally responsible for all the organization and implementation of a charity event, but you will probably want them to make sure that you as the coordinator approve of the event before they get going. Make sure that your assistants are telling you about their ideas and plans and sign off on them before they get going; it may forestall a problem down the line. Your assistants should not be in charge of any sensitive issues, mediations, or DA’s unless the players involved agree to their participation. You, as a coordinator, have a responsibility to be certain that any investigations or personal issues are resolved to the best of your ability —0 personally. The last thing you want is your socials assistant suddenly running full scale mediation. If you are training an assistant administrator to later take over your position, you may want to see if they can be involved in the process to learn the ropes, but remember to seek the approval of the players involved first. While it may take a little background work to set up and train a good assistant staff, they really can be a boon to both the domain and the direct coordinator. Assistants serve as those extra hands you always seem to need and their ideas and perspectives can help jumpstart your own energy and enthusiasm for new projects. You may find that they make your role as a direct coordinator both easier and a lot more enjoyable.

T h e c a m a r i l l a fa n c l u b

5

Coordinator’s Guide

Training Your Replacement Stephanie Wheeler US2006086211 Erica Martinez US2002021903 Ed i t i n g b y Ryan Coogan US2003081944 Ar t wo r k b y Shelley Skipper UK9705-0336 Co n t en t b y

Rewr i t t en b y

T

he job of a coordinator within the Camarilla can be an arduous and tedious task, with a lot of work for little reward. Burnout is inevitable and real life can cause the need for turnover on a regular basis. Additionally, with the opportunities within the Camarilla, many try new challenges within the organization and leave their position open. So what does a coordinator do when they know they must train a replacement to take over their position they will leave behind?

Depending on where you are in the timeline of your office, you might be ready to finish your run as a coordinator or you may just be starting. Either way, there are reasons you decided to become a coordinator. Perhaps you came into it thinking that the domain needed to have certain things done correctly, maybe the previous officers did not track prestige properly and players complained; maybe reports were not filed or there were no socials or charities of any value. It could also be that you had a great previous coordinator and you wanted to make sure that things continued to be done right. Regardless of your intentions, you took this office for a reason. The time and energy that you put into your office is important and the things that you accomplished for your players are as well. In T h e c a m a r i l l a fa n c l u b

6

Coordinator’s Guide

without increasing the chance that the members will riot over something that can be avoided. Remember, as per the membership handbook, coordinators are elected, but assistants that have already been trained as replacements have a better chance of getting the job and succeeding in it. Finding someone who wants to be a coordinator is not always easy, especially if you have a small group. Being honest about needing a replacement is a good place to start. Announce it at a meeting and over the local OOC email list and make sure to mention that you will train them. More people are willing to step into positions if they know that they will receive training in how to do the job. There are many ways to approach doing this, but they depend on how much time you have. The best way to train a replacement is to start as soon as you get the job. Having someone around that can effectively take over for you if you need to go on a trip or take a break for any reason is wonderful and terribly helpful. Assuming that you will start training as soon as possible, you will have at least a year to do so. You can take on your replacement as an ADC Legacy, training them until your term is up. If you find that you do not have enough time to fully train your legacy, then you can always take them on for the remaining of your term, and stay on the coordinator staff as a consulting assistant, essentially training them through the beginning of their term. If you have absolutely no time at all to work with your replacement, you may have to train your replacement after they are already in office, working with them for at least the first six months. Assuming that you have a choice in who the next coordinator will be, there are a few qualities they should possess. Your replacement should have a desire to do the job well, understand the importance of training and asking questions, able to make deadlines and be computer literate. Finally, when all is said and done, you will want to ask yourself the question, “If there is an emergency, can this person be professional enough to handle the situation on behalf of the group?” Once you have someone that wants to take on the job, how you train them will depend in part on the time you have with them. Training a replacement is very different than mentoring a new member. A replacement needs to understand what happens behind the scenes to make the domain function. A replacement needs to be trained to create and maintain resources to help new members and retain old ones. They must move past the point of using tools locally to creating and maintaining them for other members. Assuming you have at least six months or so to train your

training a replacement you are ensuring that these things will continue to be done correctly. Are you willing to take the chance that the next coordinator will have just as much know-how as you did when you took office, are that they will do just as much with no training? You can take the time and energy to train a replacement now and try to ensure that there is a smooth transition of office or you can take the chance that in a year’s time you will have to step up and run for coordinator again because you feel as though all of your work was for nothing and has not been continued. In an extreme situation you could start a vicious cycle where you keep running for coordinator every other year to fix problems when all you really need to do is properly train someone. In the long run, training a replacement just takes less time. Think of your successor as the continuation of a legacy. One of the most valuable things that you can do for the club and

the next coordinator is to train them. Assuming that the person wants to do a good job and that is why they ran for office, why would you set them up for failure? Every time that a new coordinator is left standing in the rain with no training they end up re-inventing the wheel. As a club we complain about having to do this all the time; this is your chance to make sure this does not happen in your domain. If you were one of those coordinators that did not have any training, remember how frustrating it was. If you had fantastic training from an amazing coordinator, remember what it was like as well and pass on the tradition. Training a replacement is your contribution to the avoidance of drama. Frustration breeds negativity. The players in a domain rarely see a “bad coordinator” as someone that was not trained properly; instead they see them as someone who is trying to “run the domain into the ground” or “take away their prestige”. Managing the organizational culture of a local group is enough T h e c a m a r i l l a fa n c l u b

7

Coordinator’s Guide

You can keep track of the training process for both of you by requiring your replacement to report once a month. This will also get them used to reporting every month as well and identify initial computer or email issues that they may have. Give them a template that includes: • Activities this month: • Detailed account of things learned this month: • Goals for next month: • Areas still to learn: Finally, have them take the membership, coordinator, and prestige ordeals. This is a great way to either introduce them to the subject matter on a three-tier scale of progression or reinforce a lot of the things that they already know. In an ideal world, your replacement will be adequately trained and as ready as you can make them for the day they are elected. However, even after they take over the position, your job is not entirely complete. Records and money will have to be transferred to your replacement – this includes copies of reports, prestige logs, prestige reviews, disciplinary actions, investigation documents, email accounts, etc. Problems frequently arise records are lost or not transferred. Additionally, follow through support really is necessary. If you can, offer to be an assistant to them for a while and lend some behind-the-scenes structure. You also need to show the domain that you support them and will be around for any transitional issues that arise. A simple way to do this is to publicly thank them for stepping up to do the job and remind everyone that sometimes the coordinator position is a thankless job because if they are doing everything right there is nothing to see and everyone can focus on the game. Unfortunately, we do not always have the luxury of living in an ideal world where we can pick and train our replacements. For instance, you may find yourself forced to leave your office quickly with little-to-no time to train a replacement. Be really honest with your direct supervisor and make sure that your supervisor and the new coordinator know each other, are aware of the situation, and that the new coordinator will need more training. Additionally, be honest with the local organization and explain that things may be bumpy for the new coordinator for a while, but you will be around for questions. If you can, make yourself available for questions for the new coordinator as well. Finally, make sure that all records are transferred to the new coordinator quickly and completely. Alternatively, you may find that a new coordinator does not want your experience, strength, or help. Backing away and making your direct supervisor aware of the situation is probably the best course of action so that they know what to expect and so that they can offer some training themselves. Not every assistant is equally suited for the task of becoming a coordinator. It may come to pass that the assistant you have been grooming to replace you does not have the personality or temperament for being a coordinator. If this is a real issue, then be straightforward about it. It is better to have an uncomfortable

