How do you debrief a group after a problem-solving activity?

How to help from getting derailed: These sessions can surface a lot of ideas, even solutions to other issues. To help from getting sidetracked keep a parking lot for other ideas. When facilitating remotely, you can encourage sharing in a chat or designating an area in your virtual whiteboard. By using a designated space, you allow people to get their ideas out, and there may be some great gems there, for another session.

I believe debrief should be used as a tool to equalise knowledge, and for that I use the 4F model: Facts, feelings, findings and future. Facts: we go through what we objectively did during the session. Feelings: we go through individual emotions (interest, boredom, excitement) of participants so that we can unveil their origin to the others, potentially uncovering unseen sides of the subject matter. Findings: we talk about each individual's subjective eureka moments so that everyone can learn from other subjective experience. Future: we discuss uses and applications for the knowledge. The idea is to make it so that subjective learning points are shared with the group and everyone learns from each other.

In my experience, debriefing after a problem solving is a wonderful opportunity to surface the following : 1. How does the learner experience the problem in real time? 2. What is the learner’s role in the problem? This takes a fair amount of effort and psychological safety in the group to surface. The tendency is to point to external factors. But is it important to spend time on this so that the learner can move to the next step of… 3. What can I do differently in the same situation? This is a place where we need to focus on baby steps and help the learner from getting overwhelmed. 4. As we build on the learnings, it is important to revisit the debrief discussions to help connect the dots between concepts and practice

Remember to debrief the process and not just the outcome. Did participants feel heard? What supported them to collaborate? What got in the way? A question that would require even deeper reflection - what did people learn about themselves? The 'reflective depth' needed for the debrief comes from the purpose of the debrief and the depth of the collaborative relationships. Is this the first time the group has worked together? Will they be working together again? Relationships deepen over time and group processes should support this.

I agree that it is important to have a clear and specific purpose for any debrief. I would add that it is equally important to share the purpose with the group. It also provides an opportunity for the group to add what they think would be important to add to the debrief process. To maximise learning during the debrief it is also advisable to distinguish between the content and the process of the session being discussed.

I would also like to add another debrief tool through which learnings can be consolidated by the group . It is called ORID O- Observations- R- Reflections about what you observed I- Interpretations of the Reflections D- What decisions or actions from micro to macro levels are becoming clear to you based on what you have learnt today.

Align the format to the audience and the outcome you want to achieve. Set rules of engagement up front clearly. What is the purpose or outcome this session is driving? Share that up front with your audience to help them get into the right mindset. Sending pre-work, or even just questions ahead, allows time and space for those who need more runway consider their thoughts. Create an inclusive environment for different styles. A variety of inputs ensures that everyone feels comfortable sharing, and helps to create a more safe and trusting environment. Like sending feedback in an anonymous live survey to then debrief together. As a facilitator, help to engage the whole group, and keep from a few loud voices to dominate the conversation.

The key is to manage the dynamic of the group in a way that allows everyone to feel heard and valued regardless of the political dynamics at play. Breaking into small groups for example can allow individuals the opportunity to share in a more intimate setting, and often evokes a deeper and more transparent conversation. Then, when returning to the larger group, asking the small groups to report out what they discovered in their conversation can help bring larger, and sometimes controversial topics into the group consciousness and conversation.

It's critical people have time on their own initially to write down their own views before group discussion. There's a risk of only the loudest voices getting heard otherwise. It ensures every voice is heard, and often brings new perspectives to the table. Miro is good for this or sticky notes in person. Tip: make sure people stay separate and write down their ideas separately before sticking them on a flip chart.

As a facilitator, always be clear on the format in advance and have prepared any of the tools that you will be using so that the discussions can continue seamlessly and are not interrupted by a chosen format.

When you're hitting roadblocks in your debrief with a group (or an individual) asking them why they chose a particular course of action can reveal helpful information. While we are often implicitly aware of why we decide to solve a problem a certain way, asking participants to think about the choices they made explicitly can be productive. For example, explaining why someone chose a certain course of action can reveal their assumptions about the problem (e.g., it's a communication problem, we're misunderstanding each other, so I need to speak clearly and directly) or about their own strengths and weaknesses (e.g., I don't want to mistakenly offend others, so I need to gather more information first). Why questions reveal assumptions!

These questions are useful to guide people with their thinking, however they carry some assumptions “what excited you?” Assumes excitement Or “what did you learn?” Assumes learning… These are good if that’s the purpose of the session and you are leading your group where they need to go for themselves. If you want to be really open to any observations, you can ask “What happened?” “What did you see, hear, do?” “What did you just experience / observe about the group / problem?” You can narrow it down or bring it back on track if you need, but see what happens when you leave it open to interpretation!

I like to ask questions that evoke their creative imagination when problem-solving around difficult topics. For example, what would xxx (leader in their field) do? Or, imagine it’s a year from now and you’re realizing that this decision has had resounding positive impacts, what’s the key that allowed that to happen? Giving permission and tools for out of the box, creative thinking can be a difference maker.

Depending on your objectives/purpose, tailor open-ended questions accordingly. If you're looking for ways to improve the process, target questions such as "What is one thing you would have done differently?" or "What was the most difficult part of this process?" If the objective is to continue momentum from the exercise, try reinforcing questions such as: "What did you learn from this exercise that you will put to practice this/next week?" or "What will you continue to do following this session?". The more you prepare with 1. defining your objective, 2. considering your audience and 3. tailoring questions accordingly, the more effective your session will be.

