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When your party is in power, the Branch is an important channel through which THE party
and the general public can communicate. The Branch can inform and explain the
government’s policies and programs and it can pick up what people think about the
government’s performance and make sure the feed-back reaches relevant people.
BRANCH MEETINGS
The most common method to interact with the members is the Branch meeting. In many
parties today, Branch meetings have difficulties in attracting members. The reasons are
many: members no longer feel that they have a real influence over party policy-making;
people are too occupied with other activities; meetings clash with popular TV shows; etc.
It is a key challenge for all political parties to find ways to communicate and interact in a
modern world where there is so much competition for people’s time and interest.
Still, it is necessary to hold Branch meetings and the meeting principles that apply to the
Branch meeting apply to all levels of the organization.
Here are some tips for Branch meetings:
When and where
Branch meetings should be organized and held on a regular day and time to facilitate
member attendance, for example the first Wednesday in every month between 7 and 9 p.m.
It is preferable that meetings be held in same venue every time.
Agendas
Branch meetings must be prepared properly, have clear agendas and expected outcomes.
The agenda is presented and agreed upon at the beginning of the meeting. A typical branch
meeting can look like this:
1.
Opening and welcome.
In the beginning of the meeting the Chairperson should ask if there are any new
members who are attending for the first time, ask them to introduce themselves and
welcome them.
2.
Apologies
3.
Political input and discussion on topical issues
4.
Brief reports from meetings at other levels of the party
5.
Report on issues from Local Municipal (at least quarterly)
6.
Report on Program of Action from Sub-Committees
7.
Discussion on the way forward
8.
Closure