replacement, there are a few steps you can take to properly train your successor. To get their feet wet, let them run the OOC signin table for games. They need to get used to being a person in charge and the organization needs to get used to seeing them as a coordinator. This also allows them to talk to everyone that comes to game. It is a great way for them to get to know all of the members by face and name. Your successor can, and should, cross-train with all of your other assistants to learn their jobs. They need to learn how to plan and implement a social or charity, how charities are picked out, how to review prestige logs, why the website looks the way it does, how much money the domain brings in and where it is spent. Cross-training also allows the assistants a chance to get to know the person that they may be working for next year and vice versa. Do not throw this member in head first and tell them to learn all of these positions, let them train on a monthly schedule or from project to project. Additionally, you may choose to let your replacement fill in for assistants that are absent or fill vacancies on your staff. This will get them used to the problem solving that sometimes has to happen when the charity assistant cannot make it to game where collections are being taken for some event like a regional food drive. If you choose to give your replacement this kind of handson training, give them the tools to do the job. Make sure they know exactly how to access the prestige section of the membership handbook online, they have a copy of the report template, they know who the regional coordinator is along with their staff, copies of prestige logs of members, old reports and make sure that they are on all of the correct email lists. You may also choose to copy them on emails that you send out from your office. Tell them if you do not want them chiming in on anything, but to ask you privately. This keeps them in the loop of all the little day-to-day things going on that are sometimes forgotten when communicating in meetings. Additionally, show them the file template for reports and have them sit down with you when you file yours to see everything that goes into it. After that, have them do a section of the report every month and send it to you. Management training is very useful. Show them that managing a staff of assistants is important, as well as managing the domain culture. One activity that you may do is go over each assistant’s strengths and weaknesses and explain to him/her how you play on the strengths of each person. Explain which assistants need more structured deadlines and which ones excel with more autonomy. If your training is going well, increase the responsibilities given to your replacement. Let them be responsible for more and more things, such as pre-game announcements. This gives them a feeling of accomplishment and relieves some of your stress. Positive reinforcement is important —more responsibility and public praise is a way to demonstrate your faith and appreciation in your replacement. T h e c a m a r i l l a fa n c l u b

8

Coordinator’s Guide

situation now than a disaster later on. Discuss very openly why you believe they are not suited for the position, giving examples that support your statements, with the intention of working on these issues in the future. Make sure you talk about why particular personality traits are important to the position and discuss situations that could arise because of them. If things have already gone past the point of working on their shortcomings, then move forward. Have a frank conversation about why this person will not be a good replacement and then, if possible, go over the strengths that they do have and recommend a better job for them that they will excel at. The best replacement you can ever have to do the job you are doing, is one you have trained yourself. The will have intimate knowledge of what the job entails as well as any pitfalls to avoid. However, if you run into any difficulties with training your replacement and it is not covered above, do not be afraid to ask questions to your direct coordinator, or your fellow seasoned coordinators. They may be able to assist with suggestions and wisdom from their own tenure. Who knows, they may be training you to eventually be their replacement!

T h e c a m a r i l l a fa n c l u b

9

Coordinator’s Guide

Independent Chapters Davon Kellum US2005127017 Jess Fazio US2002034251 Rewr i t t en b y Erica Martinez US2002021903 Ed i t i n g b y Ryan Coogan US2003081944 Ar t wo r k b y Shelley Skipper UK9705-0336 Co n t en t b y An d

T

Camarilla Membership and Forming a New Chapter

he Camarilla is a global organization. Yet we sometimes find that members, or potential members, live in areas where there is no local Camarilla game. These members can still participate by joining the Four Winds Chapter, which hosts games online for members who live too far away from other domains to participate regularly. While this is an option, we find that members enjoy attending games and events on a regular basis, and therefore set out to create their own chapter. While this guide is intended to provide our collective experience with starting a new chapter, there really is no replacement for the help and assistance of other Camarilla members. We strongly recommend that you contact members of nearby chapters and domains to help assist you in forming your own chapter and helping it to thrive. The first step in beginning a chapter in your city is to find some friends who would like to play with you. These can be friends you went to school with, friends from work, friends you share other hobbies with, or even friends of friends. If none of your friends

T h e c a m a r i l l a fa n c l u b

10

Coordinator’s Guide

are interested in playing, talk with your local game stores and ask to post information about starting a game. You may also want to consider posting fliers at local colleges, community centers, coffee houses, or performing art centers where potential mem-

any additional or different officers to contact. There may be additional officers to contact, to make sure you have reached everyone consult the national affiliate for a complete list. Before you can start playing in the Camarilla sanctioned chronicle, the chapter will need to decide which venue it would like to participate in. It is strongly recommended to start with one venue and play a few games until the chapter becomes accustomed to the global sanctioned chronicle. Remember that the regional officers are there to help you get familiarized with the Camarilla and the chronicle. After a venue is chosen, the chapter will need to elect someone to be the venue storyteller and someone to be the assistant venue storyteller. The storyteller will need to submit a venue style sheet to the regional storyteller for approval. A venue style sheet describes the mood and scope of the venue, including the types of characters allowed, special rules, and the theme for the venue. This sheet is available from your regional storyteller, and may also be available from your region’s website. The regional storyteller will also be able to share the venue’s history and current plotlines with the venue storyteller to help tie the chapter into the global chronicle. With an approved chapter application and an approved venue style sheet, your chapter is ready to begin playing in the global sanctioned chronicle. The Camarilla uses White Wolf ’s Mind’s Eye Theater rules for the global sanctioned chronicle. Please note that additional rules and rules clarifications can be found on the master storyteller’s website (http://camarilla.whitewolf.com/mst/). It is recommended that the members, and especially the storyteller, familiarize themselves with the rules system. The Membership Handbook also offers some tips on creating a character according to the rules that may be helpful (p 11). Each member will need to create their own character, submit it to the venue storyteller for approval, and begin having fun in the Camarilla global sanctioned chronicle. For first time members creating their first characters, it is recommended to make basic characters that do not have any special approvals. From here, your independent chapter will be hosting games and social events. If you announce these events to nearby chapters/domains and to your regional lists, you may have many members come support and participate with your chapter and welcome you into the Camarilla. The chapter officers will need to contact their regional officers to obtain the templates for the monthly reports, which are part of the chapter officer’s monthly duties. The regional officers will also be able to guide you to the appropriate e-mail lists to be on and guide you in your general duties until you are more

bers might be found. Once you and at least five friends who have obtained a Camarilla membership, you have the beginning of your independent chapter. “Independent” simply means that you are not part of or attached to any domain. Independent chapters have the same boundaries as a domain, and any existing member or new member in that geographic boundary automatically becomes a member of that chapter. Exceptions to this rule can be found in the Membership Handbook (p 39). The structure for your Independent chapter is the same as any chapter, with the exception that instead of working with domain officers for issues beyond the chapter, you will be working with the regional officers. If you consult the Membership Handbook (p 39), anywhere that it instructs you to consult the domain coordinator or the domain storyteller, as an independent chapter you will need to consult the regional coordinator or the regional storyteller. One member of your group will need to act as the coordinator for the chapter and it is advisable to have a second person act as their assistant. The chapter coordinator will be the administrative leader for the group. They should be the “face” of the chapter. For a complete list of chapter coordinator duties please consult the Membership Handbook (p 48). The chapter coordinator will be the person to obtain and complete the chapter application from the regional coordinator. For a current list of regional officers, go to http://camarilla.white-wolf.com. Instructions for submitting the application are included in the application. The regional coordinator, the regional storyteller, the assistant national coordinator chapters, and the National Coordinator must approve the application. You may want to consult with your national affiliate for T h e c a m a r i l l a fa n c l u b

11

Coordinator’s Guide

comfortable. Remember that as officers, your job is to not only report to regional staff about what your chapter is doing, but also to disseminate information from regional and other levels to your chapter members. Encourage your members to complete the ordeals which can be accessed through the Camarilla Resource Database. Ordeals have been designed to help members learn more about the Camarilla. Members will not only become familiar with the organization, but also the Membership Handbook and other Camarilla resources.

official and begins a six month probationary period. The domain coordinator and domain storyteller will need to report all policy decisions and approvals to their respective regional officers so that the regional staff can help maintain consistency between domains within the region. All of the information for this section can also be found in the Membership Handbook on pages 39 thru 41.

