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point of the proposition before the group and for stating the decision reached by the group. Unlike a presiding officer, a conference leader has no responsibilities for carrying out any agreements or enforcing any rulings. A conference group does not reach agreements which the leader enforces; the members of the conference modify their own conduct in accord with their own beliefs resulting from participating in the conference discussion.

SECTION V

LEADING A CONFERENCE

Physical Equipment of a Conference Room is Important.

As has been indicated, the purpose of a conference is to get men to thinking about their own experiences, so that they can more effectively do their work, whether it be driving trucks or managing factories. To get men to think the external conditions must be right.

The place where the meeting is held should be appropriate for the use of business men. It has been truthfully said that a conference is good in proportion as the atmosphere corresponds to that surrounding a group of men talking things over at a club. Many men think that educational procedures can be most appropriately carried on in a schoolroom, but unfortunately schoolroom furniture and atmosphere are not such as to be suitable for conferences of business men. Indeed, it may often be that a lodge room or a club room or committee room in the chamber of commerce will provide the most satisfactory physical conditions.

It is important that the men should be at ease physically. Comfortable chairs placed about tables so that the men face each other are the best equipment; school desks are about the worst. If the men want to smoke, it is customary to let them smoke. As a matter of fact, it is not at all uncommon for the conference leader to smoke himself. If they are in the habit of chewing tobacco, it is customary to raise no questions. However, the conveniences required for smokers and others should be provided.

However, a blackboard or a substitute is always essential. If a fixed or a movable blackboard can not be obtained, then white paper in large sheets, say 36 by 42 inches, can be tacked to the wall or mounted on sticks and hung like maps. A soft black pencil or crayon will write admirably on such a surface. When sheets of paper are used, it has been found a good plan, as the sheets are filled, to leave them hanging on the wall for a time, as the men find them extremely valuable for reference during their discussions.

The Spirit of a Conference Should be Informal.

There should be no calling of the roll or inquiring to find out why a particular man did not come, as this suggests restraint and schoolroom practices. A conference leader can check his attendance, if this is necessary, without his group being aware of it. Members should not be asked to rise when answering questions or contributing to the discussions. Announcements about regulations, procedure, and the like should be made as informally as possible. The formal introduction of motions, voting, and other parliamentary practices are inappropriate to the spirit of a good conference.

The men should not be asked to take notes. Attention to the points being made and participation in the discussion are more important. What a man carries away in his head will be used more than what he writes out.

The members of a group are more likely to feel at ease after they have become well acquainted with one another. Indeed, one of the first things the leader should do is to see that the men get on a friendly footing with one another as soon as possible. A conference wherein everybody, including the leader, calls the other fellow by his nickname is the one most likely to bring out the real problems, whether facts or attitudes, which need to be considered.

The Relation of the Conference Leader to the Group.

So far as the conference leader himself is concerned, the important thing to remember is that he is not any better than anyone else. The fact that he is acting as leader does not impose on him any responsibility to maintain his dignity. If he behaves as he would normally behave as the presiding officer of a club, he will find that his management will be considered first class.

As a leader he plans the program for the conference as a whole, he selects the topic for a particular meeting, and he throws open for discussion one phase of the topic after another, but he does not dictate the thinking of the group by insisting that they agree with him or even by urging his own views. It is usually advisable for him to contribute as few of his own experiences as possible and for him to use his own experiences in devising questions so as to draw out from others their experiences or their conclusions. On the whole, a man will be a good conference leader in proportion as he can keep quiet when he ought not to talk, as he can guide a group discussion but not have people know they are being guided, and as he can recognize what people are trying to say and at the right time help them say it.

The Most Effective Conference Devices.

There are various so-called devices which a conference leader can use to help his group think through their problems. Among the

more important of these are the question, the case, the discussion point, the comparative analysis, the diagram or graph, and the

summary.

Questions are used in starting or directing a discussion. They are practically never used for the purpose of testing anyone's mastery or knowledge of a subject. If the conference leader finds that a question gets few or no answers, then he knows that either the group did not understand what the question meant or was not interested in that topic, or else not well enough acquainted with each other to state frankly their opinions. However, a general question, such as, "Is the customer always right?" addressed to a group of business men will usually bring an answer from one of those present. Their comments will usually result in a contribution from other members of the group. When there are no more answers, the leader can say, "Now, does anyone else have anything to add to what we have?" This may encourage one or two of the quieter members of the group to contribute. Then, as a last resort, individuals can be called upon by name; but in order to preserve the spirit of informality this should always be done as an invitation to contribute rather than as a command. One weakness of an inexperienced leader is that he is usually alarmed by silence and tries to force discussion or participation by putting direct questions to individuals before they have a notion of what the question really means to them and just what experiences they have had which throw light on the problem. The case differs from the question in that it is expressed in concrete terms with a fullness of detail not needed in a question. Thus, a case to start a discussion about the principle that the customer was always right might be presented in this way:

Mrs. Brown brings to the laundry a tablecloth which she says she purchased as pure linen just recently and had sent to this laundry just twice. She shows a purchase tag from a good store for a high-priced tablecloth. The tablecloth she brings with her is new and has two holes in it which she thinks were rubbed in by the machinery or made by lumps of soda in the wash water. She wants the laundry to replace the damaged article.

