Tips for Leading a Discussion on National Security
Identify a discussion group. Convene a group of civic leaders from your community or schedule a program with a civic organization or community group.
Select a discussion leader. The discussion leader need not be an expert. He or she should, however, be able to remain neutral and maintain an atmosphere conducive to the free exchange of ideas.
Communicate your expectations for the discussion. Let the group know what topics you plan to cover and what materials you would like them to review in advance of the discussion. Make sure to provide copies of the materials (or links to online resources) in advance of the discussion. Let the group know how much time will be devoted to the discussion (we recommend a minimum of 90 minutes to allow in-depth discussion of a topic).
Localize your discussion. The discussion questions provided on this site are designed to get your conversation going. Think of additional questions that your group might pursue, focusing on issues that might have local resonance for the group.
Allow time to conclude your discussion. Give the group at least 15 minutes at the end of their discussion to summarize what has transpired, suggest ideas for future action, or reflect on points of agreement or difference that emerged during the discussion.
Consider planning a series of discussions. Each of the discussion topics offered on this site could easily fill several hours of discussion. Consider planning a series of discussions on the topics most of interest to your group.
