Humanist Association of Toronto Forum Guidelines

The HAT Forum - officially called "The Forum, discussion from a humanist perspective, brought to you by the Humanist Association of Toronto".

Every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern Time, we meet on Zoom to discuss a topic voted on by participants at a prior meeting, usually two weeks in advance.  These are topics of humanist interest, from a humanist perspective.

The Forum is a place for the courteous and respectful exchange of ideas and opinions on a variety of subjects within a secular context.  We come here to enrich our understanding. To this end, we cultivate our capacity to listen with an open mind.  The event is free and anyone is welcome to attend.

Guidelines for participants

  • Meetings commence promptly at 11 a.m..

  • A moderator is assigned in advance to ensure that the meeting runs smoothly (volunteer moderators are welcome).

  • The meeting starts with an introduction to HAT, welcoming participants and calling for announcements.  If you have an announcement of an upcoming event or brief announcement of a personal nature, you can raise your virtual hand and will be called on in turn.

  • After announcements, the topic proposer will provide a short introduction to the topic (no more than five minutes).

  • A moderated discussion will follow until approximately 11:45 a.m.  If you wish to contribute, raise your virtual hand and you will be called on in turn.  Please try to limit your comments to three minutes.  If you have more to say you can raise your hand again, although priority will be given to first-time speakers.

  • At approximately 11:45 a.m. (at the discretion of the moderator) we break into small groups, usually for 15 minutes, and then a volunteer from each group will report briefly on the small group discussion.

  • The moderated discussion then resumes until roughly 12:45 a.m., at which point we wrap up the discussion and select a new topic.  Anyone can propose a topic.  Where multiple topics are proposed, attendees vote on the topic.

  • Attendees are required to abide by the HAT Code of Conduct, reproduced below

HAT Code of Conduct

  • HAT wants all humans to feel welcome, safe, included and respected while attending or participating in the Forum or at any HAT event in person or virtually. All participants have a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and an obligation to also treat others with the same dignity and respect. HAT supports the human right to free speech. However, we do not tolerate expressions of hate towards groups, cultures, or individuals - no targeted insults, human stereotyping, or passive aggressive insults.

  • At the Forum, the moderator is responsible to maintain decorum and may in the moderator's discretion warn participants of any breach of decorum and, if necessary, mute participants or remove them from the meeting.  In extreme cases, participants may be banned from future HAT events. 

  • While moderators endeavour to identify instances of disrespect or intolerance, if you feel any statements have crossed the line, please raise your hand to challenge them yourself or send a chat message to the moderator so that issues can be discussed within the meeting space.

  • HAT encourages members to resolve disputes between themselves in a respectful manner, bearing in mind that the HAT Forum is intended to facilitate open discussion and that differences of opinion are part of any debate on difficult topics.

Chat Room

  • In order to keep the Forum focussed and respectful across all channels, HAT has decided to limit the use of the chat during the discussion portion of the meeting. A chat host is appointed at the start of the meeting.  Informational links and comments relevant to the discussion can be made to the chat host, who will relay those messages to the attendees in a timely manner at their sole discretion. If there is a statement you wish to make that you cannot make to the group verbally, indicate this and the chat host will read your statements to the group in the order they were received.

Guidelines for topic proposers

  • Choice of topic:  Participants can propose any topics they wish.  If you want to look at examples of past topics, you can browse the calendar on the HAT website or past events in Meetup.  Topic proposers are asked to provide a brief write-up on the topic along with discussion questions and to introduce the topic at the meeting. 

  • It is better to provide questions, not answers. Polemics generally make bad topics, because freethinkers have this pesky tendency not to follow where you’re hoping to lead them. It is acceptable to ask for assistance from AI in the write-up and questions, although preferably with some editing and original questions. 

  • The title of the topic and brief description with questions should be provided as soon as possible to Catherine Francis, the Steering Committee member responsible for posting the topics or, if you don't have the contact information, to the HAT Coordinator at HatCoord@gmail.com.   The topic will be posted on the HAT website, as well as the HAT Meetup page, and every Wednesday it is distributed by email to the HAT email list.  If you wish to be added to the email list, please send your request to the HAT Coordinator at the above email.

