Everybody is talking about that book, the book you also want to read but have not found the time or the drive. Or maybe you read a lot of books but you want to explore it further, but has no one to talk to?
A fun and interesting way to learn, explore and maybe push yourself to read an interesting book, is to start a book club with your colleagues. It does not even have to be colleagues (or friends), you could use your twitter connection or blog readers to form a book club.
So why do I want to join or start a book club? If you read a book you will only have one point of view, your own, and you will be biased to the content due to your past experience and values, but adding more point of views allows you to draw new conclusions and maybe better understand the content. You will learn more about yourself and your pears while discussing the content, and letting new ideas, knowledge and experiences into you life.
How do I start?
1. Figure out what types of books you want to read, e.g. books about change, then choose a few books and let people vote. Also decide if everyone should buy the book themselves or make a big order for everyone.
2. Decide how many times and how often you want to meet. E.g four times and three weeks between meetings.
3. Decide where you want to meet; at the office, a coffee place, or at someone’s apartment.
4. Food and beverages is also important. Do you have the meeting early, lunch break or after work? Will people be hungry? Should everyone bring their own food or do we order in? Is there coffee, the, water?
5. Decide how you want to conduct the meeting, using a talking stick (e.g. if it is a large group), post-it’s where you vote on topics, free discussion, post-up sessions, and so on.
Remember to always have the door open for new members, some people will leave due to not enough time or have read the next book, or any other reason. Don’t be afraid letting new people in on an ongoing book. New people means new thoughts and ideas, larger pool of knowledge to drink from.
