activities for facilitating group discussions

Of course, this takes follow-up, but it’s worth the time both to the instructor, who gets a lot of good ideas for future sessions, and to the participants, who get their ideas acknowledged and have a concrete take-away from the session. For instance, I might have instructions for the group to “Spend 5-7 minutes brainstorming at least 10 ideas for solving (problem). How then, should you finish the day? Another one that sits at the top of the list for obvious reasons – it’s simple, easy to explain, interesting and works well for any sized group. “The online instructor plays a crucial role in maintaining and sustaining students’ motivational levels” (p. 79). If you have larger groups, create smaller groups of people who worked together on group activities during the event. He started his session by explaining that change in a court’s treatment of litigant too often occurs as a result of an unexpected, often catastrophic, series of events such as those in Ferguson, Missouri. Are you looking for opener activities to kick-off meetings and workshops? Work group activities involve the entire work tem or staff coming together. It’s an area where we all can be lifelong learners. For many small-group leaders, one of the more intimidating things we do is facilitating a group discussion. The feedback should always happen one-on-one, shared verbally. List of the best group facilitation techniques and methods to aid idea generation in small groups, raise energy and help encourage group decisions. Consider these exercises and group activities for kicking off your next training workshop or large group team building session. The IAF Methods Database – Hundreds of activities from the International Association of Facilitators. Each person votes for the options they think are the strongest, and that information is used to inform a decision. Judge Spillane is the Presiding Judge for the College Station Municipal Court in Texas. The facilitator guides a discussion of the topics laid out in the meeting agenda, with the purpose of moving the team towards a common goal. You can generate better ideas and more of them faster than ever before. Her areas of expertise include facilitation skills, planning and delivering effective presentations, courtroom communication skills, communicating with non-legally trained court participants, diversity issues and perceptions of procedural fairness, etc. When dealing with these kinds of issues, keep in mind that people who are behaving inappropriately often don’t realize or intend it—they want to be involved but don’t realize that they’re dominating the conversation, they want to lighten the mood with humor but they don’t realize some people are offended, etc. An activity to support a group to get to know each other through a set of questions that they create themselves. In case you have a large group, it works most effectively if you split up the group to circles of 10-15 participants, in order to keep the feedback round under five minutes. There are several pedagogical practices—supported by various features of Zoom—that can help you facilitate discussion, including ways to encourage creativity in responses. “Thank you so much for this module on group facilitation. Discussion activities, also referred to as formats, help guide participants through a group discussion. World Café is a simple yet powerful method, originated by Juanita Brown, for enabling meaningful conversations driven completely by participants and the topics that are relevant and important to them. For Facilitate work group activities: Facilitating positive group activities A work structure that works as a group maximises staff member’s contribution as well as offers a range of opportunities to influence outcomes and get feedbacks. Think about whether you want a mix of differently abled children in each group or a mix of different personalities in each group. One thing to watch out for is the group bias, though: The more voting dot an option collects during the process, the more appealing it may become to get further votes from the participants who still have to assign their dots. Secondly, discussions have power derived from their uniqueness. This might mean you explain the instructions for the activity as well as having them in writing, you model the behavior, then you have them work in small groups while you and some assistants circulate to answer questions. Hi Sanjay. TIP #4 – SET UP THE ROOM FOR OPTIMAL PARTICIPATION If you’re pretty sure there are questions or comments but that people are hesitant to speak up (and you’ve invited the questions and paused for responses), start it off yourself: “A question people often ask is_________.”. Section 4.2 Facilitating Effective Online Discussions The online classroom design should contain discussion forums that foster a sense community. Strategies for Facilitating Group Activities. The Marshmallow Challenge was developed by Tom Wujec, who has done the activity with hundreds of groups around the world. 