You’re having trouble facilitating a group discussion. What tools can help you improve?

It’s always helpful to set clear goal, before any discussion. Facilitator should make sure you have a clear goal and objective for the conversation before you begin. Always check following points- 1) What are the primary goals and results you hope to accomplish? 2)How long are you going to have? 3)What are the facilitator's and the participants' responsibilities and expectations? Make sure everyone in the group understands these, and solicit their opinion and consent. Establish some guidelines or standards for the discussion's conduct as well, such as acknowledging and appreciating the opinions of others, listening intently, refraining from interruptions, and offering helpful criticism.

Ao iniciar uma discuss?o, é importante estabelecer metas claras, determinar um prazo definido para a conversa e comunicar papéis e expectativas. Além disso, definir normas, como respeitar diferentes perspectivas e utilizar feedback construtivo, contribui para um ambiente mais produtivo. Certifique-se de obter a concordancia do grupo e permita que todos contribuam para o estabelecimento dessas diretrizes, promovendo uma discuss?o mais eficaz.

From my experience, setting clear goals and norms is crucial, but the real game-changer in facilitating group discussions is the facilitator's adaptability. It's about being in tune with the group's dynamics and ready to pivot strategies. For example, if a discussion stalls, I might introduce a provocative statement to reignite engagement. When facing a dominant participant, I gently steer the conversation to include quieter members by asking for their input. Tools like silent brainstorming or breakout sessions give everyone a voice. The key is to remain flexible, using various techniques to create a safe and dynamic space for all participants to contribute meaningfully.

Always set clear purpose, scope, and outcomes for a workshop. Set the norms with the participants at the start of the workshop. You develop the purpose, scope, outcomes, and needed norms through adequate preparation, i.e., interview the potential participants for a few minutes prior to the workshop.

Revamp your approach prep key talking points, set clear goals, encourage diverse participation, and leverage tech tools for seamless collaboration. Time to turn discussion hurdles into facilitation triumph Customize your approach as per the situation and the participants.

Para facilitar uma discuss?o eficaz, use perguntas abertas para promover reflex?o e participa??o ativa. Evite perguntas de resposta simples e opte por quest?es que incentivem a explora??o, como "O que você acha?" ou "Como isso se relaciona com sua experiência?". Adapte as perguntas ao contexto, estimulando participantes a compartilhar ideias, perspectivas e insights mais elaborados. Isso n?o só enriquece a conversa, mas também promove um ambiente de diálogo mais colaborativo e produtivo.

I’d have to disagree with this. Start with very direct pointed questions. Ask Carla what she thinks. Then build off of her opinion or idea by asking Kerry what he thinks. As long as you’ve built a safe space or expectation of trust and support, you can be direct and constructive. Walt Disney was famous for antagonizing people’s ideas ( not personal or personalities). That’s where creative brilliance happens. Open ended questions are just too bland.

I don't completely agree with this suggestion. Using open-ended questions may not actually be suitable for every discussion, depending on the objective. It may be suitable for exploration. But where you need convergence, for example, for decision making, you need different tools - such as some sort of voting mechanism, rather than asking open-ended questions. Asking open ended questions has a risk of leading to circular conversations, and in turn not achieving the desire outcome in the set time.

Do plan your opening questions to ensure open contributions. When asking follow up questions, keep them open-ended, neutral, and concise. The best follow up questions come from effective active listening.

It's important to evaluate the process and the situation before staring with everything. Clarify that everything is going to be good.

Always actively listen. This is the most important tool for any facilitator. This is also the most important tool to enable a discussion to continue as miscommunication is often the reason discussions fail. You need to actively listen all the time and summarize frequently.

A escuta ativa é outra ferramenta essencial para facilitar uma discuss?o em grupo. Escuta ativa significa prestar aten??o no que o falante está dizendo, demonstrar interesse e empatia, além de fornecer feedback e incentivo. Algumas técnicas de escuta ativa que você pode usar s?o: parafrasear o que o orador disse para verificar sua compreens?o, resumir os principais pontos ou temas da discuss?o, refletir de volta as emo??es ou sentimentos do orador, fazer perguntas de acompanhamento para investigar mais profundamente ou esclarecer e reconhecer as contribui??es e perspectivas do orador.

Active listening techniques let you know you value the participants contribution. They also let you make the participants feel rewarded for their risk taking in learning and build strategic thinking and innovation. You can also use them to draw more wisdom and learning from the participants and guide them towards the right understanding.

