Hosting a Kitchen Table Discussion or Yarning Circle

As a Consumer Host for a Kitchen Table Discussion or Yarning Circle, your job is to bring people together from your community to share their thoughts. You’ll choose where and when these talks happen, whether it’s at someone’s home, a cafe, library, or even outside like in a park. If you prefer, you can also host these discussions online using platforms like Zoom.  

Hosts and participants are paid for their time, with hosts also reimbursed up to a set amount for food for the event.  

It’s important to make sure everyone feels safe and comfortable and gets a chance to speak and share their ideas equally. The goal is to create a space where everyone’s voice matters. 

• Read more about Kitchen Table Discussions
• Read more about Yarning Circles

What does a host do? 

The main tasks for a host are: 

• Plan, organise and run a 90-minute discussion. This includes inviting a set number of guests to participate. You pick a venue, and a time and date that suits you and your guests. Your guests can be friends, colleagues, or other members of your community.  
• In the session, you will read questions out from a list and record what your guests say.  
• Comes to an online session before the discussion, to learn about the project and how to host. It’s also an opportunity to ask any questions you have.  
• Keep records of what people say and send that to us. You can ask someone to scribe for you.  
• Make sure everyone has a chance to speak 
• Gather the details of your guests so we can pay them 

What information comes out of the event?  

People’s names are not included in the notes on what is said. Guests can feel confident to speak freely, knowing that their comments will be recorded in a way that keeps them anonymous. When we analyse the responses, we are careful to remove any identifying information. The most import thing is that people’s ideas, concerns and perspectives are heard in a safe way.  

What support do hosts get? 

We give hosts a toolkit that includes everything you need to host a discussion. This includes things like: 

• A host guide 
• Questions to ask your guests 
• An agenda to help you keep your discussion on track 
• An invitation template to invite your guests 

…and more.  

Why would I host a discussion? 

We run Kitchen Table Discussions and Yarning Circles to hear what ordinary community members think about particular topics. When you help us to hear the voices local people, you are helping to influence health services to be better suited to the needs of your community. And it’s fun!