We have an approved Independent Chapter, now what?

So far we have only outlined brief explanations about the differences between Independent Chapters and Domains and the benefits of becoming a domain. This section will explain these issues in a little more detail. Hopefully, with more information, you will be able to more fully understand the system. Obviously, the most prevalent difference between and independent chapter and a domain are the number of members. Independent chapters are required to have 5 members to begin and domains require 10 or 15 members, depending on the location of the nearest existing chapter or domain. Independent chapters have no domain level officers. Any approvals on characters that require a Domain Storyteller are thereby required to be sent up to the regional storyteller. This often takes time as the regional storyteller is very busy taking care of matters for the whole region in every venue. Likewise, prestige reviews that would go to the domain coordinator have to automatically be sent to the regional coordinator. Again, the regional coordinator is very busy taking care of matters for the whole region, in addition to prestige reviews. Often the regional staff will appoint an assistant regional coordinator and/or an assistant regional storyteller specifically for independent chapters, which can help speed up the process a little. However, they often have other duties as well, so the process is not as quick as having your own domain officers. Additionally, because the independent chapter does not have domain level officers, its members are unable to participate in elections

Chain of Command: Differences between Independent Chapters and Domains

Once you’ve become an independent chapter and become familiar with the rules and regulations, now what? Keep growing and expanding! You can host socials and charity events in addition to games. You can go out and recruit new members. Make sure that the chapter officers are reporting on time. Teach your members about prestige and teach them to send in their prestige reports to the chapter coordinator. As the chapter grows and expands, you may begin thinking about becoming a domain. Becoming a domain allows more flexibility and puts more of the decision making back into your hands. As an independent chapter, many things have to be approved through regional officers, which can take time. As a domain, you will have domain officers to handle many of those issues on site and by people who are actually a part of your domain. To become a domain, there are a few requirements. First, you must have at least (preferably more than) the minimum number of members. If you are within 30 miles of an existing domain, you will need at least 15 members. If you are in excess of 30 miles from the nearest domain, you will need at least 10 members. Second, the chapter’s officers must send in their reports monthly for at least six months. Preferably the reports need to be sent in on time. Late reports may influence the regional officer’s comments and thus the final outcome. Next, the chapter must hold at least one social event and one charity event within the six months prior to the application to become a domain. After meeting the above requirements, the chapter coordinator should send a list of the chapter’s membership, a description of the chapter’s social and charity events, a request to become a domain, and the proposed boundaries for the new domain to the regional coordinator. The regional coordinator will add their comments, pass it on to the regional storyteller to add their comments, and then submit the request to the assistant national coordinator chapters and the national coordinator for approval. Once approved, the new domain will have 45 days to conduct both a domain coordinator election and a domain storyteller election. The regional coordinator and the regional storyteller (respectively) will need to be contacted to run these elections for the domain. Again, you may need to consult with your nation’s affiliate for the appropriate officer to contact. After electing a domain coordinator and a domain storyteller, the domain is T h e c a m a r i l l a fa n c l u b

12

Coordinator’s Guide

Movin’ On Up in the Camarilla Jenn Eiland US2002023825 Erica Martinez US2002021903 Ed i t i n g b y Ryan Coogan US2003081944 Ar t wo r k b y Shelley Skipper UK9705-0336 Co n t en t b y

Rewr i t t en b y

M

oving up in the Camarilla is widely regarded as expanding beyond your home domain, into a Regional or higher position. How do you know that you are ready to move up in the organization? If you have a sincere desire to help the club at a higher level, if you are prepared for a larger workload, and if you are ready to be in a more visible position of the club than you already are ready. If you have already made the decision to work at higher levels in the club, you may want to begin by looking for opportunities to assist various offices. If you have an idea for a project that you think would help the club, contact the appropriate officer at the appropriate level. If your interest lies in charitable organizations that are accessible across the Region, contact your ARC Charities. You should never be afraid to apply for anything. No matter when you joined or what country you are from, every position is open to you if you have the skills, the energy, and the drive to take it. If you feel that there is a glass ceiling prohibiting you from moving up, talk to people who have done it. How did they do it? Will they help you? More often than not, officers are looking for replacements in the future and might be willing to help you. Two skills are the most important to ensure success when

T h e c a m a r i l l a fa n c l u b

13

Coordinator’s Guide

at how quickly that attitude turns around when someone makes noticeable progress towards their goals. If you have worked with someone in the past, offer to be a reference for future jobs that they may be shooting for. If you are working at higher levels, your recommendation can be a real boost for them, as well as show them that you are not “too good” to help your friend’s progress. Ultimately, be the change you want to see, and expect it from others. Talk to an officer if you do not like the way something happens. Even better, is to apply for a position that directly handles what you do not like. Make the change you want to happen, and you will bring those who envision the same change with you. In addition to preserving a positive attitude, it is equally important to remain professional. This means, above all, applying the same standards to everyone. If you are professional when handing out a disciplinary action to someone you do not know, you must be professional when handing it to a friend. This may actually make an awkward situation easier. If you are normally very relaxed when someone is reporting late, it should not matter who is late. We are a big organization that spans a lot of distance,

moving up in the Camarilla. The number one is Communication. Everyone understands that this is a volunteer club, so real life happens and it is expected to take priority. As long as you communicate what is going on to the other people you are working with, everything will be fine. If you are not able to juggle ten jobs at once, it is best to know that and plan accordingly. Do not accept more than you can handle. It is better to do fewer jobs at 110% than to do many at 80%. Second is to, again, have a good understanding of your strengths and weaknesses. Are you a generalist or specialist? Do you work best as an overall coordinator or are you great at organizing conventions or making rules calls? If you are a specialist, find other specialists and work with them. If you are a generalist, make sure you know full well your strengths and weaknesses — showcase your strengths and make up for your weaknesses. If you are working on a project that will allow it, find a specialist who will help make up for the areas that you are not especially skilled in. It shows you can work as a team and that your areas of weakness will not necessarily hinder you in a position higher up. When looking at the various levels in the organization, there are a few things to keep in mind. The biggest difference between each level is the sheer number of people who fall under your purview. If you are working as an ARC Special Projects, you have one Region’s worth of people to deal with, and only the occasional cross-domain issues. If you are working with the Club Director’s office, however, you suddenly have different affiliates, which set different rules and guidelines. The hardest part about making the jump from Regional to National or Global is that you cannot look people face-to-face as often when dealing with a problem. There are often issues of time zones or distance to contend with. Your email tone must be perfected in order to handle issues at that level. Your changes, however, have a wider scope. Suppose you are able to implement a new standard for tracking investigations. If you implement that on a local level, that is great! It streamlines your local organization. If you implement that at Global and all the affiliates turn to use it… well, you have just made the whole club better. It can sometimes be difficult to motivate others to invest in the Camarilla at various levels. Negativity can often come from a person’s own stagnation in the club, while you are moving up. If it is coming from a friend, it may be that they think you are going to become inaccessible. You have to show them that this is not the case. Offer to help folks. If you are in a position to give them work that they can excel at, offer to do so; you will be amazed T h e c a m a r i l l a fa n c l u b

