Facilitator Session Starter

Before You Call It Alien | Reader companion

A calm room for a difficult subject

Use this first

This sheet starts a single 45-minute discussion. Use the full facilitator guide for the eight-session course, answer summary, reproducible handouts, and improvement log.

Neutral opening script

Read aloud.

We are here to examine what the available record can support. We can take an experience seriously without deciding its cause in advance. We will challenge claims and reasoning, not people. It is acceptable to end with insufficient data or an unresolved question.

Group agreements

Invite the group to add one more.

Discussion agreements

Describe before explaining.Separate the person, report, case, and conclusion.Ask neutral questions.Challenge ideas without ridiculing people.Label uncertainty and missing information.Protect private or identifying details.Apply the same standard to every explanation.Do not force agreement or a verdict.

Our additional agreement

45-minute starter agenda

Suggested timing and facilitator purpose
Time	Activity	Facilitator purpose
0–5 min	Opening and agreements	Set purpose, boundaries, and terms.
5–12 min	Read the record	Use one short case without an origin label.
12–22 min	Separate the layers	Mark observation, inference, and measurement needs.
22–34 min	Test alternatives	Name supports, contradictions, and missing checks.
34–41 min	Bound the conclusion	Write the strongest shared statement the record permits.
41–45 min	Reflect and close	Name one uncertainty and one useful next step.

Mini-exercise: classify each statement

Mark O = observation, I = inference, M = measurement needed.

Observation, inference, or measurement-needed exercise
Statement	O, I, or M
A bright white point appeared above the tree line.	Classification for: A bright white point appeared above the tree line.
It was larger than an airplane.	Classification for: It was larger than an airplane.
The light crossed about two hand-widths of sky.	Classification for: The light crossed about two hand-widths of sky.
It accelerated instantly.	Classification for: It accelerated instantly.
No sound was heard during the observation.	Classification for: No sound was heard during the observation.
It was intelligently controlled.	Classification for: It was intelligently controlled.

Neutral question stems

Use these when the room starts arguing about origin.

What in the record supports that statement?
Which part is directly observed?
What would we need to measure?
What ordinary cause could produce the same appearance?
What would contradict this explanation?
Are these sources independent?
What information is missing?
How far does this evidence actually reach?

Closing reflection

Keep three layers separate.

The experienceWhat did the event mean to the person who reported it?The recordWhat can the preserved information establish, and what remains missing?The explanationWhat conclusion is supportable now? What would justify reopening the case?