We all lead discussions: with family, with strangers, with friends. Thus discussion leading is a natural part of our lives. Yet many people are wary of trying to lead a discussion, as if it involves some sort of alien activity only experts can accomplish. This could not be further from the truth.

The following ten tips are designed to help a novice discussion leader be successful from the beginning and thoroughly enjoy this basic human activity.

1.  Energetic Commitment to the Topic
Your enthusiasm is contagious. If you think the topic is genuinely interesting, others will. Even if not everything about the topic sings to you, focus on the aspects that you find most intriguing. If nothing about topic grabs you, don't lead the discussion!

2.  Positive Atmosphere
By keeping your group small (6-25), welcoming everyone, getting to know peoples' names, and getting people to know each other, you can help everyone feel at home and eager to share. Make your discussion group something people look forward to.  Food never hurts.

3.  It's Not About You
Many people feel self-conscious about leading a discussion--nervous about what others will think, afraid of failing. If you have followed the first tip, you need only remind yourself that this discussion is about the topic itself, not about you, or your discussion-leading ability. The more you think about the topic and the less you think about yourself, the better things will go.

4.  Be Prepared
Of course the discussion leader should be prepared (by selecting potential readings, doing some homework, preparing discussion questions), but others who participate in a discussion group should also prepare in some way.  For instance, group members should complete a reading, think about questions in advance, or prepare their own questions to discuss.  Although "jam sessions" are valuable and often spontaneous, you should never rely on luck to create the conditions for good conversation.

5.  Don't Expect Perfection
Discussion leading is a craft which is never perfected but improves with time.  The best way to learn it is to do it and to pay attention to what works and what doesn't.  Without being blind to your inevitable mistakes, focus on what clicks and build on that.  Following the first four tips will increase the likelihood that even your first efforts will be surprisingly successful.

6.  Establish a Shared Frame of Reference for Discussion
Usually a reading of some kind (distributed in advance) establishes a shared frame of reference for discussion.  Often the discussion leader needs to spend the first five minutes (not longer) reviewing key points about the reading and getting the group to focus in on the topic of the day.  Be careful not to read your notes here.  Just pick one or two ideas to summarize conversationally.  Often there is discussion at this point, clarifying key concepts--perhaps even reading a sentence from the article and seeing what people think it means.  It is important that if people are asked to read something in advance, it be interesting, and they actually wind up talking about it.  Otherwise they will stop doing the reading.

7.  Prepare Discussion Questions that Call for Judgment
We are often at a loss for what to say to get others talking.  Something as simple as, "What do you think about the upcoming election?" might do the trick.  You might luck into such a talkative group that "What would you like to talk about?" would suffice.  More likely, your group will respond to a question which calls for judgment--some choice which decent people could disagree about.  For example, if the topic is "U.S. Democracy" and the group has read a short article on this topic, one might ask "Do you think democracy in the U.S. is stronger or weaker since 9/11?"

8.  Establish Shared Standards of Value for what is Persuasive
When a question calls for judgment, people will naturally disagree.  At this point it is essential that no one feels personally threatened, slighted, or devalued.  Thus it is important to establish evidence and logic as the keys to persuasion.  Evidence may come in the form of references to the text under discussion, or other forms.  The important thing to emphasize is that no idea is out of bounds, as long as it is not insulting to anyone present, as long as there is evidence and logic to support or challenge it, and as long as everyone gets a chance to contribute.

9.  Establish Positive Ways to Disagree
Disagreeing with a person requires listening to them first.  When I disagree with you I need to really listen to what you are saying, then try to repeat back your main idea:  "Do I understand you to be saying that democracy is stronger since 9/11, because people feel more strongly about the value of democracy?"  When I repeat our idea, you have a chance to say, "Yes, that's right," or "No, what I meant was...," and so on until you are satisfied I understand you.  Chances are this process will allow both of us to modify our views and communicate better.

10.  Share Responsibility and Build Continuity
Chances are other people will want to lead discussions and to choose readings to discuss.  Encourage them to do this, and help them succeed by being a good participant when they lead.  In the last five minutes of each discussion encourage the group to identify the key pints that were most important and the ideals that they would most like to follow up on.  Use these ideas to help shape future discussions.

These tips are not meant to be an exhaustive guide to discussion-leading, but rather helpful advice for those embarking on this project for the first time.  I say nothing here about how to get quiet people to speak up or how to get dominators to hold back.  These and many other unforeseeable personality issues require improvisation, which makes a good discussion like chamber music, a product of creative cooperation, present only for the hour that it happens, yet indelible, sometimes, in its effects.