Start by Making People Feel Welcome.
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- Pay attention to the room...
The room sets the stage and influences what happens. Try to work in a room with natural light and plenty of wall space. Make sure everyone can see and hear what’s going on without straining.
- Pay attention to how people are seated...
Seating participants in a circle is usually optimal. We recommend avoiding hierarchical arrangements, like lining people up in rows or seating them at long rectangular tables. Semicircles work well when the key challenge is to “face the issue.”
- Pay attention to how you greet people....
Your welcome can be as simple as a handshake or as elaborate as having a string quartet playing to create a mood of harmony and peace. What ever kind of welcome you plan, it should make people feel special as soon as they arrive.
These are just a few starters to get the ball rolling please add your suggestions below. We will add the most popular suggestion to our top 10 of the month list.
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Comments (5)
Dick Axelrod said
at 10:52 am on May 4, 2009
Here are some things that help people feel welcome at the start of the meeting.
Personal greetings by meeting leaders.
Time for people to get to know each other prior to starting the work.
Organization: when the meeting and meeting space feels organized people appreciate the work on their behalf.
Name tags that do not have titles and where first names are highlighted.
Barbara Bunker said
at 2:09 pm on May 13, 2009
The World Cafe format is used frequently to engage people and help them get to know each other at the start of meetings and events. I have been part of several that have not been very satisfying (didn't work well) because the questions that people were asked to talk about were not well focused OR they didn't lead people into deeper discussions as the rounds proceeded. WHAT QUESTIONS YOU ASK IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS using this method as an opener.
Jake Jacobs said
at 11:17 pm on May 18, 2009
A few more things to add to the stew here:
Music sets a welcoming tone and can shift as the content and the focus for the meeting evolve. Sometimes as well, a "Welcome" can open up conversations in very surprising ways. Years ago at Ford when we had two warring factions meeting to arrive at some kind of agreement about how to work together, it was clear to everyone in the room how much tension was in the air. The design team for this event came up with the idea to "call a spade a spade" -- so the two leaders of the factions entered the room from opposite sides to the theme music from West Side Story and the fight scene (complete with costumes and all!). At the center of the room, they met, dropped their knives and shook hands. A powerful way to welcome people into a space of collaboration to be sure!
Emily Axelrod said
at 2:26 pm on Aug 17, 2009
One of the things that has worked in some organizations is to begin the meeting with a meal. Breaking bread together is a very social way for people to get to know one another on a social basis and thus leads in to easier ways to start conversations.
Emily Axelrod said
at 2:30 pm on Aug 17, 2009
Another way to begin to welcome people to the space is to have leaders welcome people at the door just as if you were welcoming someone into your home for a party. This also helps start things off on a more equal and human footing. In a hospital setting where we were redesigning the access to care, the leaders sat at the desk and registered the participants and welcomed them. In other situations leaders have become the tour guides into a new space. Leaders take an active role in welcoming!
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