Communicating with your Circle members between meetings

The most effective Lean In Circles not only meet once a month, but also stay in touch between meetings to celebrate each other’s accomplishments and share resources and other personal updates. This is how your Circle can become an even more powerful support network.

During your first Circle meeting, we encourage you to choose which platform you and your members prefer to use to communicate with each other. Here are a few of the most popular options to help you decide what’s right for you:

Email

Email is a simple, lightweight way to stay in touch. You can email people directly or set up a mailing list (through Google Groups, MailChimp, etc.) to communicate with your Circle. If you manage your Circle’s membership on LeanIn.Org, you’ll have access to member names and email addresses.

Pros:

• Almost everyone uses email already
• Personal notification every time someone joins your Circle
• Easiest option for a smaller group

Cons:

• As your group gets bigger, you’ll have more member names and emails to manage

Facebook Group

Facebook Groups are a popular way to connect online. They can be openly available for anyone to join (public), require administrator approval for members to join (closed), or private and by invitation only (secret).

Pros:

• Recommended by many successful Lean In leaders
• Easy to schedule meetings with Facebook Events

Cons:

• Group updates and posts can get lost if members don’t have notifications turned on

WhatsApp or other group text messaging apps

WhatsApp is a messaging app that allows you to communicate with multiple people through its groups function.

Pros:

• Easy to send quick casual messages (similar to texting)
• Communication feels immediate

Cons:

• Difficult to share files and long messages
• Messaging conversations move quickly—important updates can get lost

LinkedIn Group

Similar to Facebook Groups, LinkedIn Groups provide a place for professionals in the same industry or with similar interests to connect and share information.

Pros:

• Easy to share professional information
• Messages posted in the group will only be visible to group members

Cons:

• Not everyone uses LinkedIn
• Messaging interface is less well-known than Facebook Groups

Slack

Slack is a messaging app that allows you to communicate as a group, create separate channels for different topics of conversation, and have 1-on-1 conversations with specific individuals in your group.

Pros:

• Easy to share files and organize conversations with different groups
• Communication feels immediate

Cons: