Went to a book club meetup in a coffee shop that changed my whole view on hosting debates

I popped into a place called Brew & Books in Portland last Tuesday for a friend's book club, and I noticed the owner set up a strict no-interrupting rule with a little bell. At first I thought it was silly, but it cut down on those side conversations that always derail our group. Within 20 minutes the discussion was way deeper than anything I've seen in 3 years of book clubs. Has anyone else tried something like a talking stick or timer to keep debates on track?

2 comments

2 Comments

amy8581mo ago

Oh man, that bell idea is genius! I actually went to a friend's game night last month where they had this little plastic frog you had to be holding to talk, and it worked way better than I expected. I was so skeptical at first, like really, a frog? But it totally stopped people from talking over each other, which always drives me crazy in groups. The conversation actually flowed smoother because everyone got a chance to finish their thought without being interrupted. I bet the bell thing at the coffee shop created the same kind of focused energy where people actually listen instead of just waiting to talk. It's wild how something so simple can totally change the vibe of a discussion, right?

dixon.willow1mo ago

Agree with you @amy858, we used a little wooden spoon at dinner to stop the kids from cutting each other off and it really helped.