WHO?
WHERE?
WHEN?
WHAT?
AN INTRODUCTORY SESSION
HELP, I'M THE HOST!
HELP, I'M THE FACILITATOR!
AND YOU'RE OFF!

• You need to decide how many people you would ideally like in your group. Less than 5 is a bit small but more than 20 and things can get out of hand.
• Think about asking immediate friends, and get them to speak to people they know, get a word-of-mouth going about the group.
• Ask your local library, college or bookshop to put up an ad for you on their notice board.
• In this way, you'll end up with a diversity of people in the group from different backgrounds, this will make discussions all the more interesting.

• As well as members you will need a venue. Once more, libraries, colleges and bookshops are a great help as they may have a room where you can hold meetings.
• You may prefer to meet in the more relaxed environments of each others homes, alternating for each meeting so everyone has an opportunity to host.

• Most reading groups tend to meet no more than once a fortnight, and more commonly, once a month. This gives everyone plenty of opportunity to read the chosen book for the next meeting.
• Crucially, whatever the timing is, try and meet on the same day each time. This will give the group continuity, the meeting priority and make it easier for people to keep it free and attend regularly.
• Decide how long you want your meetings to last but be flexible in the course of each meeting. Let people finish their point before rounding up the meeting.

• Everyone in the group is going to have slightly different tastes in books so try and choose a real cross-section of authors and genres so that all tastes are covered and ultimately, you all get to try different writing.
• Write to publishers and ask for their new title catalogues (these come out about twice a year) to get a head start on up and coming new titles.
• Look to your local bookshop for suggestions through staff recommends and promotions such as fresh talent and book of the month.
• Don't forget to scour the shelves for older more established classics that you may not have read but have always meant to.
• Think about whether every few meetings you'd like to have a themed evening, such as crime, or Booker prizewinners, and choose two or three books to compare.

• The first session of your group should be a general meeting to decide how the group will run. It is a good idea not to try to start a discussion about books at this meeting but instead discuss general issues. Use this session as a way to involve everyone in the discussion.
• Introduce yourselves; start to get relaxed with each other.
• Discuss what everyone wants from the meetings - everyone's expectations for the groups need to be fulfilled as much as possible.
• Decide if you want to elect a general organiser for the group. They will be responsible for keeping the diary, book list and any other general administration that the group generates.
• Think about having a different facilitator at each meeting. Their role could be to present the book with some background information, get the discussion going and make sure it runs smoothly. The facilitator should be different to the host at each meeting and a different person every time.
• Decide who or how you will decide which titles to discuss. Strategies such as a simple rota system
  or everyone putting their latest suggestion in a hat at the end of the meeting and the next title being drawn, are just some ways of dealing with this.
• Ultimately, decide what works best for your group and don't be afraid to change practices if they are not working.

• Remind everyone either via email or the phone of the upcoming meeting - liaise with the general organiser if this is their role.
• Provide drinks and nibbles for a relaxed and informal setting.
• Use an area of the house where you will not have constant interruptions, turn off the TV.

• Introduce the title with a little background information on the author and book, this can help set the scene for the discussion to come.
• Have some discussion points ready to get things going. Often discussion can take a little time to get warmed up so a little structure at the start can be beneficial. Once everyone's into the swing of things the discussion can go off at all kinds of angles.
• Visit publisher's websites for background information on authors and books.
• Try to avoid letting one voice dominate proceedings, this can be intimidating to other group members and hinder discussion.
• As the facilitator, be aware as to when the discussion is getting bogged down and needs to be moved on. You can also help generate new discussion points if you have reached a bit of a trough in the proceedings.

• And now it's up to you. Remember, being a member of a reading group is meant to be a fun and enhance your reading...

If you would like to become a member of a reading group, start a reading group of your own or are looking for tips to liven up an existing group, TOP TIPS has the right advice for you.
CLICK HERE.