Have people in my house? Have you seen my house?

The anxiety is normal, but remember - the goal is to start some interesting conversation and to spend time with your community - not channel Martha Stewart. It really doesn't matter how big your house is or how tidy it is. Bring over some chairs from the kitchen table, open a bag of popcorn, pour something to drink, and you're 90% of the way there.

What's the time commitment for hosting?

It depends - but you should probably set aside an hour a month to plan the gathering and then the time for the event itself. Salonette is here to help you figure out what to discuss at your meetings and connect with speakers and other salonettes. All you have to do is find a time that works for the most people, schedule it, and send some reminder emails closer to the date!

I'm worried I don't know enough people who'd come to this.

A small group is great! In fact, its smart to start small, get to know each other better, have some good conversations, and then, when you've got a core group loosely established, encourage everyone to bring a friend to the next gathering. You'll be surprised at how many people will jump at the opportunity to hang out with friends and neighbors and learn about their community at the same time.

I feel like I need some help getting started.

We’ve got you covered! When you sign up to host, you’ll get a starter-pack that provides a detailed summary of how your town’s government works and guidance on how to structure and manage the discussion. This will give you more than enough to get the conversation going.

What if we run out of things to talk about?

We promise you won't. But if you feel like you're getting to that place, email us! We'll jump on the phone with you to understand what you’ve talked about already and help you come up with other topic ideas.

What is the relationship between my salonette and Salonette, the non-profit entity operating this website?

We are here to facilitate your conversations by connecting you with topics, materials, speakers, and opportunities to engage with other salonettes across the country. But other than that, you are your own social group. Your salonette is legally distinct from the non-profit and the non-profit exercises no control over how your salonette operates, what you discuss, and who you invite to your events.

I'd be happy to attend one of these — can you help connect me with a host in my area?

Unfortunately, we can't. We aren't involved in matching attendees with hosts at this time.