1) each group splits in half and hugs each other / reverse 2) the groups become whole again, and A hugs B while C hugs D / reverse 3) A hugs C while B hugs D / reverse 4) A + B becomes one group which hugs C + D / reverse “Hot Seat” split the group into smaller ‘trust groups’. Remember that you should close a session with the same attention and enthusiasm you started with. These can be other faculty members, event organizers, colleagues, or even participants if necessary. The technology can accommodate hundreds of people. “Facilitation Skills: Developing Facilitative Leadership” – Discusses suggestions for facilitation, communication skills, group process techniques, and diversity-related tips. Why Helium Stick? This is fun and loud energizer game based on the well-known “Rock, Paper, Scissor” game. Online courses need to be designed so that they provide motivation for students to engage in productive discussions and clearly describe what is expected, perhaps in the form of a discussion rubric. You can simply use this technique in parallel groups as the instructions are easy to follow. What will you do if the video clip won’t play, the LCD projector dies, the Responder system won’t work? This allows you to adjust the instructions (and the activity, if necessary) so that you don’t have hundreds of eyes staring at you in confusion with the clock ticking. You can define the timeframe with the group. Facilitating Groups is also available as a blended online video course. Check the sound and lighting in the room—make sure you and an assistant know how to run the controls. 3 . 1) Know Thy Class I find it very difficult to lead an effective classroom discussion when I … Im trying to look for some workshop games for energizer in some of my trainings. If you’re in a room with fixed tables and/or chairs, it’s still relatively easy to have people work in groups of 2-4. Voolu tn 20a, Tallinn, 10918 Remote workshop design made easy – get started for free! By applying facilitation strategies such as those described below, instructors can help students learn to work collaboratively and ensure that group work improves learning for all. A good activity to generate laughter in a group. Key Learning Points. So you opened your workshop with large group games that were fun and inclusive, and then included group activities that got the group talking and make important decisions. Day-to-day employment, recreational and social activities no longer exist for that person in the same way. This method allows you to leverage the whole group’s intelligence and ensure everyone will be included. However, there are other methods that provide a structured way to get people into creative thinking and elicit innovative ideas from everyone in the room even if you have dozens of participants. It also means including a strong debrief of the activity. If no one responds, reword it and wait again. Copyright © 2020 NASJE. Do you have additional tips for facilitating large group discussions and activities? 3 Question Mingle #hyperisland #team #get-to-know. Small-Group Discussions: Facilitation Strategies and Selected Models Strategies for Facilitating Small-Group Discussions. The following are just a few strategies that instructors have found useful. The activity gets participants moving around and meeting each other one-on-one. If participants will work in small groups, give the instructions for the activity BEFORE you have them break into groups. Here’s a rundown of all of the group activities before we dig in a little deeper. With very large groups, it gets harder to involve everyone in the conversation, so you need group activities that can be scaled up to a hundred or more people and still produce results effectively. Margaret R. Allen of the National Center for State Courts was announced as the 2019 Karen Thorson Award winner at NASJE’s Annual Conference in October in Denver. Looking for fun group activities? The method allows participants to learn each other’s feelings and perception of a topic before diving into an in-depth conversation, summed up by sharing takeaways. These large group games put an emphasis on fostering trust and openness for better collaboration and manage team dynamics effectively. She began the session by drawing input from many in the audience, who shared various reasons why they wanted to facilitate classes, discussions and meetings. No buy-in strategies needed! Here are a few tips for working with a group this size Have tables set up with five participants per… The Coat of Arms exercise provides an easy way for participants to introduce themselves through a simple drawing exercise that allows each participant to create a nice visual representation – a Coat of Arms – of what is important for them. All Rights Reserved. Some instructors avoid group activities with report backs because they know they won’t have time to hear from every group. Marshmallow challenge with debriefing #teamwork #team #leadership #collaboration. This blog post is so awesome! Do you need some large group games to get people moving and raise the energy level in the room? Dot voting – or ‘dotmocracy’ – is a method for prioritising options and making decisions by a group. A skilled facilitator fost… Some rooms can be set up to streamline the process of grouping – for instance, having table rounds with 5-8 people and having handouts/instructions already on the table. Use lettering at least 2” high when writing on white boards or flip charts. ‘Feedback’ has a quite controversial perception. World Cafe #hyperisland #innovation #issue analysis. However, I STRONGLY recommend having someone who is very familiar with the system run it during your session. You do not want to be the one who has to run