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46 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2020 Local Chapters: You Can Distance This Body But Not These Senses Introduction This month, I share a few thoughts on the formation of PCEA chapters as far as where they're at and where they need to go. Next, PCEA Chairman Stephen Chavez offers some encouraging words for these extended times of COVID-19. Finally, I include the list of profes- sional development opportunities and events, as well as a preview of what is in store for next month's column. PCEA Updates Like you, I need to find ways to engage in normal activities without the comfort of nor- mal surroundings. The surroundings are nor- mal—I've been working at home—but my activities are highly abnormal for a social person like me who, if tested, would surely red-line the extraverted, sensing, and feeling indicators of the Myers-Briggs indi- cators. I often describe many of the events I attend as times in which I eat, sleep, and breathe the subject mat- ter. Until recently, this has always been based on my body and its senses being less than six feet (1.8288 meters) from what I am con- suming, dreaming about, or breathing in. Many of you are the same way. We're attend- ing virtual conferences and tuning in to online webinars more often than ever, but we don't seem as happy as when we used to get together physically. Do you realize what is missing? During a Zoom meeting, an "Aha!" moment struck me. As our industry struggles to reach out and fill in the blanks of normal business routines using virtual means, we are only stimulating two of our five general senses. Of the five general senses—taste, hearing, smell, touch, and vision—only hearing and vision are activated during online meetings. It almost seems this character flaw in our new meeting protocol has been passed over by novice virtual meeting organiz- ers on purpose. After all, not having to deal with three of the five senses means it is virtually impossible to present an online meeting that is in poor taste, doesn't touch the audi- ence, and down- right stinks, right? The Digital Layout by Kelly Dack, CIT, CID+, PCEA