1. MD/SD Centennial Coordinator Training
Building Awareness
INTRODUCTION (2:00)
Welcome participants to the session.
Refer participants to page 1 of their Participant Manual.
In this session we are going to discuss building awareness of the Centennial. Let’s first start by asking a question.
Ask: What is awareness?
Allow 2-3 participants to respond.
Possible responses: to know something, to understand something, to be conscious of something
Awareness is knowledge that something ​exists or ​the understanding of ​something ​based on ​information or ​experience.
MD/SD Centennial Coordinator Training

2. MD/SD Centennial Coordinator Training
Building Awareness
To increase knowledge and understanding by sharing information or experiences
So in essence, to build awareness, one must increase knowledge and understanding by sharing information or experiences.
Encourage participants to write down the definition on the lines found on page 1 of their Participant Manual.
MD/SD Centennial Coordinator Training

3. MD/SD Centennial Coordinator Training
Session Objectives
Describe why building awareness is important
Identify opportunities to build awareness
Concisely communicate the key messages of the Centennial
As MD/SD centennial coordinators, part of your responsibility is to build awareness of the Centennial within your MD/SD. As we have just discussed, building awareness means that you will have to increase the knowledge and understanding of the Centennial among the Lions of your MD/SD. How are you going to do this? This session will help you to figure out where to begin and help you to identify occasions in which you can share key information about the Centennial program.
By the end of the session you will be able to:
Describe why building awareness of the Centennial is important
Identify several opportunities to build awareness within your MD/SD
Concisely communicate the key messages of the Centennial
MD/SD Centennial Coordinator Training

4. Why is it important to build awareness of the Centennial?
MODULE 1: The Importance of Building Awareness (22:00)
Building awareness of the Centennial is part of every Lion’s responsibility, but not every Lion understands the importance of this effort. You and your district centennial coordinators play a distinct role in helping Lions understand why its important to promote the Centennial within their clubs and to their communities. However, first you need to understand why its important.
Ask: Why do you think its important to build awareness of the Centennial?
Allow 2-3 participants to respond.
Possible responses include: to create excitement, inspire current members and potential members, rejuvenate our service projects, increase Lions club member pride, build our membership by promoting Lionism to the community.
Participants can record ideas on page 1 of the Participant Manual.
The Centennial program celebrates 100 years of Lions humanitarian service. It is a wonderful opportunity to honor our past, highlight our present and plan for our future. Not only does the program strive to inspire Lions to provide even more service, it attempts to energize current Lions to grow our membership by raising awareness of our mission, impact and vision for the future, so that we can continue to serve the world for the next 100 years.
MD/SD Centennial Coordinator Training

5. MD/SD Centennial Coordinator Training
How can participating in key programs help build awareness of the Centennial?
Ultimately, by building awareness of our Centennial and all that we have done and are striving to do, we are laying the groundwork for a strong future for Lions Clubs for decades and centuries to come.
As part of the Centennial, Lions are asked to participate in several key programs: the Centennial Service Challenge, the Centennial Membership Awards Program and the Centennial Community Legacy Projects.
Ask: How can participating in these programs help build awareness of the Centennial?
Allow 2-3 participants to respond.
Possible responses include: allows the community to visually see what Lions do for the community, encourages current Lions to talk with community members and invite them to join Lions, creates excitement both within Lions and in the community by celebrating all of our accomplishments.
These programs not only highlight what Lions are already doing well, serving the needs of their communities and inviting others to join, but also allows us to promote the fact that Lions have been doing this for 100 years and plan to continue to meet the needs of the world for the next 100 years and beyond. Building awareness creates excitement for those outside of Lions to join us in our endeavor to serve even more people in need.
MD/SD Centennial Coordinator Training

