The Information Meeting as an Instrument of Social Change in Occupied Japan

Abstract

Group meetings, carefully planned and democratically run, can be particularly useful instruments for inducing behavioral changes. In this article, the author draws upon his experience as a civil information officer in occupied Japan to formulate a systematic program of information meetings as an important part of the reorientation of the Japanese people towards democratic values and procedures, Audience centered meetings and the use of behavioral criteria in their evaluation are recommended. The author is on the staff of the Survey Research Center at the University of Michigan.