Originally published in LLL of New Mexico’s Enchantment and reprinted in LLLI’s LEAVEN, May-June 1988
It’s meeting day. The hour has arrived. Everybody is settling down. The side conversations have melted away. Your children have gone outside to play in the sandbox. The librarian has finished arranging the books. Now what? What should you say in the first five minutes of a La Leche League meeting?
When I was a singer in a country music band, we always did a “throwaway†song at the beginning of each set. Why? Well, we needed to loosen up because the audience was still settling in, looking at our clothes, and commenting to each other on how we were doing (“Boy, she’s pretty bad!†or “I thought this was a rock ‘n’ roll band!†or something like that). The first song was for checking us out and getting comfortable. Many mothers are doing the same thing at a Leche League meeting. They’re looking at the hostess’s home. They’re dealing with their own feelings of seeing older babies nursing. They might be reading the posters over your shoulder or flipping through the copy of THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING you gave them (in hopes they’d buy a copy after the meeting). The things you say in your introduction may be mostly forgotten.
I try to present five things in my introductory remarks:
• my name
• my status as an LLL Leader
• a few things about what La Leche League has to offer
• something personal about my family, and
• something about becoming a La Leche League member.
I say these five things in the first five minutes knowing that many of the mothers won’t be listening or won’t remember most of it. So, I make an effort to reinforce them throughout the meeting. I do this by:
• saying them again. I’ll repeat a lot of the same information throughout the meeting.
• using audio-visual aids. I try to wear a nametag (as long as my toddler doesn’t put if off) and use posters and charts to fill in as we discuss the subject.
• handing out written information. The series announcement, business cards, and Information Sheets help mothers remember and learn more.
• referring to LLL books. I try to mention a few titles related to our subject to reinforce my comments or to show the mothers where they can get more help.
• concluding the meeting with some of the same information.
A meeting’s first five minutes can be awkward and strained for Leaders and mothers. Remember how hard it was for you to sort everything out after your first meeting? Those juicy LLL nuggets you throw out at that time need to be reinforced and repeated throughout the meeting. They are too important to be your throwaway song
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