Meeting one: new faces, new issues

So, everyone’s sitting in front of you, name tags on, agendas in hand. What next?

Well, this is where the agenda comes in: even if you’re nervous, you’ve already thought about what you want to talk about at the meeting, so dive in and start talking!

It may help to regard the first meeting as a ‘getting to know you’ and ‘getting to know the issues’ session. It’s unlikely that a group getting together for the first time will be ready to make big decisions like setting priorities and electing office holders or a committee – but those things will definitely come later.

As the meeting unfolds, it’s important to remember that everyone in the room will have their own reasons for being there. They might not share your perception of what could change in your neighbourhood – in fact, they might actively disagree with you.

For now, one of your important jobs is to make sure that everyone who wants to gets a chance to speak. As the Chair, you can invite people to contribute if you’ve noticed that they haven’t said much – but bear in mind that some people prefer to listen and reflect, rather than talk.

If you’ve got a large group, it can be hard to make sure everyone gets a turn – so don’t be afraid to invite people to break up into smaller groups, have a discussion and then report back.

But however you handle the discussions, you’ll need to leave some time at the end of the meeting to discuss next steps. The next things you’ll do may be really obvious – or you may need to propose some ideas, such as:

• holding another meeting specifically focusing on setting your priorities for action;
• holding another meeting specifically focusing on the group structure and the committee;
• undertaking some research to better understand the issues or build your case for change; or
• drafting a letter or petition on a particular issue, to be circulated within the group and the neighbourhood.

Whichever course of action you choose, make sure it’s clear who’ll be involved and when the task will be completed.

It’s often a good idea to summarise the agreed actions at the end of the meeting, so everyone in the group is clear about what’s been agreed – and send minutes or action items around by email or letter as a further reminder (we've created some resources to guide you).