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In today’s blog, we’re going to break down four facilitation techniques you can try in your organisation to get ideas flowing – without anyone hogging the proverbial mic.
Facilitation isn’t as simple as chucking some employees in a room and asking them to talk for an hour. It’s about creating safe and energising spaces that bring people together to spark meaningful conversations, and leave participants feeling inspired instead of overwhelmed.
For L&D professionals, facilitation is an invaluable skill.
When you master the skill of facilitation, it impacts so many outcomes that fall under the Learning & Development umbrella:
Better collaboration.
Deeper understanding.
Stronger team dynamics.
So, how do you master facilitation techniques and allow your teams to have the most productive conversations possible?
Here are four methods you can use.
The fishbowl method – named after the shape of a goldfish bowl – brings a handful of participants together to have a conversation in the centre of the room, while everyone else observes in a circle around them. (The “fishbowl” in question.)
As the people in the inner circle discuss a topic, those outside listen and step in if they have something to contribute, replacing one of the participants in the centre – and so on, until everyone has had a turn. (If you ever lurk on the pseudo-intellectual side of YouTube, you might have seen a version of this method used in Jubilee’s controversial “Surrounded” series – except in their interpretation, one specific person remains in the centre throughout, and unfortunately, sometimes that person is Jordan Peterson.)
Theological debates very, very much aside, when it comes to the workplace, this method helps to create a more dynamic and free-flowing conversation that encourages active listening. It checks out; after all, why wouldn’t you be more attuned and plugged into a conversation, if you’re listening with the knowledge that at any moment you could become an active participant instead of an audience member?
Tip: Assign a facilitator to lightly moderate and ensure a respectful flow of conversation. And remind your introverts they can dip their toe in the water at any time.
Everyone can remember the toe–scrunchingly awkward feeling of sitting in a training session or workshop when nobody wants to speak up or contribute, and the uncomfortable silence that settles over the room as a result. The “1-2-4-All” technique aims to circumnavigate that awkwardness, and head straight towards a rhythmic, free-flowing conversation in which everyone feels involved.
This technique, from Liberation Structures, is deceptively simple:
Why is this seemingly basic technique the conversational golden ticket for introverts? Because it lowers the stakes. People get a chance to think before speaking (a luxury not always given to introverts – but crucial for allowing people to find their footing while forming a point.) They can gradually build confidence in smaller groups before sharing with the rest of the room.
Tip: This works brilliantly online too with breakout rooms. Just keep an eye on the clock!
If you’re a writer or any type of creative person, you’re no stranger to the brain fog that sets in after hours sitting at your desk, easel or workbench. Legs asleep, shoulders aching from hunching over your project, you stand up and decide to get some fresh air.
And isn’t it almost always the case that, as soon as your feet hit the pavement, that movement – and physical distance from your project – seems to organically generate fresh ideas?
This isn’t a baseless phenomenon peddled by authors on behalf of Big Fresh Air; it has scientific backing. A Stanford study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition found that walking boosted creative output by an average of 60%. And this isn’t exclusive to outdoor walks – it includes walking around indoors and even on a treadmill.
That’s why this next technique, known as the gallery walk, is so effective.
Here’s how it works: During a gallery walk, participants move around the room to view learning materials, post-it notes, or posters displayed on the walls – each one presenting a different idea, question, or theme. (Like walking around a gallery, hence the name.)
You can structure it with stations (e.g. different problems to solve) or as a reflection tool (e.g. ideas generated earlier in the session). Participants can leave comments, vote on ideas, or simply absorb the content. You’ll probably find that this method gets people thinking “outside the box” and outside of their comfort zone. And isn’t that what facilitation is all about?
Tip: Use sticky notes or voting dots so participants can interact with the materials. And don’t forget a timer — there’s always someone who gets stuck admiring “Station 2: The Budget Challenge” a little too long.
If you’re struggling to get new ideas from the same old minds, role storming might be your perfect antidote. Similar to the role playing games you might have played in GCSE drama class – but hopefully marginally less embarrassing – role storming asks participants to imagine they’re someone else. This could be anyone: a customer, a competitor, an inventor, Lady Gaga… truly, whoever gets the ideas flowing from a new (simulated) perspective.
For example:
“What would our gamified training look like if Fusajiro Yamauchi designed it?”
“What would our comms sound like if Maya Angelou wrote them?”
“How would a frustrated customer describe our product?”
“How would our competitors approach our roadblocks?”
The answer to some of these questions might be: “Not suitable for us at all.” That’s okay; it’s all about getting fresh ideas flowing and getting in the mindset of considering differing perspectives.
Tip: Keep it light-hearted. Encourage commitment to the role, and give permission to go wild — it’s often the most off-the-wall ideas that spark useful discussion.
Facilitation doesn’t have to mean leading from the front or being the loudest in the room. Often, it’s about creating the conditions for others to shine.
Whether you're facilitating a leadership programme, designing collaborative learning experiences, or simply trying to make your Monday meetings livelier, these techniques can help. You don’t need to use them all at once, but rotating them keeps things fresh and ensures you're meeting different learners' needs.
If you’re looking for a fresh perspective for your teams, book a Thrive demo today or browse our Thrive Content offering.
Explore what impact Thrive could make for your team and your learners today.
