FACILITATING DISCUSSION
Any guidelines for facilitating discussion must, of necessity, be speculative. Discussion is by its very nature unpredictable. If we knew exactly what was going to happen in a session it would cease to be a discussion in any meaningful sense. Every discussion group is a universe unto itself, a unique constellation of personalities. How these individuals will and react preparatory reading, a leader's comments, and other group members' contributions, can not possibly be anticipated in advance. During meetings discussion leaders have to make innumerable decisions that are wholly contextual. For example, when should an overly garrulous participant be restrained so that others can have their say? How strongly should silent members or isolates be prompted to contribute? At what point should one try to move a discussion into another area? After how long do group silences for periods of contemplation and reflection become embarrassing rather than welcomed? When does vigorous, passionate, and honest disagreement cross the line to become personalized insult? When is it useful to follow up an apparently irrelevant line of discussion because of the benefits that might result? How do you react when a participant makes a statement which seems obviously racist? Does quelling racist contributions contradict a leader's assurances that all viewpoints should be respected ?
In the course of dealing with the kinds of situations outlined above, each facilitator evolves a personal theory-in-use of discussion leadership. A theory-in-use (Schon, 1983) is a collection of hunches, insights, and intuitions concerning what works when and It is context specific, being borne out of distinctive experiences and crafted within particular situations. But elements of a theory in-use can be generalized to connect to a range of contrasting situations. What follows is my own theory-in-use of discussion leadership. This comprises the guidelines I would give to anyone facilitating discussions who asked me for advice on this activity. It comprises five components .
1. Be wary of standardized approaches.
2. Use a diversity of approaches
3. Welcome the unanticipated.
4. Attend to the emotional dimension.
5. Be authentic in the group.