Facilitator vs “Resource”

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When we have speakers to enrich our films and discussion, are they “Guests” or “Facilitators”?
It’s easy to confuse the two.
When we have support folks working on issues or campaigns related to our films, we invite them in to supplement and enrich the evening, and from their perspective, this is most often time donated out of their own personal lives.  To be clear, it’s primarily our responsibility to facilitate the evening, …and to weave in their participation.  I know it’s just semantics, and I only mention it because we’ve had a guests on a few occasions intimidated by being requested to come in and “facilitate the discussion” – most are just passionate activists, and may or may not be trained facilitators or even know how to address a large crowd.
There may be occasions when the circumstances call for one of our guests to facilitate, but if this is the case, this should be with a very clear understanding.  Remember, you have a history with your crowd as well as some of the specific individuals attending far better than they ever could, and you might be in a better position to avoid potential pitfalls.

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