How to run a book club? Let’s start with how to read a book
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This article was originally published in “Cheers Happy Workers” magazine
How to run a reading club?
Friends who know me know that I love reading. In addition to immersing myself in books, I am also keen to participate in reading communities: I have not only established my own reading club, but also like to participate in various reading clubs of different natures.
Looking back on my reading history, I was surprised to find that I have been participating in reading clubs for more than ten years. For example, the [HPX G5 Book Club] (https://vocus.cc/@vista/5e8dd1fbfd89780001c73e38), founded by me and a group of friends, is about to expire ten years ago; and my participation in the operation of the [Book Fans Alliance] (https://www.facebook.com/bookfans2017/) has also entered its second year. I am very grateful for the richness and beauty that reading brings to life, and I am also glad that reading clubs have become an indispensable part of my personal life.
Because I have participated in and participated in various reading clubs for a long time, friends often ask me: How to run a reading club in a lively and exciting manner? In particular - how to effectively introduce a book to everyone?
Today, let me talk about how to run a reading club and guide books!
Benefits of introductory reading books
Before I start sharing, I would like to talk about the benefits of participating in book clubs, especially being responsible for reading books.
The benefits of participating in a book club are obvious. In addition to having a dedicated person responsible for guiding and sharing practical cases at each gathering, what’s even better is that because the partners have different academic and experience backgrounds, they can receive a variety of diverse [viewpoints] through the book club (https://www.contenthacker.today/2018/12/how-to-take-good-notes.html).
So, what are the rewards of being responsible for reading books? First, in order to make the content of the introduction meaningful and bring you specific gains, we must spend time to read the book intensively in advance, force ourselves to have a dialogue with the author, and develop the ability to criticize and think. Secondly, because we want to share the essence of the book content with our partners and hope to stimulate resonance and response, during the preparation process, we can also use this to cultivate summary [Key Points] (https://www.vistacheng.com/2021/07/reading-pet-peeves.html) and communication and expression abilities, which can be said to complement each other.
Now you can understand the benefits of guided reading! Next, let’s talk about the preparations you should make before reading introductory books!
Preparation for introduction
If you want to hold a book club successfully, I think there are several necessary conditions: First, you must choose the right book, that is, you must find a book that everyone is interested in or suitable for a group of people to read together and discuss. Secondly, it is best for participants to study the book in advance, or at least for guides to make preparations in advance, so that the benefits of holding a book club can be fully utilized. Next, the book club organizer or guide must also thoroughly control the flow of the event and the overall time allocation, so that every guest can speak freely and come back with a full load.
In addition, of course, there are bonus options - that is, if the organizer can find a venue with beautiful lighting and a good atmosphere to hold the book club, and there are delicious meals and coffee to choose from, that would be even better!
Ling Jian, CEO of the Mingdao Cultural and Educational Foundation, said that if you want to run a reading club sustainably, you must pay attention to the following points: First, the core characters must have perseverance to successfully promote the reading club. Secondly, you must choose books carefully every time and try to choose books that everyone likes. Finally, the operation of the book club must achieve a balance between the three aspects of intellectuality, sensibility and interpersonal relationships.
I have participated in the management and operation of many book clubs, and have observed various styles of book clubs over the years. These three suggestions from CEO Ling can be said to be very practical.
How to read a book?
Now, let’s get back to business and talk about how to introduce a book?
Judging from my many years of experience participating in book clubs, some guides will prepare exquisite briefings, and of course there are others who can talk the entire book club with just one mouth! In fact, a briefing is not absolutely necessary. The question is, have we taken the time to read the book intensively in advance and sort out the key points of the summary?
If you want to create a wonderful book club newsletter, in addition to helping everyone organize the author’s introduction and background information, the content summary is naturally indispensable! However, I think the most important thing is not the information that is readily available, but that you should spend more time and share with everyone your reflections and gains after reading the book.
It is also important to set the time allocation for the reading club. Some people suggest that the reading time should not exceed one-third of the entire activity. I am not convinced on this point. It depends on the situation. However, the key point is to reserve enough time for everyone to ask questions and speak, avoid focusing the topic too much on certain people, and also take care of some partners who are shy, introverted or rarely speak. In this way, everyone can participate in the interaction and enjoy the [fun] of reading (https://www.vistareading.com/2017/07/benefits-of-joining-a-book-club.html)!
I would also like to remind you that if you are both a guide and a host, please remember to play the role of threader so that each partner can play a role - never guide while being too active and then turn into a one-man show.
A competent guide must not only prepare the content he wants to share in advance, but also must pay attention to the status of the book club members at all times, try to encourage everyone to participate in the discussion, and remember to make a strong summary at the end of the book club.
From the perspective of “purpose”
Finally, I would like to quote the “Purpose Theory” mentioned in the book “[Purpose Theory of Innovation: Mastering Consumer Choice, Innovation Does Not Have to Be Luck] (https://www.books.com.tw/products/0010760251)” by Clayton M. Christensen and others, which means that what customers want is not your product or service, but a solution that can solve his problem.
Innovation not only requires understanding the needs of customers, but also understanding what customers choose to do with this product?
In other words, the friends who come to the book club may not all be here for this book. They may want to meet people with similar interests, or they may want to find solutions to problems. Therefore, as a guide, you must naturally start from the perspective of “purpose” to find out the “reasons” for guests to participate in the event, and then provide an excellent book club experience.
★ Photo Credit: RODNAE Productions
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Further reading
- Reading is endless fun-a-brief: A brief discussion of the gains from participating in a reading club
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