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In today’s blog, we’re going to break down four facilitation techniques you can try in your organisation to get ideas flowing – without anyone hogging the proverbial mic.
Facilitation isn’t as simple as chucking some employees in a room and asking them to talk for an hour. It’s about creating safe and energising spaces that bring people together to spark meaningful conversations, and leave participants feeling inspired instead of overwhelmed.
For L&D professionals, facilitation is an invaluable skill.
When you master the skill of facilitation, it impacts so many outcomes that fall under the Learning & Development umbrella:
Better collaboration.
Deeper understanding.
Stronger team dynamics.
So, how do you master facilitation techniques and allow your teams to have the most productive conversations possible?
Here are four methods you can use.
The fishbowl method – named after the shape of a goldfish bowl – brings a handful of participants together to have a conversation in the centre of the room, while everyone else observes in a circle around them. (The “fishbowl” in question.)
As the people in the inner circle discuss a topic, those outside listen and step in if they have something to contribute, replacing one of the participants in the centre – and so on, until everyone has had a turn. (If you ever lurk on the pseudo-intellectual side of YouTube, you might have seen a version of this method used in Jubilee’s controversial “Surrounded” series – except in their interpretation, one specific person remains in the centre throughout, and unfortunately, sometimes that person is Jordan Peterson.)
Theological debates very, very much aside, when it comes to the workplace, this method helps to create a more dynamic and free-flowing conversation that encourages active listening. It checks out; after all, why wouldn’t you be more attuned and plugged into a conversation, if you’re listening with the knowledge that at any moment you could become an active participant instead of an audience member?
Tip: Assign a facilitator to lightly moderate and ensure a respectful flow of conversation. And remind your introverts they can dip their toe in the water at any time.
Everyone can remember the toe–scrunchingly awkward feeling of sitting in a training session or workshop when nobody wants to speak up or contribute, and the uncomfortable silence that settles over the room as a result. The “1-2-4-All” technique aims to circumnavigate that awkwardness, and head straight towards a rhythmic, free-flowing conversation in which everyone feels involved.
This technique, from Liberation Structures, is deceptively simple:
Why is this seemingly basic technique the conversational golden ticket for introverts? Because it lowers the stakes. People get a chance to think before speaking (a luxury not always given to introverts – but crucial for allowing people to find their footing while forming a point.) They can gradually build confidence in smaller groups before sharing with the rest of the room.
Tip: This works brilliantly online too with breakout rooms. Just keep an eye on the clock!
If you’re a writer or any type of creative person, you’re no stranger to the brain fog that sets in after hours sitting at your desk, easel or workbench. Legs asleep, shoulders aching from hunching over your project, you stand up and decide to get some fresh air.
And isn’t it almost always the case that, as soon as your feet hit the pavement, that movement – and physical distance from your project – seems to organically generate fresh ideas?
This isn’t a baseless phenomenon peddled by authors on behalf of Big Fresh Air; it has scientific backing. A Stanford study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition found that walking boosted creative output by an average of 60%. And this isn’t exclusive to outdoor walks – it includes walking around indoors and even on a treadmill.
That’s why this next technique, known as the gallery walk, is so effective.
Here’s how it works: During a gallery walk, participants move around the room to view learning materials, post-it notes, or posters displayed on the walls – each one presenting a different idea, question, or theme. (Like walking around a gallery, hence the name.)
You can structure it with stations (e.g. different problems to solve) or as a reflection tool (e.g. ideas generated earlier in the session). Participants can leave comments, vote on ideas, or simply absorb the content. You’ll probably find that this method gets people thinking “outside the box” and outside of their comfort zone. And isn’t that what facilitation is all about?
Tip: Use sticky notes or voting dots so participants can interact with the materials. And don’t forget a timer — there’s always someone who gets stuck admiring “Station 2: The Budget Challenge” a little too long.
If you’re struggling to get new ideas from the same old minds, role storming might be your perfect antidote. Similar to the role playing games you might have played in GCSE drama class – but hopefully marginally less embarrassing – role storming asks participants to imagine they’re someone else. This could be anyone: a customer, a competitor, an inventor, Lady Gaga… truly, whoever gets the ideas flowing from a new (simulated) perspective.
For example:
“What would our gamified training look like if Fusajiro Yamauchi designed it?”
“What would our comms sound like if Maya Angelou wrote them?”
“How would a frustrated customer describe our product?”
“How would our competitors approach our roadblocks?”
The answer to some of these questions might be: “Not suitable for us at all.” That’s okay; it’s all about getting fresh ideas flowing and getting in the mindset of considering differing perspectives.
Tip: Keep it light-hearted. Encourage commitment to the role, and give permission to go wild — it’s often the most off-the-wall ideas that spark useful discussion.
Facilitation doesn’t have to mean leading from the front or being the loudest in the room. Often, it’s about creating the conditions for others to shine.
Whether you're facilitating a leadership programme, designing collaborative learning experiences, or simply trying to make your Monday meetings livelier, these techniques can help. You don’t need to use them all at once, but rotating them keeps things fresh and ensures you're meeting different learners' needs.
If you’re looking for a fresh perspective for your teams, book a Thrive demo today or browse our Thrive Content offering.
Explore what impact Thrive could make for your team and your learners today.
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