Who hasn’t been here before: your book group has picked a book to read and discuss, only to find that when you actually gather—virtually or in person—to talk about what you’ve read, you could hear a pin drop. The silence is even more daunting if you’re the one leading or facilitating the book club discussion.
How do you break the ice and get everyone excited and comfortable sharing their thoughts, especially if they’re new to your group? Here are some tips the book club facilitator can use the next time there’s a lull in the conversation that has everyone staring uncomfortably at the book in their hands.
1.) Make sure the reading load is manageable for everyone in the group. Sometimes people have a crazy week and just don’t have time to read huge chunks of a novel, no matter how much they love it. When your book club picks a title to read, set manageable reading expectations. Some books, you may easily read ten chapters, and others, you might struggle to read five. Tailor the group’s reading goals based on the length, topic, or genre of the selected work. Ask your group how much reading sounds doable prior to each meeting so no one feels overwhelmed and finds themselves furiously skimming pages shortly before. As a leader, you can set a good foundation for your discussions by not biting off more than everyone can chew. Chances are the discussion will flow a lot more freely if everyone’s had enough time to read the selection and feel prepared to talk about it.
2.) Send out a few short questions about the book ahead of your meeting. When book club members know some of the things you as the facilitator are planning to discuss in the group, they can consider in advance how they might respond to those questions or note passages in the story that relate to the question as they read. For members who feel most comfortable discussing a book when they know some of the topics that will be focused on, this can help encourage them to be ready to jump in with their own thoughts and observations when the group meets.
3.) Ask book club members to jot down three to five short questions about the story prior to the meeting. This encourages members to raise their own questions in the group, solicit feedback from other readers, and get everyone talking: key goals of a book group. It also takes some pressure off of you as the leader to think of all of the topics of conversation for the meeting.
4.) Encourage members to note their favorite scenes or quotes from the book. Who hasn’t read a book and found themselves underlining a passage that particularly resonated with them or really pulled them into what they were reading? Ask readers to make note of these passages as they are reading and then share those passages in your group. What made the passage stand out? Why do they love it so much? What are other readers’ reactions to these portions of the book? By offering space for each member to share parts of the story they really loved, you encourage book club members to share their own insights and give other members a chance to see the book from a different perspective.
5.) Ask follow-up questions. Sometimes a question you hoped would jump-start a lively discussion only draws simple one-sentence answers. Not to worry! If you think someone could expand on their answer, don’t be afraid to ask follow-up questions. Why do you think that? Where did you see that in the book? How did you feel when you read that section? Asking open-ended follow-up questions can help someone feel like the rest of the group wants to hear what they have to say and feel more comfortable to share their thoughts.
6.) Welcome differing opinions, but remind everyone to keep the discussion friendly. Yes, not everyone may love the protagonist in the story. Some people may hate how the book ended. But everyone can practice kindness in book group discussions by respectfully disagreeing. Be sure everyone knows differing opinions are welcome, but civil discourse is the name of the game. Readers may be hesitant to speak up if they’re concerned about how others will respond. Your leadership will help guide the other members, making clear that agreeing to disagree is okay, and that even in disagreeing, it’s important to respond graciously. This can make everyone feel comfortable and keep the friendly dialogue flowing as your group continues to develop friendships by discussing great books.
As the book club leader or discussion facilitator, you need to strike a delicate balance between keeping the conversation going, not monopolizing the discussion, and helping everyone feel welcome enough to share their thoughts. Hopefully, with these tips, you’ll be able to help everyone come prepared and draw out those who are reluctant to share.
Bonus tip: Often, books will include a simple readers’ guide or discussion questions in the back. Check the book your group has picked to see if that’s true. If questions are there, ask readers to give those a glance ahead of your next discussion so they can think about how they might respond. Many Tyndale novels include discussion questions, and if you’re looking for easy guides to use for you book group, check out the book club kits page here to find free kits that include discussion questions, notes from authors, recipes, and more. Planning to meet virtually for book club or start a virtual group? Read this article for some helpful tips.
