Took me 3 months to figure out my own book club's debate format...

I run a small book club in Portland, about 8 of us. We kept having these debates that would just go in circles, nobody agreeing on anything, just talking over each other. I thought it was the books we were picking, but honestly it was how we were running the debate itself. Finally after three months of this nonsense I sat down and wrote out a simple rule: first round is just impressions and feelings, second round is evidence from the text, third round is open debate. First meeting we tried it last week? Best debate we ever had. Has anyone else come up with a format that actually works for keeping book club debates on track?

2 comments

2 Comments

lily_sullivan824d ago

Huh, three months to figure that out? Sounds like a lot of effort for a book club that's supposed to be fun and casual. But if it stops people from talking over each other, I guess it's worth a shot. Do you really think a strict format makes the discussion better, or does it just make people feel like they're in a classroom again?

derekwalker4d ago

You've never had a debate go completely off the rails where nobody even remembers what book you're talking about? I get the classroom comparison, but for us it actually makes things more fun, not less. Everyone gets to just dump their raw feelings first (mine are usually wrong, honestly) before we have to back them up with proof. Last week someone started hot about a character they hated, then in round two they found the quote that actually explained the character's choices, and by round three they'd totally changed their mind. That's way more satisfying than the usual shouting match.