6. Scenario: Annual Spring Cleanup
Let’s take a look at a simple scenario to demonstrate how participating in the Centennial Service Challenge can build awareness of the Centennial, and Lionism in general.
Refer participants to page 2 of their Participant Manuals.
Read the case study aloud, or ask for a volunteer to read the case study.
Scenario:
The Lions Club of Centerville has conducted an annual spring cleanup of their large community park for many years. The park is a favorite gathering place for families in the community and can get disheveled over the cold winter months. They usually pick a date when the weather starts warming up and 6-10 Lions gather together to tackle the project.
In the past, they rarely thought to publicize the cleanup event. They would wear their Lions club vests while working, but did not post signs or invite members of the community to join. Just recently however, their club centennial chairperson spoke about the upcoming Lions Centennial Celebration and how clubs around the world are working to make their communities aware of Lions’ 100 years of service. One particular campaign, the Centennial Service Challenge, has a goal to serve 100 million people by June 2018.
This got club members thinking about ways they could join in the Centennial Celebration and generate excitement about the Centennial in their own community. It would be a great opportunity to highlight their service to the community and get people excited about joining their Lions club. It seems clear to them that their annual spring cleanup would be a great place to start. One focus area of the Centennial Service Challenge is Protecting Our Environment.
MD/SD Centennial Coordinator Training

7. MD/SD Centennial Coordinator Training
Activity
Groups of 2-3 people
Discussion: Ways the Lions Club of Centerville can build awareness of the Centennial
Activity (12:00):
In groups* of 2-3 people, list ways in which the Lions Club of Centerville can make their annual spring cleanup into an event to build awareness of the Centennial. There is space to write on page 2 of your Participant Manuals. Consider all programs, resources and materials discussed throughout today. You will have 10 minutes to discuss in your small group. Be prepared to share your ideas with the entire group.
*If there are only 2-3 total participants, have them first brainstorm ideas independently and then share with each other.
Begin activity.
Call time after 8 minutes.
Ask a group to share their ideas. Ask if other groups have additional ideas they would like to share. (4 minutes)
Possible ideas: Print and hang banners incorporating the Centennial logo, have volunteers where a t-shirt or hat with the Centennial logo, add “Centennial” to project name, promote the event as part of the Centennial Service Challenge or Legacy Project in local media, invite non-lions to participate and provide them with Centennial buttons and brochures touting our impact, invite town dignitaries to help celebrate our Centennial.
Debrief the activity on the next slide.
MD/SD Centennial Coordinator Training

8. MD/SD Centennial Coordinator Training
Debrief
Build awareness by looking for ways current projects can fit within scope of Centennial
Advantages:
Service project is rejuvenated
Club members are inspired
Community becomes aware
As you can see, building awareness of the Centennial does not necessarily mean that clubs have to create new service projects. It may be just a matter of understanding the importance of promoting the Centennial and looking for ways that current projects or events can fit within the scope of the Centennial. This can also apply to district and multiple district projects and events.
For our scenario, all the club needs to do is add ways to promote the event, using the Centennial as a framework for increasing the community’s knowledge of Lionism. The service project is rejuvenated, the club members are inspired and the community becomes aware of the impact the Lions club has in their community.
If current projects are found not to allow for the promotion of the Centennial, then clubs, or even districts and multiple districts, can use this as an opportunity to re-evaluate the needs of the community and then choose to create a Centennial Community Legacy Project to build awareness of the Centennial. Either way, the goal of building awareness of the Centennial is achieved.
As a MD/SD centennial coordinator, you first need to make sure Lions within your MD/SD, particularly your district centennial coordinators and multiple district leaders, understand the importance of building awareness of the Centennial. Once they understand the importance, they will be more inclined to support Centennial activities.
MD/SD Centennial Coordinator Training

