(HOST) Although teacher and historian Vic Henningsen has been going to town meetings for years, he's never spoken in one. That's given him a lot of time to watch the proceedings, reflect on what works and what doesn't, and formulate some sound advice for newcomers to this New England tradition.

(HENNINGSEN) Last year, our local newsletter's listing of town meeting was followed by an announcement for the rabies clinic - but I'm sure the editor intended no cause/effect relation.

Still, it makes you think. Town meetings can get contentious; especially now that communities have on-line bulletin boards where people can warm up for weeks before taking the floor.

Thomas Jefferson called the New England town meeting "the wisest invention ever devised . . . for the perfect exercise of self-government." But we have no evidence he ever attended one. Had he done, Jefferson might have decided some aspects of Town Meeting suggest that, to paraphrase George Orwell, we're all equal, but some are more equal than others.

This was best expressed by a friend who advised newcomers to think carefully before speaking. "You know," he said, "the audience has only one question in mind. It isn't what do you do or who you know; it's How long have you been here?"

So for first-timers, I offer one word of advice: Listen.

For those who prefer living dangerously, a few suggestions:

Remember the Rule of Three Ups: Stand up; Speak up; Shut up. The more you talk, the more people vote against you.

Second, address the issue, not the person. When you personalize an issue you lose support and become a subject of neighborhood gossip. It's great theater; not smart politics.

Third, consider that you might be mistaken. No one has a monopoly on truth. A little humility, a willingness to admit the other side believes as passionately as you do, and might in fact have a point, will go a long way to ensuring an outcome that preserves community as well as serves it.

Fourth: there's no "perfect" solution. Perfection has as many definitions as there are people at the meeting. But a majority can agree on "better than we have now" and that's what we should aim at. We know we'll revisit everything again next year.

Finally, remember: we all have to live together for the rest of the year.

Americans cherish a visual image of the New England town meeting - a man conquering nervousness to speak his mind in front of a skeptical crowd. Painted in 1943 by Norman Rockwell, using his Arlington, Vermont, neighbors as models, it illustrated "Freedom of Speech" - one of Franklin Roosevelt's Four Freedoms.

To stress individual freedom, Rockwell painted a close-up - only a few faces fill the frame. It's effective, but I wish he'd given us the whole community show: the tables full of promotional literature; the crying babies; the ladies gossiping over coffee as they heat red-flannel hash; the old guys in the back rolling their eyes and joking with the road crew. It's crowded, it's a bit chaotic; it can be intimidating. But it's democracy. And it works.