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REPORT-BACK MEETINGS
Your branch should regularly organize report-back meetings to inform people about what
is happening in the municipality. At these meetings the ward councilor should inform the
community about key council plans and programs for the area and people should have the
opportunity to ask questions and raise concerns. It is a good opportunity for the branch to
note all important issues that people raise and find ways to report back to the people who
raised them. The party’s parliamentarians should also be involved in report-back meetings.
COMMUNITY FORUMS
In a community forum the party invites people to come and talk and raise their concerns.
The party’s main role is to listen. Community forums appeal to both strong
party supporters and to people who are interested in the party but not enough to go to
rallies or more formal meetings. To get the most out of a community forum it is best to
target a specific group at the time – for example the elderly and pension problems or
teachers and education policy.
Preparing and presenting a successful community forum is fairly straightforward:
1.
Target a specific community or group.
2.
Get a local leader, councilor or parliamentarian to attend.
3.
Advertise the forum with posters and announcements.
4.
Brief the speaker about the area and the concerns of the people.
5.
Start on time and introduce the people on the platform.
6.
Explain how the forum will work but do not make long speeches.
7.
Invite the audience to ask questions or present their problems or concerns.
8.
Let the people speak and ask them to be brief. After a few speakers, let the leaders
reply.
9.
At the end, the chair summarizes the main points.
HOUSE MEETINGS
House meetings target people who are not strong party supporters or who are undecided.
They often target specific groups, such as teachers or undecided voters in a specific area, a
street, hostel, village etc.