Template

Town hall meeting template

A public meeting where people who are affected ask the people who decide — with a fair turn for everybody.

60 minutesFor Community organisers, local officials and leaders of large organisationsAgenda room
Change the agenda first

The agenda, with a time for each part

  1. Why we are here and how tonight works5 min
    • How long does each speaker get?
  2. The facts, briefly10 min
    • What is proposed, and what is already decided?
  3. Questions from the room30 min
    • Who has not spoken yet?
  4. What we heard8 min
    • What were the three things said most often?
  5. What happens next7 min
    • Who decides, when, and how will people hear?

How the notes read afterwards

A made-up example, so you can see the shape. In a real call each line carries the words that were said and who said them.

The facts. The crossing on Mill Road: three options, costing between $40,000 and $210,000.

What we heard. Speed near the school, the lost parking, and why this was not raised sooner.

Next. The council votes on the 18th; the summary is posted by Friday.

Running it well

Ways to change it

OnlineTake questions in writing as well as out loud, and read out the ones with the most votes.
Inside a companyThe same shape, with questions sent beforehand without names.

When to skip it. When the decision is already made and cannot change. Hold a briefing, and call it that.

Questions

What is a town hall meeting?

An open meeting where the people affected by a decision can ask questions of the people making it.

How do you run a town hall meeting fairly?

Set a time limit for every speaker, take people in the order they asked, say what is and is not still open, and publish what was said.

What happens in the room

Everybody joins from the link, with no account. The agenda sits beside the call and each item fills in with what was said about it, under the name of the person who said it.

More templates

Book club meetingA book club evening that gets past “did you like it?” — with a turn for everybody and the next book chosen before people leave.Volunteer team meetingFor a team of volunteers: thanks first, then what is coming up, who can do what, and nothing that could have been a message.Office hoursPeople bring questions; you answer them live, and the answers are written down for next time.HOA board meetingFor a homeowners' association: the money, the repairs, residents' questions and the votes.PTA meetingParents and teachers, once a month: what the school needs, what is coming up, and who is helping.Parent-teacher conferenceTwenty minutes about one child: what is going well, what is hard, and what home and school will each do.Committee meetingFor any committee that has to decide things properly: minutes, reports, motions and votes, with a record at the end.Training sessionTeach one thing so that people can do it by the end — shown, tried, and checked.

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