The study circle organizer creates the study circle. If you have organized any kind of group activity, you can set up a study circle. There is no one model for organizing a study circle so consider your community needs and resources and adapt the program accordingly.

There may be some resistance to participation in study circles because it is an unfamiliar name or may sound too intellectual. It may be seen as "just talk" or too much work. It may be wise to introduce the concept by including a study circle in an existing program. You might not call it a study circle but a course or workshop named and advertised by the topic with a note that it will be addressed in an informal, information sharing study circle.

Select the topic

The organizer selects the topic and determines the probable depth of the study. Even though the participants will take ownership of the study circle and eventually determine where and how far it will go, you have to have a plan to start.

Choose the facilitator

This may, or may not, be the same person as the organizer. The most important consideration in choosing your facilitator is skill in discussion leadership. Leader error can ruin a study circle and careful direction can make it a wonderful experience. Ideally, you would find someone who has attended a study circle facilitator's training session and has an interest in the topic. If this is not an option, find a person with lots of generic facilitation skills. This person does not need to be a content expert but should know enough about the subject to bring up points that are missed by the group. The facilitator must have the study material well in advance or, better yet, help choose that material.

Recruit the participants

Personal contact is the most successful method of recruiting and it often takes three or four contacts to get a firm answer. Tell prospective participants about the program. At any sign of interest hand out information about study circles and your program. Attractive flyers on coloured paper are more interesting and more likely to be read.

Set up the meetings

Decide on the dates, times and location of the meetings. Several evenings or aftemoons are the usual format but, depending on the topic, the whole thing can be done in a weekend workshop or a one day event. Fit the time to the subject and the customer. Two to two and a half hour evenings after a working day are enough. Most people can't concentrate for any longer than that no matter how interesting the discussion. Where is the best place to meet? Somewhere quiet! Somewhere you can make your circle. Somewhere neutral and comfortable for everyone. Somewhere you can make coffee. Somewhere free! Some topics may draw adults for whom schools represent negative past learning experiences. Think of alternate locations if it seems necessary.

Assemble and distribute study material

This does not need to be fancy. It can be taken from newspaper or magazine articles, books, videos or can be completely original. There is a section on developing study material in this package. Participants should receive it several days before the first meeting. People have different learning styles and while some participants can look the material over quickly and be ready to go, the more reflective types prefer to have all of the material to look at and think about for awhile before they are ready to talk about it.

Be prepared

Get set up in plenty of time. Arrange your circle with or without tables. Tables or desks are good if you have a lot of papers. Some people are just more comfortable with a table to lean on, write on and place the coffee cup. There is a theory that the circle should be free of obstructions to encourage more honest and open communication. Suit yourself. Leave room for the facilitator or a helper to get up and move to the flip chart.

Feedback

You will want to know how the participants feel about the study circle and if they have suggestions for improvements. There are some sample evaluation forms in this package. The easier they are to fill out the more likely you are to get answers. Also, don't leave it until the last night when everyone is anxious to leave.