In this guide, you will learn how to get people to be more actively engaged during your meetings. Encourage people to participate with these recommended techniques.

📚 This guide is part of a series on how to facilitate meetings.

Introduction #

Many of these techniques will help make more space in a discussion for people who are less likely to contribute. They can also be used to formally explore group dynamics.

Be aware that for some people these kinds of exercises will feel artificial, or 'like being at school'. These people might become less keen to participate, not more! Notice what's going on in your group, and if the tools aren't having the effect you wanted, try something else!

Hand-signals #

Using hand-signals can make workshops and meetings run more smoothly and help the facilitator see emerging agreements and common ground.

Hand-signals are agreed gestures or shapes that people make with their hands, to communicate in a non-verbal way (e.g. "I want to speak", "I agree", "I don't understand" etc.) For example:

Raise a forefinger when you wish to contribute to the discussion with a general point.

Silent applause – when you hear an opinion that you agree with, wave your hands with your fingers pointing upwards (this saves a lot of time as people don't need to chip in to say “I'd just like to add that I agree with...”).

Raise both forefingers if your point is a direct response to a point that's just been made or a question that's just been asked. This allows you to jump to the head of the queue, in front of all those people raising just one finger. For example, if the group is discussing which train to catch, it could be helpful to jump the queue to tell people that the trains are on strike, and you will need to catch the bus. NB: This option can easily be over-used if people don't fully understand how it is different from raising a single hand.

Language - Make an L shape with your thumb and forefinger to request translation, or to ask someone to use simpler language. This can be especially helpful in any multi-lingual group. Some groups use 'C' for 'clarification' in a similar way.

Technical point - Make a T shape using both hands. We've seen this used in a variety of ways by different groups, so always check you have a shared understanding. One use of 'technical point' is to interrupt the discussion with urgent factual information not related to the meeting (e.g. 'Lunch is ready', 'Can someone help me set up the tea urn for the break.') Another is to jump the queue with a facilitation suggestion, e.g. 'Can we break into small groups for this conversation?'

Take a look at our guide to Hand Signals (PDF) for more examples.

Things to be aware of #

Agree which hand-signals to use: There are lots of different hand-signals out there, and groups use them in many different ways. They work a lot better if everyone is clear about which signals to use in the session and what exact purpose they have.

Think carefully about how many hand-signals you actually need. It is tempting to have hand-signals for everything from 'tea break' to 'I want to make a proposal'. However, if you stick to just a few signals, people are more likely to remember what you agreed they would mean.

Explain the hand-signals in use clearly at the start of the session. This makes it less intimidating for someone who's turned up new, and doesn't understand what's going on! It also prevents situations where people are using the same signal to mean different things.

Some hand-signals can be disempowering. For example, some groups use gestures for 'I disagree' and 'You've been speaking too long'. In general it’s less hurtful to communicate these messages in words.

Keeping a speakers list #

Any number of people

A tool that's used in conjunction with hand-signals. It simply involves asking people to raise their hand/forefinger when they wish to speak, and noting them down in order. They are then invited to speak in that order.

A speakers list can make it very visible who is talking more than others. A variation is to give priority to people who have spoken less, rather than strictly following the order of the list.

Be aware that speaking in the order of raised hands can make for a very disjointed conversation. Someone may have raised their hand to respond to something that was said, but it is no longer relevant by the time it is their turn to speak! This can make it harder to stay focused on listening to what is being said.

Go-rounds #

1 - 3 minutes per person; 3 - 30 people

This is a really useful tool for hearing from everyone in the room on the same topic. Everyone takes a turn to speak on a subject without interruption or comment from other people. Go-rounds help equalise participation and give everyone some clear space to express their opinion.

Process #

1. Clearly state what the topic of the go-round is and write the question on a flipchart where everyone can see it. If necessary, set a time limit for speaking.

2. Give each person in turn a chance to speak. You can either go in turn round the circle, or do a 'pop-corn' go round, where people go in a random order when they are ready.

