Information, Education and Communication: Forum


Forum:

The term forum applies either to the technique used in a single meeting or to the institution as it operates in a community through a season. Its essence is social exchange or sharing of ideas.

General features of the forum:

  1. The forum involves a large popular gathering under public or private auspices.
  2. The forum leaders expound or argue a problem. The forum usually involves a series of meetings a consideration of public problems the application of discussion techniques competent leadership.
  3. The audience later may question the speakers and make brief, off hand speeches.


Characteristics of the forum:

  1. Unit organization:

    It must be determined for what group or unit the forum is to be organized.

  2. Leadership:
    The leader must:

    1. Be expert and skilled in discussion techniques for success of the programme.

    2. Be well-informed but not pedantic.

    3. Be interested in provoking discussion.

    4. Be impartial.

    5. Be able to withstand and offset the onslaught of public hecklers with good humor and avoidance of sarcasm and anger.

    6. Show respect and courtesy.

    7. Encourage personal testimony if it illustrates local applications of a general problem but must discourage and head off long reminiscences.

    8. cultivate a pleasing platform personality and ability to adjust to the interests and moods of different audience.

  3. Audience Participation:

    1. The audience should be given full opportunity to air it views.

    2. If the audience is to write questions, the chairman should explain in advance how and when they are to be written and passed to the platform.

    3. If audience is to be permitted to ask questions and make speeches, the chairman should make it clear at the beginning Of the meeting just what the audience speaker may do.

    4. Questions from the audience should be answered briefly and patiently by the forum speakers.

    5. The audience should be prepared with relevant material before the meetings so that it may enter the controversy with enthusiasm.

    6. Audience questions should be framed with care.

    7. All sparring with lecturer and chairman should be avoided. Forum subjects should be controversial and should touch the interests and experiences of those present, but not so controversial as to elicit more heat than light/