How do you facilitate turn taking in community conversations?

Continuous Community Clue #007

"Turn-taking is a type of organization in conversation and discourse where participants speak one at a time in alternating turns. In practice, it involves processes for constructing contributions, responding to previous comments, and transitioning to a different speaker, using a variety of linguistic and non-linguistic cues"

Source: wikipedia

Part of community building is helping people to belong. This is not about molding people into who we think they should be. It's about understanding that they are here for a reason. And that the people who show up partly identify with the work we are doing.

In that sense, it becomes easy to know that the people here have at least one thing in common. That part of them may want to belong with us, but equally, they belong to themselves, with their own identity, experiences and needs.

As community people, it then becomes essential for us to facilitate the opportunity for members to take turns in speaking. Communities thrive when we celebrate all the nuances of our humanity. It's not about who is right or who is most influential. It's about the ability to share, to be listened to, and also to be accepting of whatever it is we share and care about.

Allowing people to 'take turns' gives people the opportunity to open up in ways that everyone can learn from.

Turn-taking sounds silly and too simplistic

It's something we were taught as a child.

"Wait for your turn!"

It almost sounds incredibly silly and simplistic to say we need to 'allow turn-taking in community conversations'. However, it's a real problem. People everywhere feel like they are unable to take their turn.

Perhaps:

• the environment is too overwhelming

• they don't know where to start

• they don't know if they can add value

• they feel their time is not worth it

• they need to be asked

• they feel intimidated

• no one has their back

• they prefer async to live

• they are unsure of the rules

• they can't see anyone else like them in the room

• they don't identify with the conversation

• they have invisible disabilities

This is not a complete list, but hopefully it's enough to give understanding and get you thinking of how it may apply to your community.

Design taking turns into your community

The challenge then comes, how can you design 'taking turns' in your community?

The opportunities are potentially endless, here are some ideas to get you going:

• invite people to a speaking gig

• invite people to an AMA

• tag someone in a conversation

• link to what people have already written

• recognise when people are dominating

• identify lack of diversity and address it

• create different levels of conversation opportunities

• host small group conversations

• offer async contributions

• ask people how they would like to contribute

• pass the mic, quite literally

• turn-taking is not just with 'speaking', it is with all types of Community Generated Content, we participate in many ways within community

As with all things community, don't let it stop at the point of the 'taking turns'. Make sure you listen to what people are saying and find ways to take action and explore based upon what they share—this is what will bring the eventual community growth.

Resources:

• Turn-taking - Wikipedia

• Why Is Conversation So Hard for People with Autism? - Very Well Health

• The Neuroscience of Taking Turns in a Conversation - Scientific American

• Turn-taking in conversation - Conversational Leadership

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