Things to be aware of #

Allowing people to pass: For some people, a go-round will feel artificial, or like they are being put on the spot. It may be difficult to listen to other contributions at the same time as rehearsing what they are going to say when their turn comes. It helps to allow people to 'pass', and then get a second chance at the end when everyone has spoken.

Time: Go-rounds can take a lot of time, depending on how many people there are in the room and how much people have to say. If time is an issue, you could set a time limit or model an answer of the length you want. You can also encourage people to keep contributions short by keeping the question(s) simple.

Talking sticks #

Any number of people

This tool allows people to consider and take their time in voicing their views as they don't have to be afraid that someone else might jump in. It also makes people conscious of when they interrupt others.

You can use a stick or almost any other distinctive object. Place the object in the centre of the group. People take it from the centre when they want to speak, then return it when they've finished. Only the person holding the talking stick is permitted to speak. You can set a time limit for how long each person is able to speak, if necessary.

Be aware that a talking stick can have 'hippy' associations which would be off-putting for some groups. Choose something that will resonate with the people you're working with, e.g. a hammer, a kid's toy, a fancy hat etc.

Matchstick discussion #

Any number of people

This can be used to equalise how many times each person contributesin a specific discussion. Each person is given the same number of matches (one to five matches depending on time available.) Every time someone speaks they give up a match. When someone has used all their matches they may not speak again until everyone else's matches are gone too. Decide beforehand whether people may give their matches to other members of the group.

Paired listening #

5 - 15 minutes; 2 people per group

This tool creates a space where everyone is heard, enabling participants to explore and formulate their own thoughts or feelings on an issue without interruption. It can help people to gather and consolidate their thoughts before a group discussion. This is especially useful if the topic is complicated or likely to bring up strong feelings.

This tool can also be used as a workshop exercise for people to practise their listening skills.

Process #

1. Split into pairs. Decide who will speak first, and who will listen.

2. The speaker talks about their thoughts or feelings on the issue that you've chosen. Some people may feel self-conscious speaking for a long time - remind them they don't need to produce a perfect speech, just say out loud some of the things in their mind! And of course, they don't have to say anything they aren't comfortable to share.

3. The listener gives full attention to the thinker without interrupting or commenting. They can provide an attentive and supportive atmosphere through eye contact, body language, encouraging noises, smiles and nods. They should give space for pauses without immediately piling in with questions. However, if the thinker gets stuck the listener may try open questions such as “How do you feel about that? Why do you think that?”

4. (Optional) The listener can offer a summary at the end to help check understanding and reassure the speaker that they've been heard.

5. After a set time (one - four minutes is usually plenty) thinker and listener swap roles.

Things to be aware of #

For lots of people, paired listening will feel less 'natural' than a back and forth chat, where both people are putting forward their own points at the same time as listening. Paired listening definitely has benefits: focusing on one person at a time can give them the opportunity to take up more space - which can be helpful even if it isn't comfortable. It also encourages people to listen in a much more focused way than they do when they're also trying to speak their own thoughts. However, it will feel much more challenging or artificial for some people than others - whether for personal or cultural reasons. If you think that this extra layer of challenge would be unhelpful for some people in your group, simple paired conversation could be an alternative.

Mingle #

5-20 minutes; any number of people

Participants move around the room, and have a series of paired conversations, each with a different person. This is an easy way to mix up pairs, and the element of movement will make it more dynamic. If anyone doesn't find it easy to manoeuvre around the space they can stay where they are sitting, and let the minglers come to them.

Process #

1. Invite people to mingle around in the centre of the room. Once everyone who wants to is moving around, call out a question and ask people to find a partner to discuss it with. Remind anyone standing to look out for people who are still sitting down. If anyone is left without a partner, encourage them to join a three.

2. After a reasonable amount of time, give people a time warning. Then ask people to start moving again. Call out a new question, and let people repeat with a new partner.

Things to be aware of #

If people have strong feelings about the topic, or they have to think hard about it, they may not like having the timing tightly controlled by the facilitator. On the other hand, if everyone finishes their conversation at different times, then some people may end up walking around without a partner, feeling left out! In general, this tool is useful when you want to increase energy and interaction levels, but the actual conversations people are having aren't too 'heavy'.

