The Group Guide
Connecting People to Community
For group leaders · Planner on the back
Six weeks to a full group
Groups take time to fill. These steps come from research on why people join groups, why they miss the first session, and why they leave early.
Six things that make the difference
Spell it out
Not knowing enough about a group is a main reason people don't go.
What to do: Say who it's for, what happens, the cost, and what the first time is like.
Move fast
People scheduled sooner are more likely to come to a first visit.
What to do: Reply within one business day. Book screening calls within days.
Prepare every member
Preparing people before group lowers early dropout.
What to do: Hold a short pre-group call with each new member.
Remind
Text reminders raised attendance from about 68% to 79% across 8 trials.
What to do: Send a reminder the day before, at least for the first month.
Name the fear
Worry about being judged is one of the most common reasons people stay away.
What to do: Say in the listing and on the phone that they can listen the first time.
Plan the size
Members found about six to eight people comfortable. Small or shifting groups lost people.
What to do: Set a minimum to start and fill toward seven or eight.
Why it works
Each step on the back answers one of those findings. The full toolkit has the emails, scripts, and reminder texts to go with it.
Keep in mind
Ask more than once. A second note to referral sources two weeks before you start, with the number of spots left, often brings the last few members.
A practice tool for group leaders, not legal or clinical advice. The Group Guide is a directory, not a clinic.
Sources: Dilgul et al., PLOS ONE, 2018. Pace et al., Annals of Family Medicine, 2018. Walitzer et al., Behavior Modification, 1999. Gurol-Urganci et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2013. Yalom and Leszcz, The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy, 2020.