In this guide, we provide an overview of the best facilitating tools and techniques.

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

Go-rounds: everyone takes a turn to speak without interrupt­ion or comment from other people. Go-rounds help to gather opinions, feelings and ideas as well as slowing down the discussion and improving listening. Make sure that everyone gets a chance to speak.

Check-in: A little bit of time devoted to seeing how people are doing, usually at the begin­ning of a meeting. Depending on the group and the time avail­able you might share personal things or keep it short and functional. (E.g. "I'm very tired, can we have a short break in the middle?")

Ideastorming gathers a large number of ideas quickly. Start by stating the issue. Ask people to say whatever comes into their heads as fast as possible – without censoring or discus­sion. This encourages creativity and frees energy. Write down all ideas for later discussion.

Paired listening creates a space where everyone is heard, so participants can explore and formulate their own thoughts and feelings on an issue without interrup­tion. In pairs, one person is the listener, the other speaks about their thoughts and feelings on the issue. The listener gives full attention to their partner. They could also offer a summary at the end, to check they've understood. After a set time swap roles within the pairs.

Small groups: great for changing the dynamics of a meeting, equalising participation or opening up discussion on emotive issues. They can also make meet­ings more efficient, e.g. groups can each take a different topic so more ground is covered over all. Explain clearly what you want groups to do. Write up the task where people can see it. If you want feedback at the end, you need to say clearly what they need to feed back, and give them time at the end to work out what to say and who will say it.

Prioritisation dots: This helps to whittle down a long list of options into something more manageable. Everyone in the group is allowed the same number of 'dots', e.g. five (this could simply be dots they draw on with their own pens). They can 'spend' these dots between their five priority options, or choose a different weighting (e.g. three dots on an idea they are very keen on, and then one each on their next two favoured options).

Pros and cons: (or 'Plus/minus/interesting'). Listing the benefits and drawbacks of different ideas can be a good way to explore different viewpoints without people taking it too personally. It can also be a starting point for a deeper exploration of what people really want to achieve and avoid. Some people will find it hard to engage with an abstract question like "What are your core needs?" Listing the reasons why they like or don't like particular ideas may help them notice and explain what they want and don't want.

Energisers: activities that are very different to the rest of the meeting to provide a quick break. That could include a quick game or a physical activity. Make sure it is something everyone can participate in if they want to. And be aware that some people will feel self-conscious about ice-breaker type games. Simply inviting people to swap positions in the circle or have a stretch may help, or even just making a joke.

Temperature check: a non-verbal quick way to gauge different levels of enthusiasm for a topic. For example, "How keen are you on this idea? If you think it is fantastic, raise your hands high. If you feel middling about it, hold your hands in the middle. And hands down low means you're not keen at all." This has the benefit of getting quick and basic input from everyone in the room - including people who don't often speak. A temperature check isn't the same thing as a majority vote. For example, even if only one person really needs a break, it could still be a good time to stop!

Parking space: when something comes up that's not relevant to the discussion at hand 'park' it in the parking space (a large sheet of paper on the wall) and deal with it at an appropriate time later. This allows you to stay focused but reassures participants they will be heard.

External resources #

• Facilitation Tools for Meetings and Workshops by Seeds for Change (2019)

Attribution #

Work from the following sources was reused:

• Facilitating Meetings by Seeds for Change (2019)