so it is hard to be friends with everyone like you might want to be. Coordinators do get put in tough situations. Adopting an air of professionalism throughout a rough decision like disciplining a friend can make it easier to handle, as long as you are able to buy them a drink and remain friendly afterwards. This also works both ways: meeting someone in person who you may have only known because you handled their appeal can be tense if you keep the same professional air you adopted in your adjudication. But if you instead use this time to be friendly, get to know them and make friends, you will find any lingering tension may disappear. One of the best ways to keep perspective in the club is to keep a local job. Even if it is something that is relatively low activity and prestige, having a job at the local level is a great way to remind yourself that the Camarilla does not, in fact, revolve 14

Coordinator’s Guide

around you. Making friends at various levels is also a great way to keep an eye on what is going on. Hearing the casual gripe from a local buddy who is on your local staff may not only give you ideas for things to fix higher up, but nothing brings back the point that everything affects other people like hearing them complain about how something you did has made their lives harder — even if they don’t know it was you. As long as you are being true to your own skills, there is no such thing as “moving up too fast.” After all, if you are an expert computer programmer, why should you not be able to work with Global the moment you get your Cam number? The concern about “too fast” may come from people who are new to the organization and might ignore the historical background of the club. This often manifests as people trying to reinvent the wheel — systems that have been tried and failed, systems that just do not work. This can be overcome by acknowledging that, while you are an expert in your field, you are indeed new to the Camarilla. This is an opportunity to someone who has already moved up to give this person guidance, and the cycle begins anew.

T h e c a m a r i l l a fa n c l u b

15

Coordinator’s Guide

Time Management of a Coordinator Lana Tessler US2002022632 Ryan Coogan US2003081944 b y Shelley Skipper UK9705-0336

Co n t en t b y Ed i t i n g b y Ar t wo r k

H

ave you ever had a day when it seems like all your obligations for the Camarilla, your job, and your obligations to friend and family just seem to mount up to an insurmountable pile of work? Whether you are an assistant or a full coordinator, the odds are good that at some point you will feel a little overwhelmed by all your responsibilities and you will not be sure how to juggle them and meet all those report deadlines, get to all the domain activities, and answer all that e-mail. Twenty-six hours in the day might help, but they just will not let you rearrange the clock. Some coordinators throw in the towel when they reach this point, but all that is really needed for most people is a look at time management and how it applies to your officer duties.

Time management is the organizing of a schedule for the most efficient use of time. Time management for a Camarilla coordinator involves juggling e-mail time, response time to players, attending events, reporting, and often arranging multiple small projects at once. Good time management can help keep you from becoming stressed and burned out on your position; after all if everything T h e c a m a r i l l a fa n c l u b

16

Coordinator’s Guide

If you’re fretting over your time management — or lack of it — you should not worry too much. Time management is really just practice. Start with a breakdown of what your duties and specific tasks are and when, if any, deadlines you have that apply to those tasks. Try marking dates on a calendar for Camarilla projects so you can keep track and know how much leeway you have before a report or project or event plan is due. This will give you a much better picture of your upcoming jobs and allow you to plan accordingly. Write things down; it seems like such a simple answer but really being organized with your time is half the battle of a good coordinator. For each of your tasks, decide whether it is a one-time task or whether it is ongoing. Ongoing tasks need to be listed as well — the report deadlines can really creep up on you! If it is an ongoing task figure out what days you need to have specific portions completed by; for example, you should have information in from members and assistants at least one week before a report is due. For larger projects, break the task down into smaller benchmarks; this can ensure that you can complete the job and also gives you a sense of satisfaction rather than making the whole project seem overwhelmingly huge. For example, make sure a few months in advance of a special event that the site is rented, schedule a walkthrough, and create a payment schedule. Set “check points” for large projects that you need to keep an eye on to remind yourself to mail or contact individuals before the final deadline. But what about all the day-to-day stuff ? Set aside a small time each day (even fifteen to twenty minutes can be enough) to work on Camarilla and coordinator e-mail and requests. Some days you will not need that much time, some days you may seem like you need more. However, setting aside a set time each day even for a very short while will help keep you abreast of situations in your domain and allow you to keep up with work load. Leaving everything to the end, just like in regular jobs, means you will probably end up stressed out and burned out. It may seem like a large commitment to work on Camarilla officer jobs every day, but in the end it actually means you are probably spending less time at the work because you have kept up with it. A report done a little each day is a lot less time consuming than left to the night before at two am. Another skill that you can develop is to teach your domain how you would like to run things. For example, you may want to tell your domain if you prefer your prestige reported in a certain format because it is easier for you to input into a report. You may want to also want to request that any entries in their personal prestige logs be made directly from your report — this can speed up audits since you only have to quickly double check what you already awarded. Do not let members push you into accepting late reports or late prestige and be up front with your response times and how long they can expect to wait to hear from you. If your domain knows what to expect from you for their own deadlines, you can make your own deadlines a lot easier to keep up with.

is pretty much done or in on time, you can focus more on the important real-life things you need to do. Having an idea of time scheduling and management can also allow you the freedom to pursue a real-life activity guilt-free when that takes precedent. Time management can also help your domain. Knowing that you are more organized as a coordinator helps reassure the player base that the staff is competent and effective. The domain can also be made aware of the schedule (there are some great free online calendars to help) so that they can also plan their activities and reporting need. Members tend to be more comfortable knowing when their prestige is due, when they have to give money for an upcoming event, when the game is, and knowing when the regular socials are. They will also be very happy to know that their coordinator will get back to them within a day or two of mailing because you are able to manage your e-mail time effectively. However, to encourage all of that, you have to start with your own personal time management and scheduling. Conversely, bad time management can seriously affect both the coordinator and the domain. Coordinators with bad time management are more likely to feel stressed by the demands of their office as they rush to keep up with projects at the last minute. They may miss reporting deadlines or project deadlines because they were not fully keeping track of their time. Eventually, stress like this can lead to burn out and the loss of a potentially great coordinator. The domain can be equally affected; think about the frustration level of a player trying to get their prestige audited for an MC review when their coordinator keeps pushing the project off for yet another week. More practically, officers who cannot keep up the reporting deadlines for their chapters and domains are often scrutinized by regional to see if the domain can adequately support itself. T h e c a m a r i l l a fa n c l u b

17

Coordinator’s Guide

Lastly, ask another coordinator or a particularly organized domain member to help you out. Time management and organization are skills that can be learned and many of our most organized members would be happy to help you figure out a schedule that keeps your work load from piling up and becoming stressful. In the end though, time management is a tool. If you are organized and working on things each day and are still struggling to keep up, consider whether you have the time to devote to a full officer position. If you are in a brief spell of frenzied work and just cannot respond as quickly, a quick note to your domain and other officers in your chain should give you a little breathing room for a few days. However, if it is becoming a pattern that you notice you never have time to get it all done, consider seriously assessing your ability to hold the position full time. A responsible coordinator also knows when to step back because they simply do not have the time to do what the domain requires. Frequently, having an over-burdened, cranky coordinator is far worse for a domain than running a new election. While there are a number of strategies to alleviate that, there are certainly points in life when you may not have the luxury of volunteering as a coordinator in the Camarilla. Do not be afraid to admit at those points that you need help, assistants, or someone to step up and run for the job so you can go take care of important real-life concerns.

