Our Community Planning Workshop (CPW) team is currently preparing for our first meeting with our client and Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). It will be the first time we meet our client in person as well as the first time the TAC is convened.
Our primary goals for the meeting are to explain the project to the group and to set expectations of what they will get from us and what we are expecting to get back from them. I am purposely not mentioning our project because it does not matter what the content is; preparing for a meeting like this will be the same regardless of the project.
Leading up to this meeting, we have had just three weeks to wrap our heads around the project. This included figuring out who all the different players involved are and hashing out our game plan for this meeting and the next two terms. An important realization for us was that we are going to continue learning about all of these elements and tweaking things right up until the end of the project. Acknowledging that fact has already helped our group as we prepare for this meeting.
Our first step was to determine the purpose of the meeting. Once that was determined, we needed to decide on the elements, length of each section and who was going to present each part. The attendees at the meeting, including ourselves, will have a varied level of knowledge of the subject matter, so starting with the basics is essential so everyone is on the same page with the content. We have created multiple drafts and have run through the presentation four times. I think we’re to the point where anyone of the five of us could present each other’s parts.
Even so, we are certainly a bit nervous about facilitating the meeting. Some good advice was given to us from our project advisor to simply remember the one point that cannot be forgotten in each section and on each slide.
Other important logistics to consider which are sometimes forgotten include:
- What will be the layout of the room and do we have any control over the set up of tables and chairs?
- Is the order of the presentation and meeting elements logical?
- Are the activities appropriate and culturally sensitive to the audience?
- Do we have all the materials checked out and are they available?
- Are our presentation skills perfected and professional? We don’t want to be like the guy in the cartoon above who has his back turned to the audience.
This is our first of three meetings with the TAC but an important one since it sets the stage for the project. By having a clear understanding of the information and running an effective meeting we aim to leave a good impression with the group. We intend to be honest about who we are (first year graduate students) while proving that even though we are not seasoned consultants, with the support of the CPW faculty, staff, and the University of Oregon, we intend to deliver a product worthy of an expert.
UPDATE: Our meeting had to be postponed due to the current snowstorm in the Willamette Valley and mountain passes during the week of February 3, which means we will not be able to safely get to the meeting. I know I did not mention the topic of our project earlier but I’ll mention now that it is related to natural hazard planning so it is ironic a natural hazard cancelled our meeting!
About the Author: Ross Peizer is a first year Community and Regional Planning Graduate Student at the University of Oregon. Originally from Seattle, Ross had been living in New Orleans the past three years prior to moving to Oregon. He is interested in sustainability related to transportation and natural disasters.