  • Many topic proposers include more comprehensive essays to introduce the topic.  This is entirely optional. Remember that you will be able to offer your personal opinions at the discussion; you do not need to get your opinions out in the write-up.

  • The write-up will be a springboard for discussion. Please try to keep your introductory remarks to five minutes. If you have more to say, you can speak again as any participant can.

Guidelines for Moderators

  • 10:45 Enter the Zoom meeting - you will be given Zoom hosting powers. Admit attendees from the waiting room.

  • Initiate casual conversation with people as they arrive.

  • Prepare any meeting announcements of your own or ones that the HAT Steering Committee wants to make.

  • Click on the APPS menu in Zoom and find the timer app. Set to three minutes as this is the guideline for maximum time per speaker.  If you do not have access to the timer, ask for a volunteer to operate the timer.

  • Ensure you know who will be acting as chat monitor, identify that person and ensure they know their role.

11:00 Start the Meeting:

  • Start promptly at 11:00, politely transitioning from the open chat to the structured discussion format.

  • Welcome the group to The Forum which is officially called "The Forum, discussion from a humanist perspective, brought to you by the Humanist Association of Toronto".

  • Read HAT's Mission Statement: "To grow humanism, a secular, rational and compassionate worldview, through education, connection and community involvement in Toronto."

  • Remind the group that they can visit humanisttoronto.ca to find all the upcoming events, their descriptions and Zoom links.

  • Remind attendees that, should they find our group worthwhile, they should join as a member using the JOIN HAT button on the web site with membership available at levels from $10 annually for limited income to $200 for a life membership.

  • Ask for any announcements of a personal nature or of events coming up that the community should be aware of. Invite speakers to enter details in the chat.

  • Recognize first timers. Welcome them and ask them where they learned about our group and what interested them about The Forum.

  • Recognize people we have not seen for some time.

Housekeeping for the Discussion

  • Open the Chat window, click on the (…) more icon and in the "Participants can Chat with" window, select "Host and Co-Hosts Only".

  • Remind participants that we use the raise hand icon to be added to the speaker's list. They can find the raise hand button on the reactions menu.

  • Remind participants that they should keep their comments to three minutes or under so that everyone can have a chance to speak. If you are using the Timer app, make participants aware of it. Remind them that they will be played off with music at the three-minute mark and that the host may interrupt the speaker if the time frame is significantly exceeded.

  • Ask participants to keep their audio muted when they are not speaking and their video on at all times if they are comfortable doing so.

  • Remind participants of the HAT Code of Conduct

The Discussion

·       Introduce the topic proposer and give them an opportunity to launch and frame the discussion.

  • Use the order of raised hands on the participants list to decide who speaks next.

  • Give priority to first time speakers throughout.

  • Keep your comments between speakers to a minimum so that you, as moderators, do not risk being over-represented in the discussion.

  • Suggestion: introduce next speakers only and add yourself as a speaker on the list when you have something to say.

Breakout Groups/Small Groups

  • At approximately 11:45-12, depending on the speaker's list, break into small groups

  • Four or five maximum per group is good.  Choose 15 mins duration (on OPTIONS menu in the Breakout Groups pop-up window).

  • Remind the small groups to appoint a reporter or secretary to give the full group the highlights of their small group meeting.

  • When breakout groups close, ask the reporters from each group to use the raise hand icon. Canvas the reporters for their reports in turn.

Wind Down and Topic Selection

  • At approximately 12:30, remind participants that the session will be ending at approximately 12:45 – last chance for first time speakers to contribute.

  • At approximately 12:45, wind up the topic discussion after any final comments from the topic proposer.

  • Remind everyone of next week's topic and proposer.

  • Ask for topics for two weeks hence.  Try to get two or three topics for a vote.  If only one topic is proposed and there are no competing topics, the topic will be acclaimed. 

  • After the topic is chosen, ask for any last-minute announcements/comments, circle back to new participants and remind participants that they can be added to the email distribution list.

And finally:

Remember that these are guidelines, not mandatory.  The guidelines are meant to be flexible.