Manalo 1 Taylor Manalo Ben Henderson CAS 138T 1 March 2013 Moderating Philosophy: a Listener and a Guide Moderating

is balancing two crucial roles that contribute to the highly academic and thoughtful practice of deliberation. To moderate is to maintain order by emulating the combined role of a listener and a guide. A moderator must listen, not simply hear or acknowledge, but truly listen to the ideas and contributions of those in deliberation. The moderator must stay informed of the assertions and philosophies that are exchanged and must closely follow the path of conversation, asking questions if confusion arises. Listening then makes it possible to perform the second part of the moderating duty: guiding. Academic conversation often involves many individuals with a variety of passions for important subject matter; the moderator is responsible for ensuring that personal stakes do not detract from the focus of deliberation. Deliberation is positioned on a continuum of focus, and the moderator must guide deliberators along this continuum. There is no right or wrong way to walk along the continuum, so long as the deliberation maintains focus on the topic at hand. The moderator guides deliberators to raise ideas, and he or she also challenges those in deliberation to develop and bring to light new points. The moderator does not dictate the path of conversation, but instead lets it flow, only guiding to be sure that deliberative discussion remains focused and balanced, observing all sides of an issue. The moderator must be prepared, for in order to stimulate and encourage conversation, the moderator needs to be informed of the issue.

Manalo 2 In this sense the moderator holds the interest of the deliberators and keeps the conversation going throughout the deliberation. Through my moderating experiences, I felt that listening and guiding worked hand-in-hand. Listening was my strength, the key that I used to successfully perform my role as a moderator. I effectively listened to the deliberation in its entirety and maintained awareness of the ideas being exchanged. Successful listening provided the framework for me to guide the deliberation, though guiding presented challenges when I assumed the moderator role. Guiding required that I keep individuals on topic without controlling the conversation. I found it difficult to guide along the continuum of focus without directly organizing the path of deliberation. The tendency of my group to veer off on tangents, as well as my personal habit of assuming control made it difficult for me to effectively guide the deliberation. However, throughout my time as a moderator and through observing the moderating styles of my peers, I found a solution. I used both preparation and reaction to develop innovative and different ideas on the topic that excited my group and sparked new conversations without forcing deliberation to follow my own strict direction. Moderating requires a balance of two roles, listening and guiding, for one must listen to guide deliberation and must guide to listen to new ideas. The art of moderating requires an individual to become an active listener and a thoughtprovoking guide.