Best practices when a new member joins your forum
April 18, 2014 Leave a comment
When a new member joins your forum, you are eager to have it go smoothly for both new and veteran members. Consider following as many of these practices as you can:
- Before the new member attends his or her first regular meeting, have a couple veteran members meet the new member for coffee. This provides a chance to review the forum’s typical agenda, meeting schedule, and other norms, and answer any questions. If in-person isn’t possible, schedule a phone call, fold these points into the first meeting, or set a follow-up before the second meeting.
- Begin the first meeting by asking each member, new and old, to commit or recommit to forum confidentiality.
- Substitute an integration exercises for one of your usual presentation slots. This might be “Lifeline,” “If you really knew me…” or other new or previously used exercises.
- Plan on the new member participating in updates just like everyone else. Veteran members can model the process.
- Encourage the new member to present relatively early in their membership, not necessarily at the first meeting, but don’t wait six months.
- Assign a “buddy” to the new member to meet for coffee or a meal before the second meeting.
Bob Halperin
afsonline 