Theme 3 - Teams

How can we involve others?

There are several effective strategies that can help you when you are trying to encourage new people to join groups. Remember asking people for help is often the most successful method.

The first steps to involving others are:

• Deciding why you need other people
• Thinking about people who best suit these needs
• Planning and acting to recruit them.

How many people do you need in your group?

The number of people that you will need in your group will depend on the purpose of your group. Suggested numbers for specific types of group are:

• Between 5-7 people are suitable for a working group
• Steering committees, reference groups and boards need around 12 people to include enough ‘brainpower’
• Committees should usually have at least 4 or 5 people to provide a quorum (the minimum number of members that must be present to make the proceedings of the meeting valid)

How can we involve others - continued