Ask someone to expand on what they wrote on a post it or Miro board. 'Tell me more about this point'. Or 'you found we got blocked at this point in the project - why do you think that happened?'

When facilitating or leading a team, it's important to practice reflective listening. Here are some common phrases I often hear great facilitators use to lead with compassion and empathy : ? Let me repeat what I'm hearing to make sure I got this right. ? Are you saying...? ? Am I understanding correctly that...? ? Keep me honest here. Would you say....?

Creating a safe space in sessions as a facilitator is paramount for fostering open dialogue and mutual growth. Equally crucial is the approach to correcting behavior. Rather than fostering competition or criticism, it should stem from a place of collective learning. By emphasizing cooperation over competition by applying empathy and active listening, facilitators can create an environment where individuals can learn, evolve, and collaborate effectively, ultimately benefiting the entire group.

A good facilitator also ensures that different views are heard and welcomed. One way to do that is to use Clean Language questions from Systemic Modelling. How it works: 1. Repeat back for the group something like, "And so Amy thinks [...], and for Ali it's [...], and then for Chia Ling it's [...]" The [...] is the exact words these group members used -- what you're doing here is you're raising the group's attention about what other people think. 2. Then, after summarising above, ask the group any of these questions: "And who's thinking something different?" "And who's different again?" "And what do other people think?" Doing this creates a safe space for dissenting voices. It also means you're raising group intelligence.

Starting with the positives is a good way to build this psychological safety and trust. You want to get everybody contributing from the off - research shows if people speak in the first 5 minutes of a meeting, they are more likely to contribute later on. Focusing on what went well in a project makes people feel better about contributing. It's known as 'Appreciative enquiry' in the literature.

Creating a safe space is important, and this will help you ensure you engage with the less forthcoming members of the team, who may have valuable insight but are less likely to speak up. Team dynamics and social contract play a critical part here.

Yes! Action! In my experience, as a facilitator I also pick up ideas throughout the session that may have been brushed over or forgotten. Or I sense an underlying topic which is avoided. Reflecting these back to the group at the end can be extremely powerful. “I have heard you talk about xxx a lot today, what next?“ “there was energy about xxx earlier but it was dismissed, what’s holding you back?

To keep feedback actionable, I like the following exercise: Step 1: Rate how things went on a scale of 1 (very poorly) to 5 (very well). This can be done at an individual or group average level. Step 2: If the reponse is 3, for example, explore with the group: Why is it a 3 and not a 2 (i.e., what have we done well)? And why is it a 3 and not a 4 (i.e., what's the next step to do better?). Prerequisite for this to work is a calm and constructive mood. If emotions are running high, de-escalation needs to happen first.

One of the simplest ways I generate action steps is to ask the following questions: 1. And what is the first thing you will do? 2. And when will you do it? 3. And what support or resources will you need? Then ask, "And what is the second / third / fourth etc thing you will do?". And repeat steps 1 - 3 above. Getting team members to say what they will do out loud builds accountability and makes it more likely to happen. And creating space for them to say what support they need builds teamwork and camaraderie.

Discuss what happened but ensure there is a constant focus on how you will carry this learning and insight forward. When we get stuck in breaking down what didn't go as well as we may have liked, the dialogue can shift to blame and shame. This can affect the whole team, or only the individual who feels responsible for something that did not go as well as it could have. And this can start right when the post mortem or after action review is scheduled. Find language that stems from a growth mindset, start with a reminder that you are having the debrief because you want to nurture a team culture oriented to learn and help learn (as opposed to judge and be judged).

I find this aspect particularly enjoyable. Providing constructive feedback and promoting action is highly beneficial as it enables individuals to delve deeper into their thoughts, gain insights, observe their reactions, and respond to various situations. This, in turn, enhances the retention and effectiveness of the intended objective.

Any exercise in a meeting (or the meeting itself) can present a parallel opportunity for participants to 1) focus on the task at hand, and 2) be attuned to how they are working together a group. Signposting this clearly at the outset will lead to richer observations after the exercise. The set up doesn't need to be complex, it could be something as simple as "While you work with each other on the exercise take notice of what is happening in the group and how you are working together.' Setting up in this way, combined with a simple framework for feedback, will give participants rich data to work with when thinking about how they perform tasks together.

Problem-solving meetings can fill many team members with adrenaline. As a facilitator it can be helpful to help the team to wind down and take at least 5-10 minutes to shift the pace from energetic and creative to informal and relaxed. I like to encourage the team to write compliments on post-its for team members and put them into respective envelopes. It feels good to walk out of an event feeling appreciated and seen.

Encourage reflection rounds with your group - This allows everyone to express their initial reactions in comparison with the knowledge they acquired; Discuss the strategies and approaches used by the group ; Acknowledge and appreciate individual contributions within the team. Discuss how different roles and skills came into play during the activity! That's what it's all about! Lastly, ask participants for feedback on the activity itself and the debriefing process. This helps in continuously improving future sessions.

Depending on the issue people are working on the debrief can be an emotional space for some people, while for others a eureka moment. I’ve also witnessed moments of individual vulnerability so the facilitator needs to not just hold the space for the group dynamics but also be attentive to the individuals in their personal journeys during your wider workshop. Both the tangible and intangible can be visible in a meaningful debrief.

Discover Frames Discover your frames as a facilitator and make them known when asking questions. Help everyone in the group discover their frames. After frames are discovered and relayed, ask questions of inquiry.