(Published November 1944)

Americans Like to Talk Things Over

For the Station Operator

• Getting the Right Participants.
• Picking a Chairman
• Producer, Writer, and Others
• Facts, Facts, Facts
• What is a good subject?
•  The program pattern
• Audience participation in general.

For the Writer

• Opening Your Program.
• Closing

For the Producer

• Some production details.

To the Participants

• Be consistent about names.
• Address people by name now and then.
• Re-identify the subject.
• Don’t drag out bits of paper to read.
• Don’t refer to the shortage of time.
• Don’t refer to “unseen listeners.”
• Don’t be “reminded” of a joke.
• Don’t get statistical.
• Tricks of argument.

For the Chairman

• Don’t try to settle it
• At the beginning of the program,
• When the discussion is underway
• At intervals
• When discussion lags or is blocked
• When a speaker is vague, abstract, rhetorical
• If a majority tries to squelch a minority
• If yours is an audience participation type show
• At the end

For All Concerned

For Information-Education Officers

Americans Like to Talk Things Over

This is a booklet for you who may be interested in organizing, running, taking part in, or stirring up interest in, G.I. Radio Roundtable broadcasts. You may be in charge of an Armed Forces Radio Service outlet, or be an Information Education Officer or anyone else fully aware that this is a global war of ideas as well as weapons and supplies.

Americans both at home and overseas have shown, throughout the war, increasing interest in the discussion of public issues. In many army camps and commands off-duty discussion groups have been active. For these the War Department issued its Education Manual EM 1, G.I. Roundtable: Guide for Discussion Leaders, and is publishing from time to time other pamphlets under the general title G.I. Roundtable, giving background information on worthwhile discussion topics. Some of those who have been active in these G.I. Roundtables may want to try a special type of roundtable—the radio roundtable.

Why a G.I. Radio Roundtable? If democracy is to meet the challenge facing it in the postwar period, it will, more than ever, need citizens who are well informed and aware of current issues. The men and women of the armed forces who have served overseas will on their return share in solving many vital problems. To be readv for this responsibility they must know the facts behind the problems, and understand the solutions being proposed. The G.I. Radio Roundtable can help the service man return to civilian life a more alert and better-informed citizen, a citizen who looks at all sides, is willing to expose his ideas to new facts and rival theories, and to test his opinions in the give-and-take of discussion.