The conference leader will find that most of the men in the group will give cases, and that most of them will discuss cases far more readily than they will discuss general principles. However, out of the case discussion should develop the statement of the general principle, rule, or standard which the conference leader thinks represents the opinion of his group on that particular point. A conference leader who can interpret general statements or general questions, such as "Is the customer always right?" into cases will usually bring out the most discussion.

One of the fundamental responsibilities of the group leader is to help his group see the real significance of the experiences told by the

different members. During the discussion of a case some member of the group will want to tell of some experience he has had. His story will remind someone else of an interesting experience, so, unless the conference leader can tactfully keep before the group the real point of the case, he is likely to find that his meeting is becoming a storytelling contest. This is where he uses his judgment to decide whether or not enough cases have been given to enable the group to agree upon whatever principle or decision can be reached.

The discussion point differs from the question only in degree. Many questions can be answered in a way satisfactory to all or most of the members of the group. A discussion point is sure to divide the group into at least two camps, for it usually involves relative values on which men with different experiences and of different attitudes are likely to disagree. There is likely to be a strong difference of opinion on a discussion point such as, "Is the customer always right?" The purpose of a discussion point is to bring out before the group all the factors or points on each side of the problem so that all in the group can see just what is involved in determining the relative value or significance of the point or situation. A conference leader will find that discussion points will be among the most effective means for starting and maintaining interest in a topic and for stimulating thinking. Indeed, the thinking in many cases will not result in a unanimous decision, so that the discussion point may start an almost endless controversy which the leader may have to limit in some way.

The analysis is a list of the various points which come out during the discussion. For example, there might be a question as to what a route man was hired to do. The best way to bring out the facts is to write on the blackboard a list of the various duties or responsibilities which different members of the group say are part of the job of the route man. Listing or writing out on the blackboard stimulates recall and analysis, as well as enables the group to see just what points have been made. In making an analysis the conference leader has two responsibilities: One for seeing that the analysis is complete that is, that every point contributed is included; and, second, that the points are grouped or classified under heads which enable the group to see the relationship between the different points.

The comparative analysis is a double analysis in which two lists are made. One list shows the points advanced in support of one point of view; the other list those points advanced in support of the other side. It is usually made by drawing a vertical line and putting under a suitable heading on one side of the line the points made for that side and under another suitable heading on the other side of the line the points made on that side. It is particularly serviceable when

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a discussion point is being debated. This is a very handy device to use when it seems evident that some of the opinions have not been carefully considered or when some one point has been too much emphasized. The mass of evidence for or against a position can be seen from the comparative analysis at a glance, though, of course, the relative value to be given to each item shown in the analysis is not shown.

Diagrams and rough drawings are often most useful devices in helping men to see relationships and relative values. Quite frequently a point can be illustrated by a rough diagram on the board which will help the members of the group to see just what is the relative importance or the exact significance of some point under discussion. Oftentime a member of a group can best illustrate his point by a diagram, however rough or crude, so that all the group should have access to the board at any time for this purpose.

A scale or graph to show relative sizes or values will help indicate what the group or some individual considers to be the relative importance of each of a number of points. Thus, when a list of duties has been made, the group may want to decide upon the relative importance of each of the several duties. This can be done by writing numbers after each duty to show the relative importance of each. For instance, if a scale of 10 were used, the most important duty might be given a rating of 10, the next a rating of 9, and so on, the least important 1 or 2. Duties of equal importance would be rated the same. The relative importance of various items can be indicated also by drawing lines so that the length of each line gives some idea of the importance of that item.

Handling Conference Objectives.

In one or two places reference has been made to objectives. An objective is a new idea which the group seems to be developing as its own. Sometimes the leader can make clear through his questions or direct statements just what the objective is. Thus, when discussing what are the duties of a route man there is no reason why the objective should not be stated so that everyone would know what was the direct or real purpose of the discussion.

However, if the objective seems to be intended (either by some in the group or by the leader himself) to bring about a change of attitude on the part of some in the group, the leader can not announce this as the point or purpose of the discussion. In fact, the objective would nearly always be defeated at the outset if the leader were to tell some in the group that their attitude was all wrong and that it should be changed. The defensive resentment aroused by such a statement will usually prevent the men involved from evaluating the real outcomes of their attitude. Objectives which

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