President’s Message
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Member Presentations: The Heart of the COMMON Annual Meeting
In my last letter, I emphasized that as a member-driven organization, basically COMMON
is “what our members do.” This month, I want to focus on one of the most visible pillars
of the COMMON organization – our Education program. COMMON has three pillars as an
organization – Education, Leadership & Advocacy, and Community & Networking. Each of these programs is essential
in fulfilling the mission that various members have identified in our strategic planning and you can certainly get
involved with any of these programs as a volunteer. I will write about other programs in more detail perhaps in the
future, but for now, let’s talk Education and how to you can specifically contribute.
The COMMON Annual Meeting has always been the most visible part of the COMMON organization, and for me, one
of those conferences in 1989 was my first real exposure to the organization. What I have always loved about the
conference is the fact that our members, yes, real users of the technology, presented sessions. As you know, we have
a substantial number of sessions presented by IBM employees and these are vital for our members to get the latest
education directly from IBM on technologies and products. Many of these IBM presenters over the years became very
dear to COMMON and went well beyond their presentation duties to volunteer countless hours and contribute their
own time and energy to our organization. With that said, I still believe that the most valuable exchange provided is
user to user, member to member. When one of you presents tips and techniques that they developed in their own
shop, or presents actual experiences using the technology, or presents real-world stories of how they serve their actual
end-users with solutions – then other members gain knowledge that a reference book simply cannot provide.
I have often heard people debate whether COMMON is just a professional education conference or professional
education company in reality. The answer to that is a resounding “NO!” Yes, you can find IBM speakers that also
present at an IBM Education Conference. You can also find presenters whose careers may have started at IBM or in
a local company, but whose careers have evolved to a point where they spend a majority of their time writing and
presenting as an educator. However, at the heart of a COMMON Annual Meeting is the member/user exchange of
information in sessions, in the hallways, or at an evening social. In essence, all of our members are presenters in that
you have something valuable to offer. Each member of COMMON has an opportunity to be a presenter, share valuable
information and hands-on experience with others, and be a voice and active participant in the community.
What is my challenge to you? Speak. Be heard. You do not need to be some professional speaker. Yes, our members
want to get some of their information from those possessing some high-level of experiences and that speak often,
but I truly believe that our members want to hear from any other member who has some experience that has proven
useful in their own shop. The first time I spoke at COMMON, I simply shared my experiences. My career certainly took
a turn because of that; however, I would have continued to volunteer to speak regardless. I simply enjoyed sharing
experiences and I think you would as well.
Wayne Madden
COMMON President
president@common.org
