Edit2.3 Planning your first meeting
Now that you’ve got a sense of what a Study Group session can look like, you’re ready to plan your first meeting! Here's a list of planning tasks to help you get started.
- Do a bit of audience research. Poll some potential attendees to see if there’s a topic that most people want to learn (like R or Python). If so, you can start with that. Or, check out our list of suggested first sessions.
- Find a meeting space. You can use a free classroom space or conference room, or you can meet in a common area like a student center, library, or even a local bar or cafe. Keep in mind the noise level and access to power and wi-fi.
- Pick a time. Schedule meetings when people are most likely to be around and free-- perhaps there’s an obvious space in the schedule (after a lab meeting or a certain required course) when most people are on campus.
- Decide how long you’ll meet.Depending on schedules, and what you want to get done, your study group could meet for an hour, an hour and a half, or more.
- Send reminders.Send out a quick email and/or tweet the day before each meeting, so people know it’s on!
- Be ready to welcome everyone! A successful Study Group requires a set of members who know eachother and feel comfortable together-- start creating a postitve, friendly environment from the first meeting.
- Meet regularly. Mention your next meeting at the close of the first meeting! It may help to hold meetings on the same day of the week and at the same time each time you meet, so members can plan in advance and are more likely to remember meetings.
See Section 6 for more about scheduling over the longer term, and for tips for good Group communication.