Working with Newcomers

I have noticed that when some newcomer greeters talk to newcomers at the break or after the meeting they sometimes, from my experience, go at it backwards. No one walks through our doors who isn’t suffering in one way or another. More often than not, OA is the last stop on their bus. What they’re looking for is HOPE. That is the only think that may get them interested enough to go to another meeting or come back next week. What gives them the HOPE is what they see, hear and feel. They gain nothing by talking, talking, talking while the newcomer greeter listens. If anything, they end up feeling worse.

What they need to hear quickly and succinctly from the greeter is his/her story of recovery. That comes first. They see, hear and feel that maybe there’s something here – they don’t understand it – but…