BNI+ Speaker Integration: Frequently Asked Questions

BNI+ Speaker Integration: What POCs and Leaders Need to Know

Frequently Asked Questions

This is designed to help POCs, leaders, EDS, ADS, and other team users understand how Speaker information will work between BNI Connect and BNI+ beginning October 5th.

1. October 5th Transition

What is the most important thing to know about the October 5th transition?

October 5th is the sync cutoff.

Speaker information in Connect for meetings before October 5th will not be synced to BNI+.

The integration begins with applicable Speaker information for meetings dated October 5th and later.

Figure 1 List View - Speaker information for meetings on or after October 5th can flow from Connect to BNI+.

Figure 2 Planner View - Speaker information for meetings on or after October 5th can flow from Connect to BNI+.

What happens to meetings before October 5th?

Meetings before October 5th are not affected by the integration.

Existing Speaker information in BNI+ will remain as it is and will not be deleted or automatically overwritten.

What happens to Speaker information already planned in BNI+ for October 5th or later?

Existing Speaker information in BNI+ will not be deleted or replaced simply because of the integration.

If Connect also contains Speaker information for that meeting, the applicable Connect information will be brought into BNI+ according to the integration rules.

If I planned something in September for a meeting in November, does the October 5th transition change anything?

No.

Existing planning in BNI+ will remain. The integration is designed to add applicable information from Connect rather than automatically delete or replace information already planned in BNI+.

What happens if there are no Speakers defined in Connect for a meeting?

Nothing will be synced from Connect for that meeting.

Any Speaker information already defined in BNI+ remains unchanged.

2. Speaker Planning in BNI+

Will the Speaker planning experience in BNI+ change after the Connect integration?

No. The existing Speaker planning capabilities in BNI+ will continue to be supported.

Secretary/Treasurers will still be able to:

• Plan upcoming presentations
• Manage the Speaker roster
• Identify who is scheduled to present next

Does every presentation need to have a BNI Member as the Speaker?

No.

BNI+ supports a broader range of presentation scenarios, including:

• BNI Members
• Power Teams
• Regional Contacts
• National-level users
• Others, such as conferences or organizations

Can a meeting exist without a BNI Member Speaker?

Yes.

A meeting can exist without a BNI Member being assigned as the Speaker. This supports meetings where another type of presenter is involved, as well as meetings where there is no member presentation.

Figure 3 BNI+ continues to support multiple Speaker types and does not require every meeting to have a BNI Member assigned as Speaker

3. Connect and BNI+ Speaker Information

What happens if Connect has the same Speaker as BNI+?

If the same Speaker is scheduled in Connect for October 5th or later, applicable information from Connect will be brought into BNI+.

This can include:

• Speaker information
• Topic
• My Bio information

Existing Speaker information in BNI+ will not be automatically deleted or replaced.

What happens if BNI+ and Connect have different information for the same Speaker?

The information will co-exist according to the applicable source and editability rules.

The Connect integration does not simply replace existing BNI+ Speaker information.

What happens if a Speaker exists in Connect but not in BNI+?

Applicable Speaker information from Connect can be added to BNI+ through the integration.

What happens if a Speaker exists in BNI+ but not in Connect?

The existing Speaker information in BNI+ remains.

The absence of a Speaker in Connect does not automatically delete the Speaker from BNI+.

4. Connect-Sourced Speaker Information

Can I edit Speaker information that came from Connect in BNI+?

It depends on whether Connect provided a value for the field.

• If Connect provides a value for a field, that value will not be editable in BNI+.
• If Connect sends an empty or null value for an individual field, that field will remain editable in BNI+.

These rules also apply when Connect-sourced information is updated through subsequent synchronization.

Figure 4 The asterisk () identifies Speaker information that was received from Connect. *

How can I tell whether Speaker information came from Connect?

Connect-sourced Speaker details will be identified with an asterisk (*) in both the List.

In Planner View, we have a button titled “What do the icons mean” to explain the various icons.

Figure 5 List View - Look for the asterisk (*) to identify Connect-sourced Speaker information.

