Technical Information

There is helpful information for chairing meetings at: http://phonemeetings.org/information.htm

MEETING FORMAT:

Al-Anon Family Groups SATURDAY 10pm “Obedience to the Unenforceable” Meeting

1) Welcome to the Saturday 10 PM Traditions Meeting. My name is ____________, a grateful member of Al-Anon and your chairperson for this meeting.

Will you join me in a moment of silence, followed by the Serenity Prayer.  Please press *1 to unmute.

God grant me the serenity

To accept the things I cannot change,

Courage to change the things I can,

And wisdom to know the difference.

(Al-Anon/Alateen Service Manual, p.10)

Chairperson or Volunteer reads Suggested Al-Anon Welcome: (“We welcome you to the "Obedience to the Unenforceable...") found in How Al-Anon Works p.8 or Al-Anon/Alateen Service Manual pp. 10 -11)

2) PHONE ETIQUETTE:

a. When you dial in, you will start the conference being muted.

b. Stay muted at all times unless you are sharing. You can un-mute by pressing your *1 keys. You will hear a voice saying “you are now un-muted”.  Some phones do not have a long enough beep for the muting and un-muting to happen. You may have to press *1 several times for this function to work. When the voice comes on, you will know that the *1 keys have worked.

c. We ask members to use the *1 keys to mute even if they have a mute function on their individual phones. The *1 keys ensures the greatest sound strength for the entire phone line and provides the greatest service to all members of the phone bridge during the meeting.

d. Please do not use a speaker phone for sharing or we will all hear an echo.  Some speaker phones will not mute even when pressing your *1 keys.

e. To hear a menu of all the features--such as volume control or member count--simply press * by itself.

3)   There will be a phone number exchange at the close of the meeting.  Please make note of the names of members whose number you would like.

4)   ASK VOLUNTEERS TO READ:

a.    Suggested Al-Anon Preamble to the Twelve Steps

b.    Twelve Steps

c.    Twelve Traditions and the One Concept of the Month

5) INTRODUCTIONS:

Let’s go around the globe and introduce ourselves.  And if you’re new to Al-Anon please identify yourself so we can welcome you.  Please press *1 to unmute. There will be time at the end of the meeting for newcomers to share.

Hi, I’m ______(Name)_____  from (_______State___)

6) ANNOUNCEMENTS:

6a)  Our Seventh Tradition states we are self-supporting through our own voluntary contributions.  We ask that you send your contributions to the World Service Office at 1600 Corporate Landing Parkway Virginia Beach VA 23454 and state that it is from Saturday Night’s ‘Obedience to the Unenforceable’ Meeting. Our World Service Office ID number is 30533272. Or, make donations at your face-to-face meetings.

6b)    Do we have a volunteer who will stay on the line after the meeting to greet newcomers, answer questions about Al-Anon, or to explain the phone etiquette?

6c)     Meeting information for this phone line, Al-Anon meetings on other phone lines and face-to-face meetings will be read after this meeting closes and after phone numbers are exchanged.

6d)     Business meetings take place on the 1st Saturday of the month following the close of the meeting.

6e)     Are there any other Al-Anon related announcements?

7) Each month this meeting focuses on the corresponding tradition:

Do we have several volunteers who have the book and who can help us out with our reading tonight?   Members are asked to read in the order they volunteered and to continue on until the reading is complete.

Week 1:     Al-Anon’s Twelve Steps & Twelve Traditions: Tradition Reading, Thinking It Over, and the Tradition Story. 

Week 2: Paths To Recovery: Tradition Reading 

Week 3:     Paths to Recovery: All the stories from Members Share Experience Strength & Hope .

Week 4:     How Al-Anon Works:  Tradition Reading  and  

Paths to Recovery:  several questions found at the end of the tradition chapter OR share and/or discuss using Conflict Resolution Using our Twelve Traditions cards (S-72) ex: April-Tradition 4.

Week 5:     Two readings on the Tradition of the month (4x/year): Two members are invited to volunteer to read a page on the Tradition from one of our three daily readers and/or from one of the following pamphlets: Al-Anon’s Twelve Steps & Twelve Traditions or Al-Anon’s Twelve Traditions - Illustrated. 

8)    Chairperson thanks the readers.

SHARING:

9)      As we begin the sharing portion of our meeting, we ask:    please keep the focus on the Al-Anon program and our Steps, Traditions, and Concepts of Service.  Please leave other affiliations outside:  religions, our professions, outside publications, other philosophies, other 12 step programs.

10)              We have 3-minute timed shares.   When you hear the timekeeper call time, please acknowledge that you heard and wrap up your share.   Do we have a volunteer to be our spiritual timekeeper?  And would our timekeeper like to share first?

11) NEWCOMERS: (11pm) Now is a time designated for newcomers to share. If you are a newcomer or someone that doesn't share often at this meeting please press *1 to come in and share.

12)    CLOSING (begins 10 minutes after the top of the hour.) 

Chairperson reads or asks a volunteer to read: The Suggested Al-Anon Closing. (Al-Anon Alateen Service Manual p. 22 or How Al-Anon Works p. 396 or in the older book p. 380)

Al-Anon Declaration :

Will all who care to, join me in closing with the Al-Anon Declaration, followed by The Serenity Prayer. (Al-Anon Declaration can be found in the preface of Paths to Recovery, p.ix or the Al-Anon/Alateen Service Manual p.24). Please press *1 to unmute.

The Serenity Prayer:

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change,

Courage to change the things I can,

And wisdom to know the difference.

(Al-Anon/Alateen Service Manual, p.10)

13)    NAMES & TELEPHONE NUMBERS:

Chairperson asks for members to call out the names and go ahead and exchange info with the individuals they want telephone numbers of.  Also if there are members who would like to leave their info for outreach, please go ahead and do so.

THE MEETING IS NOW CLOSED

MEETING INFORMATION

a.   Information on all registered meetings can be found on Al-Anon’s website: al-anon.org or by calling our World Service Office (WSO) at (757) 563-1600.  For face-to-face meetings call WSO’s automated phone number: 888-4AL-ANON (888-425-2666).

b.   Meeting schedules and formats for this phone line can be found at phonemeetings.org.  If the line goes down, the backup number is (425) 436-6200 PIN: 335289#. Press*6 to mute and unmute.  For members without web access, meeting schedule information for this line can be found at (712) 432-8733 PIN: UNITY411#. The backup number for the meeting schedule information is (425) 436-6202, PIN: 335289#, Reference Number: 1#. 

c. Format changes and website postings can be emailed to phonemeetingsweb@yahoo.com. General questions can be sent to phonemeetingsinformation@yahoo.com. For inquiries regarding leader codes, dashboard monitors and technical issues with the phone line, email phonemonitorteam@yahoo.com. For workshop ideas, suggestions and concerns, email phonemeetingsforum@yahoo.com.

d.   Would anyone like to announce any other Al-Anon phone meetings?

Chairperson turns meeting over to newcomer greeter and fellowship.