There are three main sections to the meeting. The “Speakers story” the “sharing section” and “question time”
Its recommended that participants sit around a table or in a circle facing each other, with the Chairperson and Speaker at the head of table or front of the room. This way participants don’t have to turn around to see who is sharing.
Some time earlier, the chairperson will have arranged for someone to act as Speaker for that meeting. And prior to starting the meeting the Chairperson will ask for a volunteer to read the preamble.
The Chairperson will open the meeting by introducing theirself, and welcoming all to the meeting. The Chairperson will then ask that the preamble be read. After that he/she will introduce the Speaker. If a speaker isn’t available for the meeting, the chairperson will move straight to “sharing section” of the meeting.
The Speaker will then introduce theirself again. The Speaker will take 15 to 20 minutes to tell the group a story from their life. The subject matter of this story is purely at the discretion of the speaker. The story may be happy, sad, inspirational, motivational, a lesson learnt, a tale of triumph over adversity, it may even be a rant about how the day hasn’t gone as planned.
When the Speaker has finished the Chairperson will ask each member, in turn, if they wish to share. Sharing is optional and a member may choose to pass. When a member shares they will generally talk about how things are going for them, or they may choose to comment on the speakers story, expounding on parallels drawn with their own personal experience. Participants should feel that they are in a safe, confidential environment where they can talk openly about how their life is going. Members are allotted up to four minutes for sharing, at the discretion of the Chairperson, longer if it is a small group.
After each member has had the opportunity to share and if there is time left, the chairperson will pose questions to elicit responses from the members. This process is intended to develop the members knowledge of each other. One good source for such questions is the Big Talk card game.
After “question time” the Chairperson may consult with the Treasurer briefly to determine what is an adequate per member donation. The chairperson will then pass the collection basket, advising members of the groups expenses and what’s is felt to be an adequate donation, however stressing that donations are voluntary. This will conclude the meeting and the chairperson will thank everyone for their participation.