How to Hold an Informational Meeting
For new and starting groups, holding an Informational Meeting is an important step to solidifying the group. The session should be organized after you have talked to people, collected names of potential members, and spread the word about your Amnesty group. Once your group is established you can periodically hold Informational Meetings to better incorporate new members you have been recruiting.
Whether a few people forming a new group or a larger number of people promoting an existing group organize the meeting, be organized and well prepared so you create a good impression.
Before the meeting
- Decide on a place, location and time for the meeting. Reserve the room and any equipment that you require (i.e. a flip chart or chalk board, VCR)
- Post and distribute flyers around campus or your community announcing the time and place of the meeting.
- Advertise the meeting using a variety to methods (e.g. Community newspaper calendar, listserves, displays in public places or at schools). Make sure your contact information is visible on all advertisements for those that cannot make the meeting.
- Delegate different parts of planning the meeting to core group members so everyone has a role.
Be clear on your objectives, and be sure they are stated, clear and understood by all who are planning the meeting. (For example: For participants to understand the purpose of Amnesty International and how they can get involved, to learn about the interests and collect the contact information of those who attend. See Sample Informational Meeting Agenda)
During the Meeting
Create an opportunity for people to share information about themselves. For example, what do they know/want to know about Amnesty’s work, what are their interests, and what other activist or leadership experience do they have? A good time to accomplish some of this is while talking with people before the meeting begins and/or during introductions, depending on the size and the age of the audience. For example, an interactive icebreaker could be used. Make sure a sign in sheet (PDF) is used to get everyone’s contact information.
Generate participation. Help people feel as if they are a part of the meeting rather than merely your audience. This can be accomplished during a question and answer section or in small group discussions, if the audience is large enough to divide up. Have more than one member of the core group share in the informational presentations to make the meeting more interesting and to prevent one person from dominating.
Try to accomplish your objectives during the meeting, since no one wants to waste their increasingly rare free time. Because one of your most important tasks is to develop a supportive group of people who can work together over time, develop trust with each other, and accomplish effective human rights work, creating a positive environment for the development of supportive relationships is a very important part of the group organizing process.
Incorporate an informal, fun element into the meeting. Potential members see that working together to protect human rights can be pleasurable, as well as serious work. Bring the following to the meeting:
AIUSA Membership video- The agenda (See Sample Informational Meeting Agenda)
- Amnesty banner
- Amnesty one-page intro
- Newsletters, Urgent Actions, program information
- A sign up sheet (PDF)
- Pens, markers for flip charts, and chalk for chalk boards
After the Meeting
Follow up with an email or letter to all who participated. Include meeting minutes, next steps, and information about the next meeting and consider setting up a listserve for group communication.
