Low meeting attendance -- is it average?

Lately, the attendance at my meeting has dropped. When I started my meeting, about 6 to 8 people attended. During the summer attendance dropped, but it increased again around Thanksgiving.

 This past year the pattern has remained the same -- sort of, anyway. Last night at my meeting, no one attended except me. I sat in the room, listening to the sound of silence and the occasional chirp of a cricket. After half an hour, I decided to go home.

As I drove home, I had fearful thoughts. Maybe people didn't like my meetings, maybe the meetings were boring or I was boring, or they liked the other local meeting that takes place on a different night, or . . . and so on.

 Then I decided to come up with secure thoughts, thinking back to meetings I've attended for the last fourteen years. Attendance always ebbed and flowed, depending on the time of year (holidays, summer, spring break), the weather (too windy, too rainy, too hot), or any number of other variables in the outer environment.

I realized that fluctuation in attendance is average, that if I expect to be frustrated by it, I won't be disappointed, and that the people who attend my meeting are outer environment.

If this had happened before I started using the RI method, I would have felt terrible about no one showing up at my meeting (or other event for which I was responsible), working it up for days until I got depressed and angry. Now, I think it is average and that I can decide to close my meeting if attendance remains low or try advertising to increase attendance, but at least I know there is no danger.

Andrew Morrell Photography / Foter / CC BY-ND
Photo credit: Andrew Morrell Photography / Foter / CC BY-ND

Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2013 at 8:21 PM

    Yes! It is average. Thanks for being a leader!

    ReplyDelete
  2. anxiety disorder symptomsJanuary 28, 2016 at 9:31 PM

    Average? maybe, depends how you look on that.

    ReplyDelete

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