Host Toolkit

1. Choose A Topic

2. Choose Your Location

3. Invite Guests

Helpful Tips

Choose Your Location

Our conversations are held in a wide variety of locations in our communities. Where would you like to hold your conversation?

Why Living Room Conversations?

Our organization’s name is a nod to the tradition of conversations in living rooms, but you can hold your conversation anywhere! Our living room is wherever we find ourselves connecting with others. In addition to hosting in your home, consider these options:

Community Gathering Spots can emphasize that this is a fun, social event. Just make sure your location will be relatively free of interruptions and quiet enough to hear each other!

  • Coffee Shop
  • Bookstore
  • Restaurant
  • Park

Public Institutions can be great partners for community conversations and can represent neutral ground and are typically free to use. Living Room Conversations has established relationships with additional staff support and resources for the communities shown below. Click on the links to find out more about how you can join them!

Have fun with your location! A garden party to talk about the environment, a home to talk about parenting, or an online conversation to have a conversation around Technology and Relationships. Your location can reflect the topic you choose. It can also simply be a comfortable place to gather.

Questions to Consider

  • Make a list of your favorite community gathering locations. What do you like about them? How could they foster the kind of conversation you hope to have? Do you want the location to impact how you explore your topic?
  • How big is your group? Some locations are better for smaller groups, and vice versa.
  • Do you want food to be a part of your conversation? There is something about "breaking bread" together that can help a group to bond. We recommend at least water and some snacks. How would your choice of food impact your choice of venue?
  • What kind of diversity are you hoping for? Make sure that the venue you choose would make ALL your invitees feel comfortable. (Examples?)