Carousel #

Also known as 'speed-dating' (or 'speed-friending'!) This tool is similar to a mingle, but people are arranged in concentric circles, so it is obvious who their new partner is when they move on. Only half of the people have to move in order to switch partners. This makes it a better version if not everyone in your group finds moving easy and comfortable.

The practicalities are slightly different depending on how you arrange the chairs, so for simplicity we've described the process twice!

Process: concentric circles #

1. Arrange enough chairs for half the participants in a circle facing out. Ask people to sit in these chairs. People in this circle won't need to move, so people can opt to sit there if staying in one place works better for them.

2. The remaining participants can each take a chair, and form a second circle that faces inward. Each chair should be matched up with someone in the inner circle. If anyone is left out, there can be two outer chairs for one of the inner ones (or vice versa).

3. Call out a question for people to discuss in their pairs.

4. When it is time for people to move on, everyone in the outer circle moves one seat in the same direction.

5. Repeat the process with new partners and new questions.

Things to be aware of #

As with Mingle, this tool involves interrupting people's conversation mid flow, so it is better for topics that aren't too 'involved'.

Small groups and pairs #

Time dependent on task; 2 - 15 people per group

There are many benefits to splitting into smaller groups or pairs within a meeting or workshop. For example:

Balancing out how much people participate: Large groups can sometimes become dominated by a few people or ideas, stifling creativity and the contributions of others. By contrast, smaller groups allow time for everyone to speak and to feel involved and can be a lot less intimidating.

Raising the energy: More people are actively participating at the same time, so energy levels are likely to go up.

Discussing emotionally charged issues: Many people are more comfortable being open about their feelings or voicing controversial opinions in a smaller group.

Easier flow of discussion: Many topics can be discussed more effectively in a smaller group - for example a detailed topic like agreeing the layout of a leaflet.

Efficiency: Small groups allow you to cover several different topics at once - with each group taking on one topic or task.

Process #

1. Explain clearly what you want groups / pairs to do and how much time they've got. This is best done before people start moving around, so people can concentrate on the instructions. Also provide written instructions, e.g. on a whiteboard/screen everyone can see, or print outs for each group / pair. If you are going to have feedback at the end, you need to say clearly what they will need to feed back.

2. Break into smaller groups. This could be done by a random split (e.g. numbering off). Alternatively, groups could self-select. For example, people could choose a topic they have particular experience, skills or energy for.

3. Go round the groups / pairs shortly after they have started to double check they have understood the task. Sometimes you will work this out by watching and listening in from a distance. At other times you will interrupt them to ask if it's all going OK.

4. Give people a time-warning shortly before the end (or go round checking that groups are ready). Remind them about feedback. Give them time to agree on who will feed back, and to agree key points to share if necessary.

Things to be aware of #

Participation levels within small groups: Small groups aren't always productive and participatory! Sometimes one or two people do all the talking, or the conversation drifts onto more general chat. It helps to give the groups very clear instructions for what to talk about, e.g. questions printed out for them to answer. You could also ask the groups to appoint a facilitator and a time-keeper. Sometimes you might get involved as a facilitator in a group that is particularly struggling.

Feed back without repetition: If all the groups have been discussing the same topic, feedback can involve going over the same ground a lot of times. Ask groups to only feed back new points. If each group has a long list, ask them to prioritise a few key points.

Accuracy of feedback: It is very easy for the person who feeds back from a small group to represent their own views, rather than summarising the whole discussion. Allow time for the group to agree what points they want to share. Or ask anyone to share points that particularly struck them as individuals rather than trying to summarise the whole small group conversation.

Ideastorms #

10 - 30 minutes; 5 - 15 people

A tool for sparking creative thinking and quickly gathering a large number of ideas. It can be used for two different purposes:

Problem solving and decision-making: ideastorms help to open up lots of possibilities, rather than getting stuck on the first idea someone came up with. This can support creativity and thinking outside of the box. Ideastorms also makes space for a wider variety of people to put forward their ideas. If you always go with the first possibility, you tend to lose the input of more reflective thinkers, or anyone else who is slower to put themself forward.

