As a host, here are the top three things you can do to run a great, memorable salon:

Initiate Discussion

Your main role as host is to be enthusiastic and inviting. You don’t have to be slick, extroverted, or a polished presenter!  You just need to set-up your topic in a way that piques  attendees’ interest and gives multiple paths into an intriguing and lively  discussion.

Here are  three steps that set the stage for a great salon:

  1. Introductions: Introduce yourself and invite others to introduce themselves. A standard practice is to have participants say what drew them to the topic and what they hope to learn or talk about. In addition, think about any key questions, controversies, or ideas relevant to your topic you might include in your introduction that would help participants have a shared context for discussion. This plants the seeds for people to want to engage in conversation about your topic with other like-minded attendees.
  2. Present Key Ideas: Go over, in a conversational tone, some of your foundational thinking on the topic. Even if an idea is already explained on the event page, take some time to ensure everyone has a shared understanding. If you have recommended reading, consider reading some short excerpts and sharing your initial reflections. Keep this low stress—you don’t need to prepare extensively or put together a slideshow if it’s not needed. The most important thing is to demonstrate enthusiasm, not expertise.
  3. Ask Good Questions: People are there to co-create the discussion. Present some interesting conversation starters, and if a question doesn’t resonate, try reframing it based on what you learned about participants’ interests and knowledge level in their introductions. If attendees are still struggling after your reframing, break the question down to its core concerns. Also, ask attendees what’s something they have previously wondered about your topic. The goal is to give people a way into conversation, not to make sure all your pre-determined questions strike gold.

Curate Energy

As the host, people will follow your lead. So, set the tone of discussion that best suits your subject. Here are some general tips:

  1. Be Welcoming: Smiles, nods, and addressing people by name can go a long way.
  2. Be Thoughtful: Listen intently to others’ contributions and demonstrate what it looks like to take everyone’s input seriously.
  3. Be Generous: Some people may not know the topic as well as others or be able to speak as clearly about it. Help them find the language to express their thoughts and feel good about what they bring to the group. .
  4. Be Enthusiastic: As covered in Initiate Discussions, your enthusiasm opens the door for others to express their enthusiasm as well.

Respond to the Flow

You hold two critical roles: You are one of many people in a conversation, and you are the host leading and guiding the discussion. From hearing what people expect to talk about in their introductions to responding to questions that come up in closing, you will have many opportunities to take things in different directions. Use your judgement on what shifts to take, what topics to save for later or another time, and what to respectfully turn down.

Responding to the flow of the conversation doesn’t mean you have to accommodate everything. The conversation may often be better for you sticking to your planned lines of inquiry—especially if the most interesting ideas have not been introduced yet.

At that same time, take every participant seriously. Acknowledge their points and maybe even take notes. If you’re at a point in the salon when there’s no space for a new topic to be introduced, signal what you’re doing with that information and when it might fit better. If you need to, you can message a participant privately as well.