Objectives • • • • To To To To provide an overview of how a moderator can provide a sense of direction; explain the summarising activity; explain the debriefing activity; and deal with moderator stress during a meeting. Moderator’s role in providing a sense of direction Keys to creating a sense of direction Moderators must first have a clear internal sense of the direction the dialogue is moving in. This involves: • Being aware of where the group is in the dialogue stages; • Understanding the relationship dynamics in the venue and having a strategy for changing them; • Being sensitive to new challenges in the venue and being flexible enough to address them; and • Consciously addressing personal stress and uncertainty to keep the process in perspective. Conveying the internal sense of direction to participants Moderators can convey their internal sense of direction to the participants in the following ways: • By maintaining a positive attitude that conveys a message of progress throughout the process (this is a key aspect); • By summarising at the end of discussions to help build a sense of accomplishment; and • By debriefing at the end of meetings to show the ground that has been covered and the direction the discussion is likely to take Explaining the summarising activity By way of introduction, the facilitator should provide a definition of the term ‘summarising’, which should then be followed by a practical exercise in which the participants are given an opportunity to practise this very important skill. Definition of ‘summarising’ ‘Summarising’ may be defined as the activity by means of which the moderator captures and consolidates the key moments in the dialogue and then explains how those moments contributed to the dialogue. 64 Community Healing: A training manual for Zimbabwe