By the time you’re reading this, you may have seen two Presidential and one Vice-Presidential debates and you’ve gotten a lesson in the value and challenge of facilitation. Managing discussions or debates with people who are aggressive, aggrieved or just dominant requires skills that not everyone necessarily has, including seasoned journalists. Chris Wallace got a lot of criticism from all sides for the way that he supposedly mishandled the first debate but I’m not so sure how much more control or influence anyone could have had in trying to manage a Commander-in-Chief who defies any previously agreed upon rules. I’m not sure that Susan Page, primarily a print not broadcast, journalist was well prepared for the Vice-Presidential debate. Legitimate debate arguments almost always require some mix of facts, logic and emotional appeal so if you remove the facts and logic you’re left with what we’ve watched. At any rate, here’s another thought on the matter. Read more