T h e c a m a r i l l a fa n c l u b

18

Coordinator’s Guide

Communicating at Various Levels Jessica Fazio US2002034251 Erica Martinez US2002021903 Ed i t i n g b y Ryan Coogan US2003081944 Ar t wo r k b y Shelley Skipper UK9705-0336 Co n t en t b y

r ewr i t t en b y

C

ommunication is an important part of everyday life, both inside and outside of the Camarilla. Please keep in mind that “communication” is a very diverse field with many aspects. This chapter is simply a broad overview of communication, which contains some tips on how to effectively communicate with other people both in the Camarilla and in everyday life. For more information on communication, you might want to look into such books as “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus” by Dr. John Gray, “Powerphrases” by Meryl Runion, or other communication related books. You might also want to check into communication seminars through your work or city. Perspectives Our perspective, or “point of view,” is the set of conceptions, rules, and opinions which are the basis for the way we communicate. In order to communicate clearly and effectively, you have to understand not only your own perspective, but also the perspective of the person you are communicating with. There are a large number of factors that

T h e c a m a r i l l a fa n c l u b

19

Coordinator’s Guide

can go into determining and shaping someone’s perspective – while some of the most popular and prevalent are included here, please remember that this is by no means a complete list. Some of the most popular factors in shaping someone’s perspective are: • Gender: Males and females receive different biological and social signals, meaning that they often think in different ways. • Age: Age and experience will often lead to different perspectives. A twenty year old will view life different than a fifty year old, just as someone that has been working for ten years and is married with five children sees things differently than someone that is eighteen, single, and just entering college. • Culture: Race, religion, ethnicity, national origin can all combine to give someone a particular perspective that varies from their peers. • Life experience: Arguably the single largest factor in determining perspective is life experience – meaning what has happened to someone in the past and the conclusions they drew from it. Life is different for everyone, and the same event can have very different effects on two people.









The world is increasingly more complex, not less. As our culture becomes more global and our everyday lives become more complicated, people (and perspectives) become more complicated as well. Understanding someone’s perspective – as well as your own – will make you a more effective communicator, as well as helping to calmly and rationally explain the reasons behind disagreements or arguments, as well as how to resolve those disagreements in a way that everyone can accept and work with.

Different Personalities and Communication Styles There are certain differences ingrained in personalities and how each personality communicates with the people around them (please keep in mind that this is a very broad overview). First, is simply our personality – who we are. Past experiences shapes a person’s perspective and is the living record of what made us into the personality that we are today. Communication skills are also a large factor in communication style. Some people are simply naturally skilled at communicating with others, while some receive professional training, and others are simply not good at communicating at all. All three types of communicators are equally valued and equally valid. Finally communication style might be determined simply by time constraints. Is the situation an emergency? If so, the conversation will likely be short and to the point. Is it a broad debate? Then expect it to be more of a broad, extensive conversation. In addition to the four factors that influence communication, there are several “communication types,” that, like personality types, influence the ways that people communicate. Some of the more common types are listed below to provide guidance and examples.

Active Listening Listening is not only the first step to communicating, it is the step without which communication will not occur. “Active Listening” is a term that describes a set of techniques meant to ensure that you are communicating effectively. Active listening works by making sure that not only are you listening to the other person, but that they know you are listening – if people do not think you are paying attention, then they will not want to communicate and will become frustrated instead. Techniques for active listening: 1. Focus on the person speaking. This means minimizing or eliminating all distractions. Silence your cell phone, turn off the TV, and make sure that you are in a reasonably quiet, private space. 2. Ask questions! Questions will allow you to clarify points about which you are unsure. It also shows interest in the topic, draws out all the details, and keeps the channels of communication open. T h e c a m a r i l l a fa n c l u b

3. Follow the 1:3 rule. The 1:3 rule says that, for every minute you spend talking, you should spend three minutes listening – so if you talk for ten minutes, you should be ready to listen for thirty. While you do not need to time yourself with a stopwatch, it is important to remember that the aim is to listen more than you speak. 4. Watch Your Body Language: Actions do speak louder than words, so be aware of what your body is saying. Make and maintain eye contact with the person you’re speaking to. Remember that someone with their arms crossed is going to appear less approachable. If you lean forward and nod when someone makes their points, then you’re showing that you’re paying attention and are engaged in what they’re saying. Keep your body language open and approachable and people will find it easier to communicate with you! 5. Don’t Interrupt! Even if you feel strongly against what the other person is saying, DON’T interrupt. Keep an open mind, let them complete their thought, then explain your side if necessary. 6. Reflect: Reflection is the act of condensing and summarizing what’s been said to make sure that everyone understands. After someone finishes making their points or explaining their side, but BEFORE you go into your side, paraphrase what they have said in your own words. This will give them a chance to correct any misunderstandings, as well as showing them that you listened and understood them.

Bottom-Line Betty Bottom-Line Betty likes communication to be succinct, to the point of oten using one-word responses. She prefers e-mail over other forms of communication, and may have a bad habit of interrupting others.

20

Coordinator’s Guide

in the loop, be detailed in your communications with him, explain your thought processes, and present your solutions instead of the problems.

Bottom-Line Betty is usually under time constraints, tends to be a quick study (that expects the same of others), and usually is not very interested in socializing. This means that to successfully communicate with them, you should be brief, try to use e-mail as the primary form of communication, put your action items first in a message, and ask direct questions.

Regardless of the personality type in question, some things are always good ideas, such as saying “please” and “thank you,” being careful with the tone you take in your e-mails, explaining your thought process, and using multiple forms of communication to find which one will be most comfortable for you and the person you are talking with. Given these personality types, how do you tell which type you are dealing with at any given time? The short answer is, “you can not always tell.” If you know the person in question, you can make educated guesses based off your past experiences with that person – but if you are working with someone for the first time, that is not going to be a viable option. To complicate things further, some people are a mix of two (or more) communication types, which makes it even harder to guess. The best solution to this problem is to communicate. Talk to the person in question! Ask them how they prefer to handle things and how they prefer to be approached. Another thing you can do is to know yourself. Knowing how you handle things best and how you prefer to be approached will make it easier for you to communicate that to others, which will in turn give them a better idea of how to communicate with you – meaning that you will be better able to meet in the middle ground. Being upset or aggravated will often put you in the worst frame of mind to communicate. If you are speaking with someone and you feel yourself becoming upset or emotional, then stop, take a deep breath, and if possible, take a mental step back. Don’t be afraid to call the 24 Hour Rule on yourself so that you can calm down, evaluate the situation, and communicate better. Elevated tempers and upset emotions will make things more complicated, and will often escalate matters to the point where they are more difficult to resolve. Additionally, always be up front and honest with people, even if it means calling the 24 Hour Rule as a result – dishonesty will never lead to solid communication, and will result in people feeling hurt, betrayed, and upset when they find out that you were not forthright with them.

