Getting the most from your Peer Group Experience

Here are effective strategies for maximizing participation in your Forum Group, emphasizing proactive engagement, and relationship-building. From arriving early to practicing active listening and contributing actively, these tips aim to help you leverage your Forum Group experience to its fullest potential.

1. Be intentional about your Forum Group experience. Reach out to others to achieve your ideal outcomes.
2. Show up early (15min) to mingle and build relationships before the meeting starts.
3. Sit beside new people every time.
4. Complete your update sheet in advance of the meeting and really think about a key issue/challenge that you would like help with and would benefit others.
5. Practice active listening during the meetings. Focus on body language, words, and points of view.
6. Be generous with your shared experiences and networks to support everyone in your group.
7. Have coffee or lunch with every single person in your Forum Group over the next 6 months. Get to know every single person in the group. Do everything you can to help others be successful.
8. Follow up to help other people and to get help between meetings.
9. Share knowledge and experiences with the entire group before, during, and after meetings.
10. Challenge people during the meetings to take action and play a bigger game.
11. Practice success behaviours: fun; decisiveness; results orientation; strategic thinking; taking a stand on issues; assertiveness; passion; managing emotions; confidence building.
12. Park your ego. Don’t worry about looking good; being right/wrong; avoid defensiveness; playing the blame game; or judging others.
13. Practice giving people feedback and sharing experiences to help them learn and grow.
14. Show courage. Bring tough issues to the meetings. Create trust and candour in the group.
15. Stay behind after meetings for 15min and mingle with other members.

Learn more about peer learning