You've probably been to meetings before; sometimes they can be a drag.  Sometimes they are poorly attended.  You probably want to know how they can be improved.  Here are some ideas.
 
(A) Ideally you should meet at the same time, in the same place, on a regular basis.  Experience would tend to suggest that in big cities and medium sized towns weekly meetings, held on a Monday through Thursday night, at a location close to your base of operations is the best option. In rural areas, things tend to happen more slowly, and you may even be the only game in town.  In such cases biweekly and / or weekend meetings might be sustainable. You may not have much to do at first, and monthly meetings might seem more logical (especially if you and others are very busy with other aspects of your lives) but weekly meetings will provide a stronger sense of presence, and even if nobody attends every meeting your group will retain a sense of continuity.  If your meeting times change, and the location moves, less active members will get confused and may drop out.  Even if these changes follow a regular pattern, it can be confusing.  You should list your meeting times and locations on all your literature.  People forget these things easily.
 
(B) Keep your meetings short and sweet -- if your meetings are too long either you are very busy (in which case you should meet more often or form subcommittees) or you are letting superfluous issues cloud them.  Meetings should not be therapy sessions or forums for acting out.  Those things can occur before and after meetings.  Meetings are for getting work done and making decisions
 
(C) Plan ahead -- don't try to micromanage everything at the meeting.  Think about the ideas, issues, and actions ahead of time.  Present well thought out ideas, not half-baked ones. Don't be afraid to act independently.  Contentious issues can be worked out in the group.
 
(D) Think about your process -- different groups use different processes.  Some use consensus; others prefer majority rule.  Whatever process you use, know how to use it and use it consistently.  Make sure your process can be understood by newcomers and less active members; otherwise they will probably drop out due to confusion or alienation.  You and your group will have to decide which process works best for you.  The IWW Constitution states that decisions at official IWW meetings shall be made by majority rule.  The reasons for this are complicated, and you need not vote on every issue (just major ones).  Whatever you do, keep it simple.
 
(E) Make your meetings fun and interesting -- bring food; show videos; invite speakers; hold workshops.  It's best to set aside specific time to do these things, preferably before the business part of your meeting.  There's an old saying, "don't mix business with pleasure", that doesn't mean you can do one and immediately follow it with the other.  It does mean that you should be diligent about taking care of mechanics like your budget and bills as well as your education and socializing.  All too often groups don't have fun.  All too often, groups also don't put enough effort into taking care of business.  The best solution seems to do both together (though in distinct shifts) little bites at a time.  Perhaps, in the spirit of creating mutual aid, you should also have a third meeting period devoted to good and welfare (i.e. the needs of each other and your community).  This will be especially important in rural communities.
 

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