GUIDELINES FOR MODERATORS

OF HKPC (KOWLOON BRANCH) DISCUSSIONS

I. Control the timing.

A. Beginning: Arrive at the meeting venue early to insure the meeting area is ready and to help participants (especially newcomers) feel welcome. Choose a seat that will allow you to see all the participants. Begin as soon as possible after the scheduled starting time, and in any case not more than 15 minutes late. If Steve is present, he will do this by introducing you (as guest moderator). If Steve is not present, then you will of course be responsible for deciding when to start. After welcoming everyone and drawing attention to the feedback questionnaires, you should briefly state the topic and identify the introducer (simply give the person’s name, if they have attended HKPC meetings before). Do not comment on the topic at this stage. Note: if the introducer has not shown up, the moderator should either read the introducer’s text (if it is available) or else should take the initiative to give a brief impromptu introduction.

B. Meeting procedures: Introducers are asked to give a 5-15 minute presentation. If the introducer has been going on for nearly 15 minutes and shows no sign of finishing soon, the moderator should give him or her a one minute warning. If the person is still talking after another minute, interrupt again and ask for a final statement in one or two sentences. Following the introduction, allow 10-25 minutes for “questions for clarification”. Then ask everyone to split up into small groups (preferably not more than six people in a group) to discuss the topic. This should last 30-45 minutes. (If the meeting has fewer than 12-15 participants, you may choose to hold the entire discussion in one large group. In that case, you should allow a 10-15 minute break instead.) When calling for the group divisions, try to make a brief statement about what has been accomplished so far (if anything!) and perhaps suggest what the small groups might focus on. Then remind everyone of this once the discussion resumes.

C. Ending: The meeting should end as closely as possible to two hours after the time it actually began; but do not end early unless everyone has simply lost interest in carrying on the discussion any further! After the formal conclusion of the meeting, you should collect suggestions for next month's topic, then discuss the suggestions and attempt to reach a consensus by observing which topic(s) more people seem to be interested in. Remind everyone that the final details, including the date for the next meeting, will be sent to the email announcements list in due course. All of this should take no more than 10-15 minutes. So in the case of a meeting with an official starting time of 7:30, all proceedings should be finished by around 9:45pm.

II. Maintain order.

A. Focus: During the discussion time, the moderator's first and foremost job is to be sure the discussion stays focused on the topic. As far as possible, try to take the introducer's position as defining the topic--though in some cases you may need to be prepared to supplement this with more significant (e.g., more philosophical) points. If anyone raises something you think is irrelevant, you should politely ask for clarification as to how it is relevant. Do not assume it is irrelevant without giving the person at least one chance to defend its relevance. But if, after such an explanation, you believe it is too far from the main topic, be prepared to steer the discussion back to a more relevant point. If in doubt, you can always ask for others' opinion on the matter, as long as you're careful not to let that side issue occupy too much time.

B. Manners: Be very careful to exemplify good manners. That way, if anyone in the group is impolite in any way, your word will carry more weight when you try to correct the problem. This includes issues such as taking turns when speaking, letting a person finish their point without being interrupted (unless they are going on way too long!), etc. You need not (and should not) be the only person people are looking at or talking to; but people should always be aware that you are the final authority when it comes to resolving issues such as which of two people who want to say something will go first.

C. Flow: Observe and gently guide the general flow of the discussion. That is, be aware of how and when the focus is changing, and if necessary, encourage such changes to happen more (or in some cases less) quickly, as appropriate. Be on the lookout for abrupt changes in the conversation, and if you think they have come at a bad time, then (politely) take note of the comment and suggest that the new issue be brought up again at a later point. If necessary, do this yourself, when a more appropriate point in the discussion is reached. In any case, take care not to let overly assertive participants dominate the conversation.

III. Contribute insight.

A. Clarification: A difficult part of being a good moderator is being willing and able to suppress the desire you might have to respond to every point that is being made. Your job is first and foremost to clarify the content and implications of what other people say, not simply to agree or disagree with each point. You should try to do this in such a way as to bring out the other person's insights. If you can't see any insight in what they've said, then try to ask them a question that will stimulate them to explain their view in a more insightful way.

B. Connection: Try to make connections between what different people have said. This can be done by pointing out either similarities or differences you have detected between different people's ideas. If you're not sure of the connection(s), you can always ask one person whether or not they think their view is consistent with what another person has just said. Never force the less assertive participants to speak; but watch for body language from those who might want to speak, but will not do so without being called on by the moderator.

C. Ideas: If/when you have your own ideas, you can share them, provided you take care not to dominate the conversation. Your job is to facilitate a group discussion, not to teach everyone all of your good ideas! But if you can do both without stifling other people's participation, then feel free to do so.

IV. Conclude and summarize periodically.

A. Reminders: When necessary (e.g., to get the discussion back on track), remind people of what the main topic is, or how the introducer wanted the topic to be understood. If someone is repeating something that has already been covered, then remind them of this fact, as politely as possible. With this in mind, it may be helpful for the moderator to take some notes, even if someone else is recording notes for the purpose of writing up the official summary.

B. Restatements: If someone's comment seems to ignore a view that has already been expressed or a conclusion already reached by consensus, then take it upon yourself to restate that view/conclusion. Restatements can also be used as a way of clarifying another person's position. But use this method sparingly, less your intervention cease to be appreciated.

C. Closing: At the end of the meeting, try to make a statement (or emphasize someone else's statement) that you think sums up the key insight(s) that have been reached. If you are not aware of any insights, then try to say something that accurately reflects the nature of the discussion and enables people to feel good about stopping the discussion at that point. If you think the introducer has not had a fair share of the discussion time, then you may invite him or her to give a brief concluding statement, though in some cases this may not be necessary. Be sure to end by thanking the person who gave the introduction, and everyone else for their participation.