Welcome the Unanticipated
The cardinal principle underlying discussion is that of flexibility. Leaders and learners should be ready to depart from the general aim of the session, or the prevailing line of discussion, to follow up themes which arise unexpectedly. A great deal of significant learning cannot be anticipated in advance, so discussion leaders should be courageous in encouraging learners to explore the unexpected and to take risks themselves. When people recall the most significant aspects and events of educational experiences in which they have participated, they frequently cite skills, knowledge, and insights which were not part of the official purpose of the course. The most vivid events recalled are often those focusing on a teachable moment charged with risk, uncertainty, and excitement. Someone raises an issue which is not part of the group's agenda, but which has great significance for group members, and the resulting interchange has a dramatic quality missing from some of the more planned discussions. Without a willingness to embrace risk and to venture into unanticipated intellectual territory, discussions can easily become bloodless exercises with no real meaning or significance to participants.