Is your meeting place warm and welcoming?

First impressions count 

You only ever get one chance to make a first impression. First impressions are as much about a friendly smile as a clean, tidy meeting place that’s easy to find and access. What people see and experience when they arrive will leave a lasting impression on them for a long time.

Your meeting place should also leave your members and their families wanting to come back time and time again. First impressions are formed quickly – within 7 seconds in fact – so your meeting place should consistently be warm and welcoming throughout.

By leaving members and their families with a bad first impression, you could lose them, suffer negative reviews and ultimately destroy what people’s opinion of scouting. The human brain is hardwired to make snap decisions based on first impressions, so those first few seconds really do count; but how do you ensure your families are instantaneously impressed?

 

How to create that positive first impression

To ensure you are creating a positive first impression, you need to impress people at every angle, which means hitting all five of the senses; sight, smell, sound, touch and taste. Let’s have a look at the journey of perception your members families go on when they enter your meeting place:

 

Sight

What is the first thing your families see when they enter your meeting place? Are there stains on the carpet? Do you keep your rubbish bin by the front door? Is your furniture old and tatty? Do the leadership team look bored?

Everything from the quality of your furniture down to the expression on your leadership teams face will contribute to that first impression. You need to ensure (as much as you can), that that your meeting place is clean and in the best condition possible. You should also strive to ensure your leadership team are happy, enjoying themselves and motivated which will be reflected in their body language.

 

Smell

One of the first things that hits your families as they walk through the door is the smell of your hall. We all have a particular scent in life which ignites fond memories or gives us that feeling of nostalgia, so make your hall smell memorable. Whether it’s air fresheners, flowers or perfume sprayed around the room, you want your families to breath it in and feel refreshed. A stale, repulsive smell will leave them never wanting to come back again.

Sound

Make sure there’s a sense of atmosphere but be aware that a really a noisy hall can be intimidating.

Touch

The feel of your meeting place needs to appeal to your members families. Is there somewhere that they can wait while you finish the section meeting? Is the area clean and welcoming? There’s nothing worse than waiting for your meeting to finish standing out in the wind and rain. Don’t neglect to make your families feel comfortable. It’s also important to consider the temperature of the room – the ideal meeting room temperature is around 21 °C if you don’t want people shivering in the cold or sweating in the heat!

Taste

For a truly memorable experience in your meeting place, your secret weapon is to offer them a drink. Of course, we know this isn’t necessarily possible but if you can do!

If you can hit all five of the senses when your members and their families enter the door, you can guarantee they will have a long lasting good impression of your scout group. Of course, there’s a lot that your leaders need to do in terms of body language and how you speak to people, but if you get your physical meeting place in order first then you’ll be one step ahead.

Your venue should be a warm welcoming environment. This checklist might be helpful.

  • The entrance/reception area to the venue is well maintained and a person/rota is in place to ensure upkeep
  • The main room/s are checked prior to starting a section meeting
  • The kitchen is clean and safe with the relevant health and safety notices displayed in a visible place
  • Risk Assessments are completed and easily accessible for any adult to find in the venue?
  • The internal lighting is suitable for all adults and young people
  • The external lighting is appropriate to where the venue is located
  • All furniture is clean and serviceable
  • The storage is maintained, tidy and safe to use
  • Photos of the sections doing activities and fun are displayed
  • Your notice board is neat and up to date

If any of these things are not in place it might be worth meeting with your sponsoring authority/venue owner to highlight what could/needs to be done.

And it’s not just your venue that needs to be warm and welcoming - your leaders should be too. No-one wants to leave their children with a shouty leader or one that seems disorganised or badly turned out. Make sure you talk to and involve the parents/carers when a new young person joins the Group. Their whole family should feel welcome to join. 

Be visible 

Your scout group is part of the local community and a positive image will generate support from the community and help you strengthen and sustain your group. Whether you’re fundraising or helping out in your neighbourhood, a positive first impression can make all the difference to how scouts is viewed in the community.

  • Make yourselves visible

  • Make sure your meeting place has an up to date sign with contact details

  • Put up a vacancy board 

  • Use systems to keep in contact with all your parents/carers

  • Invite local people to your fun events so they can see what Scouts is all about

  • Remember your community can help you – are there people who could help deliver parts of the programme?

  • Don’t forget fundraising opportunities - raise money both for your Group and to help the local community.

  • Join in with existing events in your community

  • Get in touch with local businesses and see what support they can offer your Group. They may make donations, offer equipment or even have potential volunteers.

  • Speak to community leaders and other organisations and encourage working together, creating links or building partnerships for mutual support. Scouts works best when it’s an active part of the community!

  • Get media savvy – community facebook groups are great for communicating with local community members. It’s also worth creating a Facebook page and Twitter account for your Group.

  • Chat to people in cafes, supermarkets and libraries - the more local people who know about your Group, the better.