Figure 6 Planner View - Look for the asterisk (*) to identify Connect-sourced Speaker information

5. Speaker Synchronization

How often does Speaker information sync from Connect to BNI+?

Speaker information will synchronize on the regular 1-hour schedule used by the applicable integration process.

If a change is made to the Speaker rotation in Connect, is the entire Speaker rotation refreshed?

All refreshes that affect a meeting date will be fully synchronized with BNI+.

Are just the individual Speaker instances refreshed?

All refreshes that affect a meeting date will be fully synchronized with BNI+. The synchronization is not limited to only an individual Speaker instance.

How far into the future does Speaker information sync?

There is no fixed future-date limit.

Applicable Speaker information can synchronize indefinitely into the future.

If a past Speaker is deleted in Connect, will it also be deleted in BNI+?

Yes. If a past Speaker is deleted in Connect, the Speaker will also be deleted in BNI+.

BNI+ does maintain history for past Speakers in the List view, so deleting a past Speaker in Connect can affect historical Speaker information in BNI+.

6. Speaker Confirmation

Will Speakers received from Connect go through the Request for Confirmation process in BNI+?

Connect-sourced Speakers generally will not go through the BNI+ Request for Confirmation workflow.

Exception: Speakers received as Planned Speakers from Connect will go through the Request for Confirmation → Confirmed workflow in BNI+.

Can Speakers added directly in BNI+ still be requested for confirmation?

Yes.

The existing Request for Confirmation functionality will continue to apply to Speakers added directly through BNI+.

If “Enable Planner Confirmation” not set at Regional level:

Figure 7 Two options - Planned Speakers can continue through the existing Request for Confirmation workflow

If “Enable Planner Confirmation” is set at Regional level :

Figure 8 Three options - Planned Speakers can continue through the existing Request for Confirmation workflow

7. Speaker Bio

What Bio information will come from Connect?

Only the My Bio section of the profile will be sent as part of the Speaker information.

The following Bio sections are not sent as part of the Speaker information:

• GAINS
• Tops
• Weekly Presentations

Which My Bio fields are included?

The following fields from My Bio are included:

• Hobbies and interests
• Desire
• Previous job titles
• City of residence
• Years of residence
• Years in business
• My secret
• Key to success

The same editability rules apply to Bio information as other Connect-sourced Speaker information.

Figure 9 Only applicable information from the My Bio section is included as part of Speaker information.

8. Speaker Topic

Will the Speaker Topic from Connect be available in BNI+?

Yes.

A new Topic field will represent the presentation topic, and Topic information received from Connect will be available in BNI+.

• If Connect provides a Topic, it will not be editable in BNI+.
• If Connect sends an empty or null Topic, the field will remain editable in BNI+.

Will the Topic automatically appear on the Featured Speaker slide?

No.

The Topic will be available in BNI+. If the Member wants the Topic displayed on the Featured Speaker slide, they will need to select “Show Topic.”

Figure 10 Members must select “Show Topic” for the Speaker Topic to appear on the Featured Speaker slide.

Figure 11 Featured Speaker slide with Topic

9. Planned View

Will National-level users be available in the Planned view?

Yes.

The existing Regional option in the Planned view will also include National-level users. Names are also searchable for the National and Regional users.

Figure 12 National-level users will be included in the existing Regional option in the Planned view.

10. Key Takeaways for POCs and Leaders

When helping team users with questions about the Speaker integration, remember these key points:

October 5th is the cutoff

Connect Speaker information for meetings before October 5th will not sync to BNI+.

Existing BNI+ information is protected

Existing Speaker information in BNI+ will not be automatically deleted or overwritten simply because the integration is active.

BNI+ Speaker planning continues

Users can continue to plan and manage Speakers in BNI+.

Connect information follows source and editability rules

Information provided by Connect will be identified and may not be editable in BNI+. Empty or null Connect fields remain editable.

Synchronization continues automatically

Speaker information is synchronized on the regular 1-hour schedule, and applicable information can synchronize indefinitely into the future.

When helping a user, ask three questions

1. What is the meeting date?
2. Is the Speaker information coming from Connect or BNI+?
3. Is the field populated by Connect?

These questions can help determine what the user is seeing and why a particular field may or may not be editable.