- Take the time to think about who you want to come to the first session and why – a shared common passion is what you are looking for.
- Use common interests and passions and use them as the hook.
- What’s a good number to start with? Aim to have a suitable group of people so that everyone can talk to each other and not feel left out.
- Be clear about the purpose of the session.
- Think about the venue. For the first session you need somewhere where you can meet un-interrupted, but which has an informal/social feel about it too.
- Agree a time and place to meet.
- The first session might be more focused around getting to know people and identifying of topics of interest.
- The first session may take some planning. You should think of some topic ideas that will be of interest to those attending to help generate discussions.
- Create a welcoming environment by:
- saying hello to everyone and introduce people who don’t know each other
- making provisions for food and drinks.
- Plan for no one talking and, conversely, not being able to get a word in.
- Get used to being uncomfortable with silence
- Avoid having a strict agenda – it is not an information giving session, it is an opportunity for people to learn from each other.
Check out our other COP blogs in the Related Content section below for further tips.