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A book club member told me my discussion questions were too safe

In my group, we were reading 'The Overstory' and I brought my usual list of questions. A woman named Sarah, who has been quiet for months, said, 'Your questions feel like a book report. You're asking what the book is about, not what it makes us feel.' She was right. I was asking things like 'What is the main theme?' and 'Describe the character's motivation.' After that, I changed my whole approach. Now I start with stuff like 'Which character's choice made you angry, and why?' or 'What personal memory did this chapter bring up for you?' The talks got way louder and more personal. It took one piece of honest feedback to shift from a school quiz to a real chat. Has anyone else had a simple comment totally change how you run your part of the meeting?
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3 Comments
jones.brooke
Sarah being quiet for months makes her feedback even more powerful.
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charlie_allen
Sarah was quiet for months before saying that?
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noah880
noah8801mo ago
So @jones.brooke is saying Sarah's quiet months made her feedback hit harder, right? What kind of feedback was it exactly, something about a specific project or a bigger pattern with the team? I'm curious if her staying quiet the whole time meant she was holding back a lot or just waiting for the right moment.
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