How to Start a Book Club at Work
When you’re working with other people on a daily basis, it’s great to develop morale. If you all are growing and learning together, it will benefit everyone and the company in the long run. A great way to build a positive rapport is through the launch of a book club. Consider a few tips before you get started.
- Own the role as the facilitator
The facilitator is the person who will be the most reliable. Even though it would be nice for everyone to be responsible for the success of a book club launch, there’s typically one person who has to take the lead. If you’re going to do it, don’t wait for others to get started. Forge ahead, and let them follow your lead.
- Develop rules
Create a list of rules for everyone to agree upon before joining the group. The rules might involve avoiding subjects like sex, politics or religion or removal from the book club if they don’t read the book. Make sure the rules are fair and reasonable. It’s not unreasonable to require a person to read the book before attending the book club session. It’s actually imperative.
- Provide refreshments
Where there’s food, people are more likely to feel relaxed and comfortable. When it pertains to workplace settings, homemade food can be questionable. To put people at ease, it’s best to order catered food or purchase pre-packaged foods. If you’re unsure of the direction to take, just focus on a fruit/vegetable platter, a few types of chips, dips and drinks. If you want to throw in a dessert, purchase a bucket of cookies from a local bakery or grocery store. It doesn’t have to be complicated.
- Prepare discussion questions
Discussion questions are great ice-breakers. They also help get the conversation started. Depending on how the discussion flows, you might not be able to get to all of the questions. However, don’t be rigid. The point is to bring people together to discuss the book. If the conversation lingers on a particular topic within the book, that’s okay. As the facilitator, you can choose a moderator. If the topic starts to veer off track, encourage the moderator to bring everyone back to the book.
This blog was originally published on Kimberly’s website.