Confusing Carl Confusing Carl often sends ambiguous or rambling messages, loses track of the point mid-sentence, and may have problems responding to e-mails or other communication in a timely manner. Confusing Carl is usually smart and very creative, but lacks organization and has trouble focusing. He will sometimes need to process information verbally before being able to get to the point, and will appreciate it if you can help them be more organized without seeming condescending. For best communication results with Confusing Carl, you should establish a structure, use multiple forms of communication (repeating your points if needed), ask a lot of questions, and take the initiative when it comes to suggesting new processes or procedures.

Personal Penny Personal Penny prefers to talk in person, and will usually love to chat. She also tends to be very sensitive to other people, and can have her feelings easily hurt. She focuses on emotions rather than logistics when communicating – if she sends an email, it will usually be long, with plenty of emotional content. Personal Penny feels that socializing is an important aspect of work – in order to deal with this, you should socialize, but maintain a healthy emotional distance. She likes to influence people and wants people to like her. Make sure to acknowledge her contributions and to always be polite (meaning that you should be careful with the tone you take, as well as remembering to say “please” and “thank you.”) Because Personal Penny is so sensitive, she can take criticism or a harsh tone very personally. Just remember to keep that in mind and make allowances when you are communicating with her.

Micromanaging Matt Micromanaging Matt wants a constant flow of information, embraces structure and detail, and will typically prefer e-mail to other forms of communication. He often has problems trusting others to do their work or with delegating responsibility, and will worry about mistakes – his and other people’s. He may also feel insecure if he is not included in all communication regarding a project. In order to counteract these tendencies, make sure to keep Micromanaging Matt T h e c a m a r i l l a fa n c l u b

21

Coordinator’s Guide

Diplomacy

willing to work with a person to come to a mutual agreement. In addition to providing options, you should be willing to explain your thought process to the people you communicate with. By explaining “why” you show that you have valid, well thought out reasons for saying what you do and that you are not making a hasty or careless decision. This can also lend a new perspective on the issue, which may help in resolving the conflict or finding a compromise. Ultimately, diplomacy is about reaching a compromise. A good compromise, is something that all parties can agree on, and usually involves both parties giving up some of what they want in exchange for getting some of what they want. The terms and results of the compromise should also, of course, fall within the rules and guidelines outlined in the Camarilla Membership Handbook. Although compromise is best, sometimes it simply will not be possible and you will just have to say “no.” The time to say no is when, after giving all of your reasons, working with the other person, and trying for a compromise, you still cannot come to an agreement. When you are forced to just say “no,” make sure to do it in person, explaining your reasons, and then follow it up with an e-mail restating your points and reasoning. If possible, include examples, and always remember to be polite and to choose your words carefully.

Remaining diplomatic during a conflict is, for the most part, simply about the willingness to see a situation from a different perspective. The ability to see a conflict from another person’s perspective, regardless of the situation, is invaluable to resolving any conflict. Although their perspective may be completely different from yours, it is still valid. Being diplomatic will mean doing everything you can to try and understand where the other person is coming from – what they think happened, what they feel about the situation, and why they feel that particular way about it. You may find that adopting a different point of view is difficult – especially with issues that you feel strongly about. Part of understanding a different point of view is doing research and examining the situation from every angle. Ask questions, re-read the Membership Handbook, speak with other officers and players to try and get a more complete picture. Maintaining a sense of professionalism and respect can go a long way into preventing your efforts into being misconstrued as gossip or rumor-mongering. If the conflict reaches the point of Arbitration or Conflict Resolution, then once again, do research. Has this issue come up in the past? What was done then? What does the Membership Handbook say about the issue? Make sure that you re-read it and are familiar with all the rules directly from the book and not just anecdotally. Be mindful of your tone and the way that you communicate! A heated issue can easily be made worse if both parties lose their temper or try to communicate over a medium that lacks direct interaction (such as a chat program or e-mail), whereas being able to see and hear the other person directly may help to avoid misunderstandings. While they are convenient, e-mail and other internet communications should be a last resort – the inability to accurately relay tone and expression means that the same person could read the same e-mail in two completely different moods and come away with two completely different messages. Communicating face-to-face is always best. Once you’ve spoken in person, a follow-up e-mail that creates a written record of what was said and agreed to is fine – but talk first. Always remember that what you intend and what the other person understands may be totally different. This is no one’s fault, it is simply the nature of communication – again, do not be afraid to ask questions and to explain your thought process, such as by saying “When you do X, the way I heard it was Y, and that made me feel Z.” Another important aspect to communication is vocabulary. It is important to try and be sensitive and aware of word choices – if you offend or upset someone, then they are not going to want to communicate with you! A good example of word choice is using “we” instead of “you” or “I.” By using “we,” you show that you are willing to work with the other person on a compromise instead of a confrontation. Another way to diffuse the situation is to give options. If a person has options, they will feel less threatened, and they will feel like they have some control over their fate or the fate of the situation. Options also show that you are T h e c a m a r i l l a fa n c l u b

Assertive Communication Assertive communication means, standing up for yourself and creating a respectful, powerful argument for your point of view. Assertive communication is not the same as bullying, being rude, or other negative forms of communication, and should not be confused with them. Included below are some hints and tips on how to communicate with power and confidence while still being polite. • Use “I” statements – by describing your feelings, behavior, and perspective from your point of view, and without making assumptions about what the other person sees, thinks, or feels, you help diffuse the situation and make your perspective more clear. It’s also important to use “I” statements to take responsibility (i.e., “I was late because I didn’t leave enough time for traffic”). • Keep your responses short – shorter responses help keep the conversation on track and the lines of communication clear. It is also important to speak clearly, which can mean speaking slowly as well to make sure that you are clear. Additionally, speaking slowly and clearly will help you to calm down if you’re becoming excited or upset. • Remember to be an active listener – pay attention to the other person’s body language, maintain eye contact, be aware of your tone and word choice, listen more than you speak, and do not be afraid to admit it if you make a mistake. This will all help to keep things on a calm, productive level.

Dealing with Negative Behavior Unfortunately, even with the best communication skills in the world, negative or counterproductive behavior is going to be 22

Coordinator’s Guide

unavoidable. Effective communication is not about avoiding this behavior, but knowing how to deal with it in a constructive manner when it occurs. Below are two different methods for coping with negative behavior, and both are aimed at achieving a positive end result. The first method is the FIRR method, which stands for Facts, Impact, Respect, Request. In this method, you first list the fact, then the impact of that fact, followed by a respectful request to change the fact or situation. For example:

“Intergenerational Relations in the Workplace: Generational Characteristics.” Texas A&M University Employee Services. Texas A&M University, College Station, TX. 11 January 2007. “How to Communicate with Every Personality Type.” Office Team: Specialized Administrative Staffing. Texas A&M University, College Station, TX. “How to Become a Better Communicator.” SkillPath Seminars. Crown Plaza Northwest, Oklahoma City, OK. 10 April 2008.

“I noticed that you’re kicking the back of my chair, and the jarring is starting to make my back hurt. I realize that you may not have been aware of the impact, or that you were kicking my chair – will you please give me a hand moving our chairs a little further apart so that we can both sit comfortably?”

“The Administrative Assistants Conference.” SkillPath Seminars. Four Points Hotel Sheraton, Oklahoma City, OK. 7 March 2008. Gray, John. Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus: A Practical Guide to Communication and Getting What You Want in Your Relationships. 1st ed. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1992.

