Yeah, but what do they DO?

Last Fall I took the kids to our local civic theatre for a musical. Everywhere in the auditorium there were signs about the event being underwritten by LaVanture Products. Before the show and during the intermission, credit and thanks was given to the people from LaVanture for their generous support.

This is the ad they had in the program. Mark and I read it over and over trying to figure out what they do. Obviously, they are a significant reason our civic theatre exists, and I'm thankful for their involvement. But, what do they do?

I know there are things in our environment that I just get used to. They get so familiar to me that I assume everyone around me knows as much about the church (where I am connected 7 days a week) as I do. I throw around acronyms or locations or first names without even thinking and lose the ability to relate with others in the process.

To combat this from happening too often, there are a few things I'm proactive about doing.

1. I find ways to take breaks. I walk away from my familiar environment--for a service, an event, a vacation--and then come back and experience everything again with fresh eyes. Is there anything I didn't notice before? Is there babble on our print materials?
2. Whether it's another church, a school activity or a community event, there is a lot to be learned by visiting other venues. I pay attention as I look for certain directional cues and what basic questions I have as an outsider in a new environment. Then I come back and see if we're making it easy for people to pick up on those same environmental cues and find answers to their "first thing first" questions.
3. I invite some neighbors, old co-workers, my daughter's friends who work at the mall--people who don't go to my church--and get their honest feedback. I enlist them as a secret shopper and let them know I'm genuinely interested in what flows and what blows. Their insight might reveal some messages we're not intending to send. Sometimes it redirects the things we focus our attention on.

Are you too familiar?

Comments

[J. Cardinell]

AH! you left us hanging....what do they do!?1 haha...well i found this on their website

"LaVanture Products Company warehouses and distributes a wide variety of products to general industry and O.E.M. manufacturers. All distributor items are in stock, ready for immediate shipment. The line of products includes trims, foam tapes and seals, hardware, truck/automotive accessories, 12 volt lighting, electrical supplies, recreational vehicle components, manufactured housing components and many other speciality items."

[Julie Smies]

The LaVantures are my next door neighbors and I don't know what they do either.