The Official BNI Podcast

Episode 929: Education Coordinators (Classic)
Host: Dr. Ivan Misner
Date: September 24, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode revisits a classic BNI topic: the essential role of the Education Coordinator within a BNI chapter. Dr. Ivan Misner, founder of BNI, and host Priscilla Rice discuss strategies for creating an engaging culture of learning, share stories of transformative leadership, and emphasize the power of mentorship within networking organizations. The episode focuses on practical tips, real-world examples, and the philosophy that teaching others not only builds the group, but also grows the educator.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Impact of Education Coordinators

• Dr. Misner highlights the Education Coordinator as one of the most important chapter roles.
• The coordinator’s job is to “pour into people about the things that you've learned” and encourage continuous growth.
  (03:26) "For me, one of the greatest positions in a chapter is to be the education coordinator because you have an opportunity to pour into people about the things that you've learned." — Dr. Ivan Misner

Practical Ways to Facilitate Learning

• Provide short summaries of podcast episodes or relevant topics.
• Use transcripts to cut, paste, and distribute learning materials.
• Play short, targeted clips from educational podcasts during meetings (never the entire episode).
• Assign specific podcasts or blogs based on current chapter needs, allowing members with expertise to lead discussions.
• Make use of search functions to tailor learning material to what the chapter needs most at any given time.
  (03:41–04:25)

Story: Transforming a Chapter’s Culture

The “Informed Dialogue” Approach

• Dr. Misner recounts how an Education Coordinator tackled the issue of low podcast participation:

  • The coordinator presented chapter members with two options:
    1. Traditional lecture on requested topics
    2. Group dialogue and sharing of ideas
  • Predictably, the group chose dialogue.
  • To ensure these dialogues were “informed,” the coordinator required members to engage with specific podcasts or materials in advance. Only those who could reference and quote from the materials would be allowed to contribute to discussions.
  • This creative approach led to near 100% podcast participation and much more dynamic, engaging meetings.

  (05:10) “If you have listened to the podcast or read the material, you can talk. If you can't… you can't talk. And we'll know that you listened to it or read it, because you're going to have to quote something from it.” — Dr. Ivan Misner

  (06:37) “He went from having a chapter where almost no one listened to the podcast on a weekly basis to getting almost 100% participation. That’s good, because people knew that they couldn’t talk unless they listened to it.” — Dr. Ivan Misner

The Power of Engagement over Lecture

• Dr. Misner underscores that group discussion, based on shared material and knowledge, is more powerful than passive learning.

  • “If everyone listens to the podcast and then you spend a few minutes talking about it…it’s so much more real, it’s so much more engaging than strictly listening to a lecture.” (07:09)

• Priscilla Rice adds that any Education Coordinator should aim to make the role creative and focused on the group’s needs, affirming the importance of continuous learning for both the coordinator and the chapter.
  (10:34) “That's one of the things I love about it…You're always learning yourself… and you want it to apply to what's going on in the chapter. It's a very creative job.” — Priscilla Rice

Mentorship: The True Heart of the Education Coordinator

• Dr. Misner sees the Education Coordinator as a mentor and guide:

  • "To me, it’s all about mentoring … every week you’re helping to guide and coach people in the right direction.” (08:17)

  • He recommends his book, The Networking Mentor, emphasizing stories of teaching others—including a personal one about coaching his son’s chess club, illustrating how teaching others also improves your own skills:

    (09:05) “I became a better chess player by teaching 10-year-olds. Education coordinators and mentors—you become better at networking by teaching your fellow members.” — Dr. Ivan Misner

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On engaging adult learners:
  (07:16) "We're all adults and, you know, having a seminal experience with, like, a seminar where you're all able to talk from a position of knowledge and understanding is the most powerful." — Dr. Ivan Misner
• On mentorship and self-improvement:
  (08:53) “You become better at what you do by teaching others.” — Dr. Ivan Misner
• On group creativity:
  (10:34) “It's a very creative job.” — Priscilla Rice

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:24 Introduction to the topic of Education Coordinators
• 03:26 Why the Education Coordinator role matters
• 04:25 Practical tools and approaches for chapter education
• 05:10 The “informed dialogue” story
• 06:37 Results: From low engagement to near-total participation
• 07:09 Value of engaging, informed discussion over lectures
• 08:17 The Education Coordinator as mentor
• 09:05 The chess story: How teaching others sharpens your skills
• 10:34 Priscilla’s experiences and creativity in the role

Conclusion / Practical Takeaways

• Education Coordinators should focus on engagement and active participation, not just lectures.
• Encouraging informed dialogue increases both participation and learning retention.
• Teaching others strengthens one’s own knowledge and creates a vibrant, growth-oriented chapter culture.
• Mentorship is a key function—approach the role as an opportunity to guide and be guided.

Dr. Misner encourages all Education Coordinators to adopt these strategies to create more dynamic and effective chapters.

For more ideas and tools, Dr. Misner recommends his book, “The Networking Mentor.”