How the salons are run

With each salon, we take a collective dive into the evening's topic. The aim of the discussion is for the group to hear what the presenter has to offer, and to learn from each other through conversation. To that end, each evening is structured as follows:

• A pot luck dinner begins at six o'clock, at the home of a group member who has volunteered to host.
• After eating, the group of twenty to thirty people sits to listen to the presenter for ten or twenty minutes.
• Following the presentation, there is a session of brief questions and answers between the speaker and the audience.
• The group breaks for dessert.
• After reconvening, the group begins a moderated discussion. The presenter can answer direct questions, but otherwise the discussion occurs among the group as a whole. Questions, and answers, must be kept brief to keep the conversation moving.