In our last blog we noted that the value of orientation meetings is much deeper than the information dispersed. It really lies in the relationships that begin to develop and in the confidence that grows for the team’s leadership. Here are five tips to make your orientation meetings more impactful.

Be prepared. Remember, the orientation is a reflection of the leader and for many participants it is their first real exposure to the leader’s abilities. All of your orientations should be well thought through. Don’t just “wing it” but have a plan and follow it for your meetings. Also, your handouts and other materials should be organized and ready to go when the meeting starts.

Put yourself in the rookie’s shoes. You may have done this trip 20 times before, but you have to remember it probably is the first time for someone on your team. When you plan and conduct your orientation meetings, consider what it would be like for someone who has never done a trip like this and has never traveled internationally. What would they need to know? What concerns would they have?

Encourage interaction. Orientation meetings should not be lectures. They should be a chance for people to get to know each other and to ask questions.

Have fun! Don’t let your orientations be dry and boring. Have an ice-breaker activity. Turn the information part of your meeting into a game like Family Feud or Jeopardy. Laugh together! 

Include all of your team members. Sometimes you have team members scattered in other locations. Do conference calls, video conferencing, make audio or video recordings of the sessions—do something that will allow everyone to feel a part of the team. This may mean encouraging Facebook connections, pen-pals, or other things that will allow everyone to connect. In the case of the 5^th grader going to Europe that we mentioned in our last blog, her group actually met up with a group from another state and they toured together as one team. The other group had a leader and their own orientation meetings, but the two teams found a way to get to know each other before leaving. They made sure that each group knew the names of the others, and the participants exchanged posters telling about themselves and where they lived.

Orientation meetings set the tone for the entire trip. Take them seriously and put a lot into them by incorporating these five tips. You will be pleased with the outcome!

This entry was posted on Monday, May 10th, 2010 at 9:00 am and is filed under Humanitarian, Missions, Travel Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.