It helps to set the expectation from the start that people will bring different perspectives and experiences, and making the most of these adds real value. Then use open questions, small groups, Rounds etc to open out the conversation. Voting early helps. I like L David Marquet's technique: ask something like 'How confident are you that this intervention will work?' and have people raise fingers 'fist-to-five' to show their levels of confidence. Visually you see straightaway the spread of views. Then go to the outliers: say 'I notice a few folk raised only one or two fingers - what are you noticing that concerns you?' Invite views, don't compel. Ask similar for high scorers. And then you've got a great spread of views to inform debate.

One of my facilitation techniques is to "minimize discussions", by asking people to work alone first and then bring their ideas and opinions together. I use sticky notes to do this. This not only minimizes the conflicts and emotions, but also makes everyone feel included and heard.

Watch how the participants are evolving into becoming a team. You may have to change how you execute steps, e.g., use brain writing or small groups instead of all participants to enable more engagement.

Preparation is crucial for meeting success, necessitating the distribution of the agenda beforehand. I value every participant's input, employing the 1-2-4-All technique to ensure inclusive dialogue. This fosters diverse perspectives and collective problem-solving. Active listening is essential, as insightful solutions often emerge from the group's discourse. I view conflict positively, considering it a catalyst for robust consensus and group resilience. Embracing these strategies leads to more effective, engaging, and productive meetings, driving forward collective goals and innovation.

Le photolangage est un support puissant pour favoriser les échanges. Je mets à disposition une soixantaine de photos, très différentes les unes des autres, et je demande aux personnes de répondre à une question en choisissant une photo. Je leur demande de décrire la photo et d’expliquer leur choix. Tout type de questions peut être posé : de ??comment allez-vous ??? à ??comment décririez-vous le projet ??? en passant par ??quelle est l’ambiance de l’équipe??

Visual aids are key in training today. Learners don't just want to hear or read the learnings - they want to SEE them. If you can find a visual aid to bring what you're teaching to life, you'll immediately see on the face of your learners how they've internalized your learning at a much higher level.

As a solutions architect, I prioritize clarity and alignment in all my communications. To achieve this, I consistently incorporate diagrams and animations into my presentations when sharing designs. This approach not only enhances comprehension but also ensures that every participant has a unified understanding of the concepts being presented. By visually representing complex ideas, I facilitate a deeper level of engagement and collaboration among team members. This method fosters a shared vision, aligning all participants towards a common goal and target, thereby streamlining the project's progression and enhancing overall team synergy.

Start with individual brainstorming. Have participants write down their ideas and then combine the ideas to avoid one idea taking over and you hopefully get a variety of answers. Post-it notes on a board are nice and easy.

Use “game tape” of your own performance to get better! That’s a huge advantage of online meetings - you can record yourself in action in two distinct ways: - what participants see (record the meeting itself) - behind the scenes (what you’re doing that nobody else sees)* *underrated! Setting up a camera to record over your shoulder gives you insight into what you’re looking at, how organized you are, and how to improve.

I would also add, make sure everyone particpates. When you put the question to the group, it is often the same people who say their peace, maybe a little bit more extroverted ones. So when ever I ask a question, people need to discuss it with the person next to them. And then we reflect on the answers together and how the chat went.

As a facilitator, it can be valuable to pause and hold up the mirror to to the group. This might look like saying 'this is feeling really tough. Is anyone else finding this conversation hard?'. 'What do we think the key challenge is for us today, in having this conversation?'.

I agree this is important. As a facilitator you may need to stop some people from talking too long and too often. I wait until they draw breath and then jump in and ask someone else what they think. Also ask people directly what they think of they haven’t offered a view

Nice tip Nikki. As a facilitator I always start by setting and agreeing the ground rules, and getting upfront permission as the facilitator I may interject or wrap someone up to ensure everyone has a say, is safe, and has the same opportunity to contribute. One of the rules I insist on is the need to listen to hear - not listen to reply! This creates a platform for curiosity - not a forum for loudest heard!

Tool #1: The Magic Circle of Listening: Forget awkward silences, whip out this imaginary hula hoop and declare it the "listening zone." Anyone inside gets to speak uninterrupted, fostering respect and truly heard contributions. Tool #2: The Idea Rocket Launcher: Brainstorming gone flat? Blast off with this metaphorical rocket! Each person writes an idea on a paper rocket, then launches them into a central "blast zone." Laughter and unexpected connections erupt as ideas collide and combine.