Resources

The First Meeting

So you've decided to start your own self-help group, you have a wonderful place to hold your meetings, and you're exciting about hosting regular meetings for people who have tinnitus and their families.

First things first: publicity. Make sure you have submitted your meeting information to the American Tinnitus Association, your local newspapers and television stations, tinnitus community message boards, and other appropriate venues. You will receive phone calls or emails from people who have heard about the group. Have meeting information and location directions handy when replying to people. And keep track of telephone numbers and email addresses so you can remind people about the second and third meetings.

On the day of the meeting, arrive early at the location to double check the room's configuration, lighting, temperature, et cetera.

For the first meeting, be prepared to meet for the fully allotted time. Whether one person or 50 attends, stick to your agenda to make sure the most important items are discussed. Consider the sample agenda below when deciding on how to structure the first meeting.

Most importantly, before your first meeting, relax. You are volunteering your time and energy to help people battle a common problem—you've provided a forum and a reason for people to share. Even if everything does not go exactly as planned, you are making a difference in how people relate to each other and their tinnitus.

Sample First Meeting Agenda

I. Welcome and Introductions
Introduce yourself and why you started the group. Are you a health care professional with a keen interest in tinnitus? A volunteer who has learned how to cope with tinnitus and wants to help others learn to do the same? A spouse who has a personal connection to helping people with tinnitus? If you are not a health care professional, be sure to let people know that you cannot give medical advice.

II. Meeting Frequency
Should you meeting quarterly, monthly, semi-monthly? Some groups meeting monthly on a school-year schedule, with summers off. What will work for you and other participants?

III. Meeting Structure
Guest speakers can help make group meetings informative and useful, but having time to share and talk as a group can help to build your community. Talk to people about what kinds of features they'd like to see in each meeting. Some groups have a "book club" approach where they discuss research articles or the latest issue of Tinnitus Today. Other groups are sure to always incorporate thirty minutes for going around the circle and talking about how the past month has been for each person with regards to their tinnitus. Other groups have a guest speaker each and every time. Talk about people's expectations for the meetings.

IV. Group Guidelines
For the first meeting, discuss what will make the meeting a safe, welcoming place for people to share and participate. Some groups go so far as to create rules for discussions. For example, is confidentiality important? Should you have a rule against interrupting? Help people to feel like they have some ownership of the group and how it is run.

V. Meeting Content
Discuss what kinds of topics people would like to learn about at each meeting. Keep notes or pass around a sheet where people can write their suggestions. Alternately, start a jar where discussion topic ideas can be kept and pulled out at the end of each meeting to help start planning for the next.

VI. Tinnitus: What's Working for Me This Month
End on a positive note. While people should be given a forum to discuss the challenges they're facing, they also should leave with something new or beneficial to try or consider. Ask people what's worked for them this month, what they've tried with good results, how they've improved their sleep, or how they keep their spirits up. Even serious, hard discussions can be highlighted with a positive outlook.

For more information please contact: Lisa Freeman, Manager of Member Services, 1–800-634-8978 Ext. 219 or lisa@ata.org