Citizen Engagement: Suggestions for Town Hall Meetings 

Colorado Representative Ellen Roberts Suggestions

Colorado Representative Ellen Roberts has presented a list of suggestions for legislators holding town hall meetings with your constituents. The following offer great ideas with planning and conducting town hall meetings as well as helping you organize your time. Effective town hall meetings require setting up guidelines for yourself so that you can manage your time and present your materials effectively.  

• Decide on focused topics or more general approach.
• Get the word out everywhere.
• Plan and dress appropriately – appear competent and confident.
• Consider handouts.
• Sign-up sheets at the door.
• Start and end promptly – this is a basic respect issue and helps set the tone of the meeting.
• Consider seeking hosts or others who will take care of the logistics.
• Watch out for overuse of PowerPoint, charts and graphs, and don’t turn down the lights!
• Include a Q & A portion.
• Keep control of the floor, without overdoing the control thing.
• Bring your contact information and hand out before Q & A so that those who need to leave before it's over can follow up with you later.
• Most of all, be warm and engaging, not defensive and uptight. Have fun. Work on these, especially if you know you’re headed into controversial territory – being well prepared is one of the best ways to keep things on a good course!