Question: Do you recommend assigning people who will take care of discipline at the seminars, or should they be self-regulated?

Answer: People come to seminars to get together, connect with each other, feel the unity, and immediately start discussing these sensations.

There must be a person in the group who initiates the discussion, a person “on duty.” Today, you are the one who takes care of it; tomorrow, it’ll be my turn. Everybody has to have a printout with the list of questions to be discussed at the seminar.

However, sometimes it’s good not to provide the list of questions to the participants of the circle; absence of the list of questions will make people even more confused with the topic of their discussion. Thus, they will try to formulate the question in their own way by asking: “What did he just say? What was the question again?” This state of mind is very useful. One needs to “pull” oneself out of confusion and therefore delves deep into the topic, and by doing so one understands the topic more precisely, since he is searching for the ways to articulate the question. It brings him to a better understanding of how and why the question should be verbalized.

All depends on the level of independence and seriousness of the group. There is a chance that there are newcomers who do not have a clue about what they are doing in the group. It means that one who “comes and goes” should be prohibited.

There have to be people who are appointed to observe the protocol of seminars: the leader of the “circle” and the “general manager/leader” who oversees the overall order.

However, over time, the group starts to better understand its task and learns why and how it is supposed to act. Similar to a child who grows gradually and at first, jerks his hands and feet without any clue in what direction to move, but eventually starts to act more thoughtfully.
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From “Questions About Workshops” 5/25/12

Related Material:
A Discussion In A Circle
What Is More Important: Common Consent Or Common Impression?
The Role Of The Moderator In The Workshop

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