Informal communication also helps to:
Make it a point to provide opportunities for informal discussions.
Get core team members involved with
other groups on an informal basis. Attend meetings with organizations--people
will probably appreciate your efforts. (They may kid you a little,
but this also establishes rapport.) Have meals with representatives
from different groups or adjourn to a restaurant after a formal
meeting.
If your heart isn't in going to Trout Unlimited meetings
or getting to know people informally, find a way that you can
interact or let those who want to do so. An insincere gesture
may be worse than no gesture at all.
Informal contact can help even in confrontational
situations:
- You remove the battle gear. This allows participants
to let down their guard far enough to see that personal views
may not be that far apart after
all.
- You can be seen as a human being.
This provides a way to respect each other's viewpoints.
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