Pooling knowledge: an ideastorm can help to find out what people already know about a topic. For example, in a workshop, this format allows the group to share their knowledge and creativity with no 'top down' input from the facilitator.

Process #

1. State the issue to be ideastormed. For extra clarity, write it in the middle of a large sheet of paper or whiteboard.

2. Ask people to call out all their ideas as fast as possible - without censoring them or discussing them. Impractical ideas are welcome - they can spark more possibilities.

3. Have one or two note takers to write all ideas down where everyone can see them. Alternatively people can write their ideas on post-its and stick them up on the wall as they call them out.

Things to be aware of #

Ideastorms work best when there is no discussion or comment on other people's ideas. People can be inhibited if they feel like their ideas are being criticised. Discussing ideas can also slow down the flow of new possibilities. Encourage participants to hold back their comments on other people's ideas. Structured thinking and organising can come afterwards.

Roving ideastorms #

A roving ideastorm increases the level of participation and gets the group physically moving (if they want to). Several small groups create ideastorms around different (but related) topics. After a time limit, each small group rotates to a new topic. By the end, each group has spent some time thinking about each topic.

Process #

1. Set up different 'stations' - a tabletop or wall space with a large sheet of paper with the topic clearly written on it.

2. Form small groups. Each small group starts at a different 'station' and has a short ideastorm on that station's topic. They record their ideas by writing them on the sheet of paper. Alternatively people can write their ideas on post-it notes, and stick them down. This means ideas can later easily be grouped into themes.

3. You call time and groups move on to the next station to ideastorm on the new topic. If space is limited, or moving round the room won't work for everyone, the groups can stay stationed at their own tables, and just swap the sheets of paper with each other.

4. Repeat until each group has visited each station. A short, well enforced time limit each turn will keep the small groups moving from station to station and make this a dynamic experience.

5. The groups can then re-visit each station to read all the completed sheets with other groups' contributions. For verbal feedback, each group could take one sheet to summarise to the rest of the group.

Example #

In a workshop about doing effective publicity, each station could be dedicated to evaluating a different poster, with questions for the groups to answer like: ‘What things about this poster make it easy to pick out key information?’, ‘Who do you think this poster would appeal to?’ ‘Is there anything about this poster you would change?’ The process of analysing the different example posters could then build up to the group creating criteria for effective designs.

A few hints and tips... #

• As people move on to a new topic, they will need to be able to read the ideas of the previous small groups. Ask people to write as clearly as possible and to come up with wording that other groups will be able to understand.

• The new group just adds extra ideas other groups didn't think of. This means that they have less work to do as they progress, because most of the ideas will already have been thought of. You can reflect this in the time limits you set. You might give them six minutes on the first topic, five at the second, four at the third, three at the fourth etc.

Post-it note race #

This is a way to bring out a large amount of information very quickly, and increase energy and participation levels. For example, running this exercise on ‘What I appreciate about this group’ can work well at the beginning of a visioning day, collecting a large amount of positive information.

It can also be used to ‘warm’ people up on a topic. For example, if a group is familiar with facilitation, you could warm them up to the topic by asking them to do a post-it note race of 'facilitation tasks to help a meeting run well.' This could then be followed by a reflection and group discussion.

Process #

1. Give everyone a stack of post-its and a pen. Tell the group they have X minutes to complete the task - 1 to 3 minutes is usually enough.

2. Ask them to write separate ideas on different post-it notes, and arrange them in a long line. The objective is to make the line as long as possible, or to get from one end of the room to the other. Anyone who can't move around easily, or get down to the floor has the option to give their post-its to someone else to add to the line.

3. When the time is up ask the group to stop. Everyone can move around to see what has been written, or the facilitator / a group member can read the post-its out.

Variation #

For a competitive variant, participants could be in equal size teams, and race to see who can get the longest line in the time.

Things to be aware of #

Be aware that such a fast-paced game doesn't allow many people to do creative or analytical thinking. It is better for quick-fire revision of a familiar topic.

Attribution #

In this guide, the following sources have been reused:

• Facilitation Tools for meetings and workshops by Seeds for Change