Facilitator Tips:
- Read the book more than once. It helps if your second read is close to the weekend
- You don’t need to know all the answers, just ask the questions. Sometimes it helps to know where to find certain passages in the book, though, to help direct inquiries
- Make sure everyone gets a turn to speak. It is helpful to go around the room once at the beginning to have people introduce themselves, and to answer a brief and easy question
- Break up conversations that don’t include everyone, and curtail long- winded speakers who monopolize the conversation
- Give questions a time to play out before moving on
- Don’t be afraid of short silences; people need time to reflect on the questions sometimes, and to come up with an answer
- It is okay to let the group come up with their own questions and divergences. If they are interesting and applicable, go with it! Feel free to ask questions you may have had about the book, as well
- If you need to fill time, or the situation lends itself, ask people to read their favorite phrases, passages etc. Books are all about the words!!
- It doesn’t matter if people liked or disliked the book. It is not your job to make people like the book. The goal is to have a good discussion about it. Some of the best discussions have come out of books that weren’t all- time favourites. Often having people in the group with strong feelings either way does help to have a good discussion
If you would like to volunteer to be a facilitator, click on the button and complete the facilitator’s form