Suggestions for Hosts - 2008
Some of the following suggestions were made by hosts from previous years. We share these with you to help facilitate the process and reduce the
Because the most efficient way to invite guests until you reach capacity is probably by phone, we strongly recommend you follow-up with a personal note or e-mail to each invitee who accepts your invitation, confirming their attendance and sending directions to your location.
If an initial phone call is not appealing to you, you can e-mail prospective guests first, or send invitations by mail to all alumni on your list (if you can accommodate a large turn-out). We can e-mail you a .jpeg file of the ‘Hoos Dinner logo, if you would like to customize your own materials (send your request to nursing-alumni@virginia.edu.) As you make your phone calls you may find you have to overcome the "cold call" effect. Be prepared to talk about the purpose of the event (School of Nursing alumni networking and connections) and to break down some natural barriers.
Encourage those who accept your invitation to bring a nursing alum friend along with them (ask them to confirm if possible). This will help you quickly build your attendance pool with minimal effort.
Alternative ideas are to ask those who accept your invitation to help make additional phone calls, or share the invitation calling process with your co-host.
Your invitation list was created based on alumni living in zip code proximity to the location you’ve selected/identified for your party. Remember that other dinner parties may be taking place in your city on the same night.
Whether or not spouses are included in the invitation is left to the discretion of the host.
During your initial conversation/invitation, ask if the attendee has any dietary or mobility restrictions you should be aware of (e.g. vegetarian, physical disability). Do your best to accommodate special needs, within reason.
When alumni accept your invitation to attend, be sure to give them a sense of the party you’ve planned so they will know what attire is appropriate, and what to expect (e.g., is your party very casual, or dressy?).
Please keep careful track of those you invite, their response, and those who attend on the invitation list sent you from the school. You will need to return your notated list to the school within a week of your event. Also make note of any address updates.
Dinners usually last two to three hours.
We recommend that you provide name tags to help your guests make their connections. You will receive a package from the School of Nursing in the week before the event that will include peel-and-stick nametags with the School of Nursing logo.
The package you’ll receive from the School of Nursing will also include "Catch Us Up" cards, designed to capture information about your guests (updated addresses, professional accomplishments, etc.). You might ask guests to complete one when they arrive, as a means of checking-in. Please collect these cards and return them to the school after the event, with your notated invitation list.
Do you have a camera? If so, please take pictures and send prints or high-resolution digital images to the alumni office for inclusion in our website photo scrapbook and/or the Virginia Legacy or other publications. Be sure to let folks know their image might be published, and let us know who appears in each photo.
Most hosts hold a short "social hour" before dinner. This enables guests to meet one another while waiting for everyone to arrive. Beverages and hors d’oeuvres (can be very simple, like cheese and crackers) are usually served.
If your guest pool prefers to gather at lunchtime instead of dinner, that decision is acceptable and is determined by the host. But, we hope you will hold your event on the publicized date.
Don’t worry if you don’t have a table large enough to accommodate your guests. At many dinners, guests sit on chairs in the living room or back yard and balance their plate on their laps!
We will be sending you a short message written by the Dean. It is our hope that every host will create an opportunity to read that message during their party - one more way to connect UVa nurses who are gathering in many locations on the same day.
The package you’ll receive will also include information about the School of Nursing and the Nursing Alumni Association. There will be a packet of materials provided for each guest. You might want to have the contents of one folder out for guests to "browse" during the event. Or take a few minutes to talk about the materials so as to call attention to them.
If the opportunity arises, encourage your guests to host a similar dinner party next year. They can indicate their interest to do so on the "Catch Us Up" cards mentioned above.
It is possible a ‘Hoos Coming to Dinner liaison will visit your dinner at some point during the evening. Please don’t feel obliged to ask them to stay for dinner. They are there to take pictures, provide some support to you, and generally to check on how things are going. Whenever possible, we will provide advance notice that someone will be dropping in.
If you need some help getting the group to mingle, we’ve provided some "icebreakers" that might help. These are not required - they are merely offered to be used if needed.
Be sure to give us feedback after the event, so that we can improve this for future volunteers! A survey form is included at the end of this handbook. Please return your completed survey with your invitation/attendance list and "Catch Us Up" cards after the event.
Icebreakers
Icebreakers are intended to relax guests and facilitate introductions and conversation. They don’t need to be highly structured - they should be easy for all.
Two Truths and One Lie
Each person takes a turn at introducing him/herself and then tells the rest of the guests three "facts" about themselves. Two of them are true and the third is a lie. The guests have to guess which "fact" is the lie. For example:
Hi, my name is Mary-Hoo Nurse and
I’ve met Bill Gates.
I passed the NCLEX on my first try.
I’ve never received a parking ticket on Grounds.
The guests unanimously guess that the parking ticket scenario MUST be the lie! No one who has ever lived, studied, or worked at UVa can escape the long arm of the parking office!
I Want to Know
Ask each guest to write down a question that they would like someone else to answer. The questions should be the type that would provide insight about an individual’s personality, tastes, values, etc. The host collects the questions and puts them in a container that is passed around the room. Then, as each guest introduces him- or herself, s/he pulls a question out of the container and must answer. Examples of questions to ask one another:
When and why did you decide that you wanted to attend the UVa School of Nursing
What was your most memorable UVa experience?
Have you ever had a brush with a celebrity?
Have you ever been on TV?
If you could go back in time and make one decision differently, what would it be?
If you could have lunch with anybody, living or dead, real or imaginary, who would it be?
If you won the lottery tomorrow, what would you do?
Who Am I?
Before the party, the host fills out nametags with the names of famous people, making sure there are enough for each guest. As guests arrive, the host gives a real nametag to each guest and places a second nametag with a famous name on the back of each guest, being careful that they do not see their own famous nametag. Guests ask other guests one "yes or no" question at a time in an attempt to figure out the name on their own back. Guests may ask each other guest only one of these questions, before moving on to someone else. For example: Am I living? Am I a woman? Have I served in political office?
Guests circulate throughout the party, obtaining as many clues as necessary. When they think they know who they are, they approach the host and say, "Am I (name of person)?" If incorrect, they continue asking questions of other guests until they get it right or give up. The first guest to correctly identify himself or herself wins!
Ideas for famous names: movie stars, politicians, professional athletes, famous authors, cartoon characters, singers, news anchors, comedians, etc.