The request begins by stating the fact, then moves on through the impact and to a respectful request – in this case, a proposed compromise that will leave everyone satisfied. If you try the FIRR method without success, you may consider trying the more assertive PIRC method. PIRC (Problem, Impact, Request, Consequences) is a method that is better suited for dealing with concrete problems that are not best served by compromise and discussion. The method lays out the problem, the impact of that problem, the requested solution, and the consequences of not following that request. For example: “I have noticed the last two times that you checked in your character sheet at game that you have spent more XP than you’ve earned. I warned you both times that it’s against Cam rules, and both times I asked you to make the needed changes to the sheet (Problem). Spending XP that you haven’t earned is a violation of the rules, it’s unfair to other players, and it could cause larger problems if challenges are thrown against your character (Impact). Please take the items that were purchased with the unearned XP off your sheet and review with me any changes made to your character sheet between games. Also, please pay more attention to your XP expenditure and do not spend XP you have not earned (Request). If you spend more XP than you have earned again, as an officer, I will have to file appropriate penalties against you according to the rules of the Cam as laid out in the Membership Handbook (Consequences).”

By following the techniques above, and combining them with those already laid out in this chapter, you will be able to far more effectively communicate and deal with negative behavior without escalating the issue.

Works Referenced Please note that the information in this article is an assimilation and conglomeration of years of psychology classes, sociology classes, cultural anthropology classes, seminars, and many books. The following are the main sources:

T h e c a m a r i l l a fa n c l u b

23

Coordinator’s Guide

Common Problems: A Doctor’s Bag for the Coordinator Jess Fazio US2002034251 Rewr i t t en b y Erica Martinez US2002021903 Ed i t i n g b y Ryan Coogan US2003081944 Ar t wo r k b y Shelley Skipper UK9705-0336 Co n t en t b y

T

he Camarilla experience reflects day-today life. Most days are great, but sometimes a coordinator is faced with the unexpected. This section of the guide is intended to provide Coordinators with advice on how to react to certain problems. Prestige Reporting A common issue with the club is having prestige removed during a review; even more prevalent is not receiving recognition for said work in the first place. Every time this happens, a Coordinator must refer to page 19 of the Membership Handbook: “It is necessary for members to report their activities to a Coordinator and maintain a personal record of their prestige.” Educate your domain; hold a “Prestige Night.” Engage in an inclusive discussion with your members, so you can all help each other with tips for earning and maintaining prestige. This also gives you an opportunity to explain procedures to members both new and old, so that everyone is on the same page. Helpful procedures to lay out at the meeting (and a handy email afterwards) include a template that you would like to see used to report prestige. Establishing clear dates and step-by-step instruction also helps. Explain why this procedure is useful. People do not like to undertake an investment without understanding the benefits. Offer incentives for on-time reports. A small prestige bump will

T h e c a m a r i l l a fa n c l u b

24

Coordinator’s Guide

hook new members, and older members can use more General on their way up the chain. An example includes 5 General for turning it in early, 2 General for an on-time report. Award for consistency: 10 General for six months of early reporting.

submit the order. When you receive the shirts, distribute, enjoy, and advertise at the same time.

Domain Sites

Sometimes legal issues may exist between two people who join the club, or between members that are already apart of the Camarilla. When this arises, it is important to understand the wording of the order. To do this, you will need an actual copy of the legal document. You can use this to determine who is affected in the order, what is exactly required, and legal distance requirements, et cetera. When you have the parameters established, work out a schedule with the individuals. In the Camarilla, all members are allowed to participate in Camarilla-sanctioned events. Be the intermediary and find out which games they wish to attend. Provide opportunities to each, and attempt to plan games around this. Create backup plans for events such as domain meetings.

Sometimes you can receive sites in the form of a domain member’s house. While this does not usually carry a price for the domain, it can come with conditions, such as pets, availability, and size. Having a site that is outside of someone’s home allows for a neutral area to be established for all members. This also creates a sense of legitimacy and independence for the organization. It can help to speak with a business or organization to donate space in exchange for services, goods, or even cash. This is where the Domain Funds (see above) can help. Offer one or two members to help officiate a tabletop tournament at your local gaming store in exchange for game space, or pick up trash to help secure park pavilions. Additional places to consider would be Church Recreation rooms, hotel ballrooms, university student centers, and apartment recreation rooms.

Domain Funds

Event Apathy

Money makes the world go ‘round. Having a pool of cash available allows a domain access to various sundries like sites, socials, and Featured Games. Domain fundraisers come in handy not only in raising money, but providing an opportunity for members to get together. Some can be ongoing, such as snacks or drinks that are sold at Domain events. Donating books, CDs or DVDs that aren’t being used anymore can be prestige-worthy for members and bring in money at a resale shop. You can use this same type of idea to establish a garage or yard sale. Collections of items can be taken up, and volunteers assigned times to work the sale, again offering incentive to a domain. Car washes offer an opportunity to provide a service to the community while earning funds for the domain. Arrange for a location - this requires scouting out a busy area and having discussions with business owners for access to the location and a water faucet. Domain fund raisers can also double as an opportunity to advertise the local club. Arrange an item, such as lollipops, that can be purchased in bulk, and attach some sort of card or tag that advertises the organization. You get the name out for the local area and make money at the same time. One additional (and by no means final) idea is to create a t-shirt for the domain. Collect logos and ideas for the shirt, and find a cost effective way to have them printed. When you have finalized the T-shirt, take orders from members in the domain. Raise the price two or three dollars to make money for the domain, and collect before you

With the Camarilla being in the hands of White Wolf since 2002, and a standalone organization for ten years before that, many of its members have seen quite a few shakeups, charities, and games. For all members, to keep the interest going, start with a “thank you.” This can help encourage members, new and old, to continue to visit the events you lay out. Ask for input on events, as giving and taking on events can lead to a greater turnout. Recent charity drives have offered Camarilla members three methods of participating: donating money, time, and materials. Keep this in mind for your own domain. When you have a blood

Legal Restraining Orders

T h e c a m a r i l l a fa n c l u b

25

Coordinator’s Guide

drive, encourage members to drive each other, particularly those who cannot donate donating for one reason or another. You can also offer small incentives, like sodas, lollipops, or certificates for recognition.

Recruitment The Camarilla thrives off its members. This means maintaining the ones you have, but also obtaining new ones to help your domain thrive. Because of the diverse nature of the Camarilla organization, there are many resources that we have available to us to recruit more members to the cause. The most direct is to post fliers anywhere and everywhere. These handy sheets of paper can be posted in many different areas, with options to tear off contact information as well. Affirming that you are associated with the Camarilla (and by extension, White-Wolf ) along with general information about the domain may hook potentials into following up. Encourage members to submit artwork. Start with local gaming and bookstores, and leapfrog into arcades, universities, conventions and theaters, as each of these offers an exciting venue to attract new blood. Universities often have gaming clubs for members, and sometimes Sci-Fi events happen annually on campus. Conventions of the sci-fi, comic book, or even anime can draw the attention of folks curious about LARPing in a global setting. Set up a table or booth during cons, or during a time of year when organizations get out to boost membership. Hosting a game during an event as part of a convention can be a good way to allow folks the initial peek through the window into how the game is played. Creating a web presence is easy to do in this day and age, and can make your recruitment efforts much easier by having a page to refer potential members to that contains a little bit about the local organization. Set your schedule on the site, and include information about officers. You can even include an In-Character area so people can know your game before you show up. Don’t forget to update it often. Hopefully you will find all of these tools useful in dealing with the not-so frequently encountered situations within the club. Nothing replaces experience, but a good understanding can often defuse a situation before it gets out of hand.

