Holding a Small Workplace Meeting
Sometimes your first contact will be with a group of staff rather than on a one-to-one basis. However, many of the skills used in a one-on-one approach are still relevant.
Have a conversation – not a
presentation.
Just because there is an audience of more than one person, you
can still use a conversational and interactive style. The same principles apply – you need
to get the staff talking to find their concerns and issues.
Consider the room setup.
If you want a formal
presentation, set the table up at the front and have rows of seats. If you want interaction and
discussion then set the room up with everyone sitting around the table or sitting in a circle on
chairs.
Ensure everyone has a chance to have a say and is listened to.
Have an agenda.
Just as with one-to-one contact,
have some clear objectives of what you want to achieve from the discussion.
Develop an understanding of unionism.
Discuss what
can be done about issues and the effects of an individual doing something versus everyone in the
room. Create a relationship at the beginning that they are the union and they need to be actively
involved to resolve their issues.
Give them something to do.
Look for potential
leaders and reach agreement for people to do various tasks, no matter how small. In fact often small
is better since it’s not too daunting.
Ask their opinion of what is the best
course of action to follow. Get them to bring other staff to the meeting.
Arrange the next meeting.
Where you could provide
information on issues the staff may have requested such as enterprise bargaining, occupational
health and safety etc. Organising a follow up meeting to determine progress on the tasks people
committed to undertake and the next steps in dealing with the issue is important.