Copies of manuscripts are distributed at one meeting and critiqued at the next. A typical meeting starts with a short session of show and tell, then old business. We take turns giving both an oral and a written critique, beginning with the person to the right of the author.
Some people do line edits, others give market suggestions.
When the author is finally allowed to speak, it is not to defend the story, but to ask any clarifying questions. We manage to get through two or three manuscripts per meeting, which currently coincides with our output. The WorD group has very few guidelines. It is acceptable to show the manuscript to a close friend, if you are having trouble critiquing it and need another viewpoint. E-mailing of stories between members is acceptable.