T h e c a m a r i l l a fa n c l u b

26

Coordinator’s Guide

Reporting and Auditing Lana Tessler US2002022632 Ed i t i n g b y Ryan Coogan US2003081944 Ar t wo r k b y Shelley Skipper UK9705-0336 Co n t en t b y

R

eporting for a coordinator consists of monthly status reports and prestige reports from members. Both types of reports are vital to the way a domain or chapter runs and while the paperwork on both of these can sometimes seem extraordinary, it is also the only way that the organization has to keep track of what goes on in an individual domain. Domain or chapter reports can also be great ways to keep your group up to date about what is going on. Status reports for your chapter or domain are due on a monthly basis. It is important to start compiling these with enough time to complete them because they can be time consuming. Your status reports should include information on finances for your domain, recent meeting notes, times and dates for upcoming meetings and games, any disciplinary actions in your domain, questions or comments for your coordinator chain, and a tracking of the prestige for your members. Your affiliate may have a standard reporting form they wish you to use to include all this information. Status reports typically are sent to a reports list for tracking purposes, but an edited version should also be shared with your domain or chapter members; remember to remove any sensitive information like disciplinary

T h e c a m a r i l l a fa n c l u b

27

Coordinator’s Guide

for a raise. It’s also vital to remember that membership class goes beyond numbers and the actions and attitude of the member needs to be considered before any MC is awarded. When you complete an audit, you should make a notation on the member’s log with your name, the MC awarded, and the date awarded. Often prestige audits seem to be very difficult, particularly if you are a new coordinator. Remember, however, they are really a matter of paying attention; if you are still nervous, often more experienced coordinators will be happy to help you with an audit to walk you through the process.

actions which should not be discussed with those outside of the investigation. It is also important for coordinators to keep records of past status reports on file – sometimes in several locations in case there is a computer problem. The other type of reporting that coordinators have to deal with is prestige reporting. Prestige records are logs of activities and awarded prestige for each individual member. Members report their activities each month and the coordinator is responsible for approving and awarding prestige for those activities. These tallies get placed into the domain report and the member is notified of their prestige

gains. Members should always keep their own individual prestige logs; it is not the responsibility of a coordinator to keep individual logs for their members and in fact would be so much work as to be nearly impossible, particularly for larger domains. When a member has reached the correct amount of prestige for a member class raise, they should submit their log to their coordinator for an audit. Audits can seem overwhelming but are in fact fairly simple if records for the domain have been kept. The most important part of prestige auditing for a coordinator is attention to detail and taking one’s time. The coordinator should go through the log line by line since the last audit was completed and be certain that the correct numbers were entered and that no prestige goes beyond the caps for each category. You should be sure to check that each line is placed in the correct category. This is important to check as sometimes members are not aware of the category caps or do not pay attention. Check to see if members are claiming reasonable amounts of prestige too. Remember that coordinators award prestige – not members and not storytellers – and that people should not be hitting the maximum in an award every single month; maximum awards are rare and usually reserved for exceptional work. If your member is reporting regional or national prestige you will need to check those against regional or national files as well. It can be helpful to note where you found regional and national records (in a particular officer’s report, on the USNC site, etc.). If you find any discrepancies in a member’s log you will need to make corrections and be certain their numbers are still sufficient T h e c a m a r i l l a fa n c l u b

28

Coordinator’s Guide

Stuck in the Middle with You – A Guide to Mediation Erica Martinez US2002021903 Ed i t i n g b y Ryan Coogan US2003081944 Ar t wo r k b y Shelley Skipper UK9705-0336 Co n t en t b y

I

n the Camarilla, mediation is an important and necessary step in the conflict resolution process. Although a challenge, mediation is an opportunity for a coordinator to resolve issues in their own area directly, without escalation or influence from outside forces. In Chapter 6, we provided a primer on communication and diplomacy skills, which would be quite useful to any coordinator that must take on the task of mediating a conflict. This chapter focuses on the specific procedures for conflict resolution in the Camarilla. If a conflict is brought to your attention as a coordinator, the first thing you should do is find out where the two parties are in the conflict resolution process. Has the twenty-four hour rule been called after a heated or emotional conversation? Has communication been attempted between the two parties? If these actions have not occurred, it is important to encourage your members to take sometime to reflect on the issue, and discuss it calmly and rationally with the other party. If you have been tapped for mediation, and verified these steps have occurred, it’s time to arrange a forum to discuss this conflict with both parties. It is important to remain objective when mediating a

T h e c a m a r i l l a fa n c l u b

29

Coordinator’s Guide

resolving the issue and being respectful, they will not see eyeto-eye. You, as a mediator, may need to reframe the issue to help both parties understand one another. At the end of mediation, if you have done your job effectively, each party should have a better understanding of where the other one is coming from, and some sort of resolution should be in place. If you are unable to accomplish this, you may want to engage a senior coordinator or your direct coordinator for advice or assistance.

conflict. We all have opinions, but it is important that as responsible mediators we can measure our objectivity and remain neutral. This is the only way to be fair to everyone involved. If you find yourself in a situation where you cannot be objective, try and see the conflict from each party’s perspective. Why do they feel the way that they do? Why is there a conflict? Only in understanding both sides of a conflict can a resolution be found that is reasonable to both parties. It is best to meet in person if there is any way possible. Meeting face-to-face adds a personalized element so that there is less chance for misunderstanding. If you are able to get both parties to meet in person, choose a neutral location. If the parties cannot meet face-to-face, there are other options such as phone, email, IRC, or other messaging services. When you meet with both parties, it is important to establish some ground rules that can be agreed on during the discussion, such as not raising voices, abstaining from profanity, and allowing each person to say their peace uninterrupted. These types of rules are important to ensuring that the discussion is productive and orderly. Make sure that both parties understand the end goal is to resolve the difference between them. Anything that does not assist this end goal is counterproductive. Once the ground rules are established, the mediation can begin. Each party should take their turn in explaining their side, and actively listening to the other party when it is not their turn to speak. If both parties practice good communication skills, both speaking and listening, many misunderstandings and minor issues can be laid to rest with minimal hassle. As a mediator, you are the one who has control of the situation. If one or both of the parties refuse to participate, you can engage them yourself. Start a dialogue between you and the members and work the other into the mix - here are many ways to create conversation between two parties. Asking probing questions or rephrasing the original issue according to each side are two ways to create conversation between the two parties. Once conversation is established, you should keep it focused on resolving the issue, regardless of what else is brought up. In keeping the conversation flowing and focused, you can steer both parties toward a resolution. It is also important to make sure that the established ground rules are kept, regardless of how heated the conversation becomes. If one or more of the parties seem to say something particularly harsh or the conversation seems to heat up, you may want to ask if the parties wish to take a moment or pause to calm down and refocus. Sometimes, even if the two parties are both intent on T h e c a m a r i l l a fa n c l u b

Whether you are engaging another coordinator or mediation is complete and resolved, you will need to have taken thorough notes to be able to reference at a later time. If you have engaged another coordinator, you can share these notes as a point of reference. Additionally, if there are future conflicts, you can reference these notes as far resolution. These suggestions will assist with most mediation, but bear in mind, there will be the really hairy ones where nothing you do will be able to resolve the issue. The best thing you can do is ask for assistance as needed, and get advice for future issues. Provided you seek assistance with issues you cannot resolve, you will become a better mediator, and a better coordinator as a result.

30

Coordinator’s Guide