A Discussion Salon is a structured discussion designed to produce substantial conversations. It goes like this: everyone brings short passages on some theme determined ahead of time. Participants take turns reading passages, and the group converses on that theme.  Susan and I did our first one back in 2000, and we’ve been doing them sporadically since then.

Here are the rules in case you want to do one:

• The purpose of the Salon is to generate dialogue. We want to make it possible to express ideas that cannot be expressed in normal, everyday conversation.
• Quotes will be used to seed dialogue.
• Please come to the Salon with one quote that is connected with the theme of the event.
• Quotes play a central role in the Salon, but the purpose of the Salon is not sharing quotes. They are a means to stimulate dialogue. Dialogue should not be cut off or rushed in order to give everyone their turn to read. Not all quotes will be read.
• This is an intellectual safe zone. No opinion is prohibited. The only rule is respect. If you find an idea offensive, please challenge it using reason and constrain your emotions and moral passions. Please do not self-censor out of fear of upsetting someone with your ideas. (But again — be respectful!)
• We want to be sure people are given a chance to finish their thoughts even if the thoughts are complex. Interruptions can be vetoed by the current speaker, signaled by raising their hand.
• Contributions to the discussion should always address the ideas of the previous speaker. Evolve the subject, don’t change the subject.
• Dialogue should be kept thematically close to the quotes and should refer back to them explicitly whenever possible.
• As conversation progresses and develops, new quotes can be introduced to feed the dialogue.
• If a dialogue comes to an end, we will restart dialogue with a new quote.
• The Salon has many modes of participation. Some participants will do more listening and others will do more speaking. Nobody should feel pressured to speak if they wish to listen, or to stay silent if they have something to say.