Facilitating a Book Club: Is there one right way?

The answer is a simple, “No way!”  Facilitation styles and goals are different, and can be flexible to meet the book club’s goals and work most effectively with the group’s personality and relationship dynamics.

Considering two questions will help you work out the most effective way(s) you can facilitate discussion for your book club.  

First, who are you?
Be Yourself: there is no “typical” book club facilitator.  It takes all types of people to support all kinds of book clubs.  You bringing your best self will make the best book club experience for everyone!

• if you’re a quiet, lead-from-behind type, share facilitation with your group members.  Write out your discussion questions on 3x5 cards and put them in the center.  Open the conversation with a reminder of the club’s norms (see Structuring Meetings for common ground rules) and have each person take a turn drawing a question. Let the discussion flow.
• If you’re a boisterous, excited-about-the-book can’t-wait-to-talk-about-it facilitator, welcome everyone with that energy, let them feel the excitement, and then allow plenty of opportunities for others to speak just as much as you want to. Pay close attention to those in the group who have not shared and invite them to speak before you move the conversation forward.
• If you’re unsure of your facilitation skills and feeling insecure (you’re not alone!), team up with a friend or trusted colleague. As co-facilitators, trade off lead facilitation every other meeting, so you can learn from and support one another. Also, boost your confidence by reading Tips for Facilitating a Book Discussion from ilovelibraries, an initiative of The American Library Association.

Know what is fixed and what is flexible for you. This will help you develop a realistic expectation of yourself as a facilitator and let go of any perfectionist ideas that will only stand in the way of you bringing your best self to the discussion.


Second, who is your book club?
Know Your Group: articulating the goals and considering the members of your group will give you some clues on how best to facilitate the conversation.

• What’s the goal of the group? If it’s to talk about the book and only the book, you’ll want to facilitate an on-track conversation.  If it’s focused on socializing with the book as backdrop, you’ll want to gather some ideas on ways to keep people connected and talking, using the book as a jumping off point for conversations that may wander.  If it’s to consider how the book reflects the community’s culture, for instance, help the group focus by providing quotes from the book that connect with relevant cultural conversations, values, and so on.
• What’s the makeup, or composition, of the group? If it’s a group of close friends, facilitating could mean simply signaling a start to the book discussion portion of the evening and keeping an eye on the clock so people know when it’s time to go, so their dear friends can get to bed. (Low Structure) If it’s book club of colleagues, a clear structure will help ease the way into deeper conversation than might normally be had during quick breaks on the job. (Medium Structure)  If it’s a group of strangers coming together as a result of a social media invite, being clear that you are there to support a productive conversation and move the discussion forward will address some of the hesitation common in new groups. (High Structure)
• What makes this group unique? Is there something about this group that makes it unusual?  Do they discuss books from a particular point-of-view?  Have they determined there will only be political discussion around the book or that there will be no politics discussed at book club?  Do they use the book to inspire art-making or their own writing?  Knowing any unique features of the group allows you to focus in a very specific direction as you plan and facilitate.
  

Ultimately, be in a book club that excites you!  If you find yourself dreading facilitation most of the time, it might not be because you don’t want to facilitate, it might be because you’re not in the best fit for your style.  

Coming Soon: Structuring Your Book Club: Low, Medium, High
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