It's about time for you to moderate your first ELC peer group meeting, and I wanted to make sure you're feeling prepared!

Here's a quick review of your responsibilities as a moderator:

1. Lead the agenda - you're responsible for managing time and making sure that the conversation stays on topic/remains relevant throughout. Use the moderator guide to help you! Also, some groups have found it helpful to appoint an additional notetaker or have everyone take notes throughout the meeting on the notes guide.

2. Support and reinforce group culture - as you're leading the conversation, be sure to demonstrate the core tenants of the peer group. Commitment, compassion, vulnerability, and respect should be seen throughout the conversation. Think about your meeting 0 and previous meetings - how did group members demonstrate this? How can I demonstrate this as a moderator?

3. Intervene or transition conversations as necessary - during the meeting, pay attention to make sure the conversation feels like it's still serving the group. If it isn't, ask how you can best support group members to get to the root of the challenge, add sub-topics to the meeting notes document as a "parking lot," or ask others to contribute insights as needed. Some of the common phrases we've seen others use successfully are:

   • “I want to make sure everyone has a chance to share and that there is time to discuss both topics today. Are there any final thoughts about this challenge?”
   • “I’m curious if these insights are getting to the root of your question/challenge? Is there other insight or context that may help?”
   • “This sounds like a topic we could discuss at our next meeting. I’m going to take a note and pass it along to Natalie to add to our agenda for next time.”

4. Communicate with ELC - we want to support your experience (even if we can't be in the meetings with you)! Please be sure to:

   • Record the group's next meeting topic in the meeting notes document,
   • Confirm the group's next meeting time,
   • Complete the moderator survey at the end of the meeting, and
   • Share the participant survey with others.
     • These are also linked in the moderator guide and the group's meeting notes.

If there is anything else you need as you prepare for your meeting, please email [email protected].