How to Run a Small AA Traditions Study
Four people can have a useful Traditions discussion in half an hour. Choose one Tradition and a question about group life that people can picture. Give everyone the passage in advance and make room for someone who has never read it before.
Choose the passage and one practical question
Start with the official Twelve Traditions page. Send the passage you will use and tell people how long the discussion will take. If a participant wants a short illustrated resource, the guide to reading The Twelve Traditions Illustrated explains how to work with the pamphlet in small sections.
Pick a question with a few plausible answers. “Two meetings use a common hallway. One group wants to post a large sign outside both doors. What should it check before printing?” gives people a situation to work with. Ask which details would change their answer. The groups may need to speak to each other and to the building manager, for example.
Avoid making the case so close to a real dispute that everyone recognizes a person in it. If the group wants to decide an actual issue, write it down for the next business meeting and explain where the decision belongs.
Give each person room to think
A 30-minute study might use five minutes for reading, twenty for discussion and five to close. Invite someone to read the passage aloud if they want to. Make the text available in advance so people can use a format they can read comfortably.
Use prompts that invite observations. “What would a first-time visitor see?” often gets a more specific answer than “What does the Tradition mean to you?” If one person has shared several times, invite someone else to speak before returning to them. Leave an option to pass.
A member who has served for years may remember how a similar question was handled. Ask them what they observed and what the local group decided. Our article on the term oldtimer offers context for listening to long experience without assigning it formal authority. Ask newer participants what they would need to understand the example.
End with a question worth taking back
Summarize what the group heard in one or two sentences. “We would check who controls the hallway and ask both groups what people need to find the right room.” If the issue is hypothetical, there is no need for a vote. If a real problem surfaced, note the question and agree where it can be raised.
Keep any notes about the discussion general. Record the reading and the case if the next facilitator could use them. Leave out who said what and any private experiences people mentioned in explaining a point.
For another case, try a shared venue for AA and Al-Anon or a group that needs to cover a service role for a week. The same meeting format can work with a different Tradition as long as the example gives people a concrete decision to think through.
Send the next reading only when someone has agreed to facilitate. Put the date, passage and planned length in the message. A person who missed the first meeting should be able to join without having to catch up on everyone’s comments.
Medallions to consider
If someone wants to acknowledge a sobriety milestone after the study, check their preference and arrange it separately from the discussion.
Both photos show one-year samples. Use the Sobriety Time selector to check the milestone you want.
Tricolor Enchanted Crimson Topaz Sparkle
Elite design with a crimson face and a triangle set with stones.
Common questions
Does the facilitator need years of AA experience?
Choose someone who can prepare the reading, keep time and invite different voices. A second person can help them with the setup.
Should the study replace a regular meeting?
Follow the group's agreed format. If this is a separate study, say so in the invitation and explain who may attend.
Keep reading
Compare designs and milestone options in Elite Medallions and Deluxe Coins.