9. MD/SD Centennial Coordinator Training
Opportunities
MODULE 2: Opportunities to Build Awareness (15:00)
Refer participants to page 3 of their Participant Manual.
The next step is for you to seek out opportunities to promote the Centennial Celebration Program so that everyone can stay and informed and continue to build awareness down to the club level. In order for you to be effective in promoting the Centennial, you must keep up with the most current Centennial information, as well as updates regarding various Centennial activities throughout your MD/SD. As discussed earlier, there are several resources available for you to stay up-to-date on Centennial activities, including: Lions100.org, the Centennial newsletters and Lions100 Centennial Coordinators Facebook page.
Many opportunities exist for you to build awareness of the Centennial, you just have to find them. Every community and area is different so there will be many diverse ways. Be creative; think of not only opportunities to deliver the information in person, but also different communication channels.
Let’s take 10 minutes to brainstorm as a group about various opportunities within our MD/SDs that we can take advantage of, or create, in order to build awareness.
Facilitate a large group discussion about finding opportunities.
Encourage participants to think about:
events that already exist like MD Conventions (a booth?) and council meetings (provide updates?)
publications like MD newsletters (Create a Centennial corner?)
social media outlets, such as various district Facebook pages or MD Facebook page (remember to use the #Lions100 hashtag in all social media posts)
Also, have participants think about ways they could create new opportunities, such as MD-wide service projects.
Capture participant responses on a flipchart.
Conclude after 10 minutes.
MD/SD Centennial Coordinator Training

10. MD/SD Centennial Coordinator Training
Through our brainstorming session, we can see that there are many opportunities available for us to build awareness within our MD/SD. Continue to seek out as many opportunities as you can. You should also encourage your district centennial coordinators to do the same. As you pursue these opportunities, remember, Centennial Grants are available for multiple district and single district projects that raise public awareness of Lions and Lions programs. More information on Centennial Grants can be found on Lions100.org.
MD/SD Centennial Coordinator Training

11. MD/SD Centennial Coordinator Training
Key Messages
short statements about the Centennial program that you want your audience to hear and remember
MODULE 3: Communicating Key Messages (35:00)
Refer participants to page 4 of their Participant Manual.
As you seek out opportunities within your MD/SD to build awareness, you will want to take some time to identify essential ideas or key messages that you want to convey to your audience. You are the expert on the Centennial in your MD/SD and you should able to clearly and accurately convey Centennial program information to anyone who asks.
Key messages are short statements about the Centennial program that you want your audience to hear and remember. They provide straightforward, clearly worded information that enhances relationships and gets people interested in wanting to participate in the Centennial Celebration, or at least learn more about the Centennial.
Typically, you’ll have three or four key messages and they usually have one of three purposes. To:
inform about key aspects of the Centennial;
generate excitement about the Centennial; and/or
encourage action.
MD/SD Centennial Coordinator Training

12. MD/SD Centennial Coordinator Training
Key messages
Building blocks for communication
Used to promote the Centennial
Talking points in a presentation
Help you to:
Stay organized
Ensure accurate information
Improve understanding
Key messages provide the building blocks for your communications. They can be used in materials to promote the Centennial program and activities or as talking points in a presentation. They help foster positive interactions with your audience, which can include leaders of your multiple district, district leaders, district centennial coordinators, Lions and the community.
Key messages can help you:
Stay organized when speaking
Ensure consistent, accurate information is being presented
Improve the audience’s understanding of the Centennial
MD/SD Centennial Coordinator Training

13. Steps to Develop Key Messages
Decide what you need to communicate
Write down the top 3 or 4 points
Create supporting points
Tailor your supporting point to audience
Refer participants to page 5 of their Participant Manual.
You can choose to develop several sets of key messages. Some might provide basic information about the Centennial. Others might be tailored to specific programs or events. Still others might respond to issues, questions, or objectives that relate to your MD/SD Centennial plan. Here are the steps:
Decide what you need to communicate.
Answer basic questions? Why does the Centennial matter? Who benefits? How are the Centennial programs going to build awareness? Step into your audience’s shoes. Think about their questions and concerns. Prioritize the most important things to say.
2. Write down the top 3 or 4 important points.
Use short, simple sentences to summarize your main points.
3. Create supporting points for each key message.
Write statements that include facts, statistics, examples and simple explanations that reinforce your key messages.
4. Tailor your supporting points to different groups.
Lions leaders and general Lions may differ greatly in their interests, language and communication styles. Lions leaders may be more interested in specific details and bottom-line decision making. Lions want to see the big picture and how the Centennial Celebration will benefit their club or community. Tailor your supporting points to best suit the needs of your intended audience. Use examples and analogies that each group understands.
MD/SD Centennial Coordinator Training

