An Example
Five visual artists working in various media decide to meet on a monthly basis in a free room at an artists’ resource centre to critique each other’s work. Each meeting is scheduled from 9.00am to 12.30pm, with a short break for coffee at around 10.45am, and ends with a sandwich lunch at the local pub.
At each meeting, someone volunteers to be time-keeper, and each meeting starts with a quick ‘check-in’ by each person – total 15 minutes. For the first meeting, the artists invite an experienced facilitator – the ‘set adviser’ - to help them get set up. The ‘set adviser’ occasionally returns to the group by invitation to help with any problems encountered with running the group.
Each artist has 30 minutes ‘air-time’ in which to discuss their work, or raise issues and ideas that concern them to elicit helpful questions from the other members of the group. During this time, the other group members act as mentors. Their role is to listen and ask useful questions that will help the presenter to clarify ideas, provide challenge or encourage reflection.
The time-keeper gives a 5 minute warning when 25 minutes ‘air-time’ have passed.
For the last 5 minutes, the discussion is wound up and, if appropriate, the artist might want to sum up the most important aspect of the discussion, or some ‘action’ they will take, or something they will prepare for the next meeting. Each person uses their 30 minutes in turn in the same way.
After everyone has taken their turn, in the last 15 minutes of the meeting, members reflect on the usefulness of the meeting and perhaps suggest changes for the future, discuss recurring themes, and/or decide on the purpose, details and timing of the next meeting.
