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7. Personal invitations: Usually it is possible to discover what individuals are likely to have special interest in forums and discussion groups.  Interest questionnaires, if signed, will give one clue.  Casual conversation may offer another.  Members of such a committee as that described above should be able to supply names of other persons also.  The officer or enlisted man who is organizing the program would do well to jot down any names he is able to secure in the course of his normal contacts with others.  Both leader and committee members can stimulate interest in the meetings by issuing personal invitations to attend.

III. Choosing subjects

Choosing subjects for forums or discussion groups is a critical part of organizing the activity.  No matter what method of selecting subjects is adopted, it should result in a choice which will hold the group together.  The leader may have in mind specific subjects which he personally believes are important for the men to discuss.  He should remember, however, that he is promoting a voluntary activity.  He needs to find subjects upon which he can expect to make a successful start.  Once the group is organized, he will have the opportunity of selling subjects for which the members—if approached "cold" during the development period—might express little enthusiasm.

One caution is to be observed in choosing subjects. No subject will lead to a valuable discussion unless the essential facts are available to the group.  Limit, then, the choice of subjects either to those for which adequate reference materials are at hand, or to those for which some available expert can supply the facts at the meeting.  Unless this caution is observed, discussion meetings are likely to fail in their purpose and may end in bickering that reacts unfavorably upon morale.  It follows that trivial and highly personal subjects that may lead to a "gripe session" are to be studiously avoided.

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