14. Remember - key message are:
Concise - easy to understand
Simple to say aloud - sounds conversational
Focused on one broad idea
Jargon free
Easy for people to remember
Persuasive
Refer participants to page 6 of the Participant Manual.
One of the best ways to convey your key messages is creating your own elevator speech…
For the next activity, you are going to create a 20 second “elevator speech” to provide basic information about the Centennial program to an inquisitive Lion who stops by the Centennial information booth at your MD Convention. First you will decide on 3-4 key messages that you want to convey. You will then use those key messages to create the speech. You can utilize the Centennial Celebration Program Talking Points on pages 7-8 of the Participation Manual as a resource.
If you don’t already know, an “elevator speech” is a short summary that you could share during the time it would take to ride with someone in an elevator.
Remember key message are:
Concise - easy to understand
Simple to say aloud - sounds conversational
Focused on one broad idea
Jargon free
Easy for people to remember
Persuasive
MD/SD Centennial Coordinator Training

15. MD/SD Centennial Coordinator Training
Activity
2-3 people
Read scenario
Decide on key messages
Create individual elevator speech
Activity (25:00):
Form groups of 2-3 people.
Have participants read the scenario on page 6 of the participant manual before starting.
Participants will have 15 minutes to decide on their key messages and create their 20 second speech. Participants can work together to decide on their key messages, however, they should work individually to create their own elevator speech. If there is time, they can practice their speech with one another.
After 5-7 minutes, encourage participant to begin working on their elevator speech.
Call time after 15 minutes
Ask 1-2 participants to share their speech with everyone. (5-7 minutes)
Ask if there are any additional points that others added to their speech.
Encourage participants to continue to refine their speech so that they can be prepared to speak about the Centennial at a moments notice.
They should also continue to practice their speech so that it sounds conversational and engaging instead of scripted and rehearsed.
Now that you have developed your elevator speech, you can use that on occasions when you have limited time to explain the Centennial program, and you will know that you have not missed any key elements. You can also consider developing an elevator speech for each aspect of the Centennial Program, such as the Centennial Service Challenge, Centennial Membership Awards Program and the Centennial Community Legacy Projects.
Additionally, you can use these speeches as a framework to develop larger, more detailed presentations. The key messages can also be used in any communications that you send out including s, newsletters and promotional materials.
MD/SD Centennial Coordinator Training

16. MD/SD Centennial Coordinator Training
Session Objectives
Describe why building awareness is important
Identify opportunities to build awareness
Concisely communicate the key messages of the Centennial
CONCLUSION (1:00)
As you have learned, when it comes to building awareness of the Centennial, you play an integral part. You will be responsible for making sure the Lions of your MD/SD understand how important it is to build awareness of the Centennial within their clubs and with their communities. You will work with your district centennial coordinators to build support and seek out opportunities to share information. Finally, you will develop several key messages to
accurately and consistently promote the Centennial in various locations.
Let’s take a moment to review or objectives:
Describe why building awareness of the Centennial is important
Identify several opportunities to build awareness within your MD/SD
Concisely communicate the key messages of the Centennial
Have we met our objectives?
MD/SD Centennial Coordinator Training

17. MD/SD Centennial Coordinator Training
Conclude the session and ask participants to complete the session evaluation.
Evaluation
MD/SD Centennial Coordinator Training