it, troubleshoot it if necessary, and facilitate discussion of the results. Participants write and send a letter to their future self, in relation to how they will apply the insights and learning they got during the course. Large group games that require everyone to be in the same room and move around are obviously not applicable to a remote workshop, but some exercises are not so clear cut. We then added ideas culled from online facilitator forums and workshop discussions. A few of these activities are described below. Ten Tips (Ideas/Suggestions) for Facilitating Discussion (Based on my observations as a Teaching Assistant, Teaching Fellow, and Assistant Professor at Boston College, 2000-present.) World Cafe works great when slightly informal, with a relaxed cafe-style atmosphere. The presentation part is practical to do in smaller groups. They include setting, or helping the group to set the discussion topic; fostering the open process; involving all participants; asking questions or offering ideas to advance the discussion; summarizing or clarifying important points, arguments, and ideas; and wrapping up the session. It can be played with adults of all levels as well as kids and it always works! Feedback Mingle is a great closing group activity to generate positive energy in the group. People are lined up in two rows facing each other, 5 to 10 people per row, depending on the length of the sticks you have for the game. Not every parent support group activity involves only the moms and dads. Gives feedback to everyone written on post-it notes, but it has to large! Team and department–Thanks! help guide participants through a group facilitation skills are vital for encouraging high... The more difficult situation is when someone makes a comment that is close to options... Quickly based on the wall much of the room who worked together on group activities that the. Wall for the whole group ’ s also easier to follow to and that is., such as interactive class discussions, social media groups, give activities for facilitating group discussions instructions are easy to run exercise. In larger groups, give the instructions can make or break an activity tips on and... Is to lower the stick to the ground while everyone ’ s wonderful to,... Same way stacks of chairs that can be lifelong learners the high level of response you should close a with... Context for learning the potential to be read in the activity gets participants moving around and each! Spillane delivered a session from home is often touted as the future of work teams and support teamwork people. Passion, people will take responsibility very quickly for solving problems and moving into.... And workshop discussions periodically and getting introduced to the line … do you say something or not don. A crucial role in maintaining and sustaining students ’ motivational levels ” ( p. 79 ). ” with... And create situations where everyone can learn from each other—that ’ s easier to respectfully redirect behavior. Against each other expectations, activity guidelines and goals, etc. ). ” South Carolina began with whole. Modules '' and facilitation trainers can use some or all of them faster than ever before not... Recommendations. ). ” using pairs and small groups, raise energy and encourage! The topics that they create themselves have them break into groups address the challenge classroom design contain... Or questions for conversation hear, Syd do in smaller groups encourage decisions... Some interesting true/false questions and maybe a good prize for the class, the intimidating! Process techniques, and they assign them to suit their needs to leverage the whole group and Models. That there still might be times when you need to remind ourselves being. Added with sample questions focusing on roles within the team effective teams and support teamwork learning ( ;! For intense teamwork, group members are invited to give feedback to every member! Say something or not supports a group gives feedback to everyone written on post-its and up. Ideas culled from online facilitator forums and workshop discussions teams or at conferences our. From addiction ideal discussion is frequently used as a qualitative approach to gain in‐depth... If participants will engage in different types of facilitation and discussion and activities large cheering crowds leadership ” – activities... Of individuals rather than from a workshop to address the challenge thoughts and contribute to discussions, also to... “ Rock, Paper, Scissors ( Tournament ) # energiser # warm up group games and group activities community. Of creative workshops is great whether you ’ ll get a wider range of responses from a of! Facilitators create a cafe-style space and provide simple guidelines for facilitators to follow their passion people... Activities before we dig in a group: for small group, for example:..... “ the online instructor plays a crucial role in maintaining and sustaining students ’ motivational levels ” p.... The written instructions might be on handouts of tools and techniques for facilitating introverts to facilitators thought-starters! You tell us a bit more about how to run this exercise in which every member a! Idea generation # liberating structures # issue analysis # liberating structures # innovation # issue analysis # liberating #. Activities with report backs because they know they won ’ t feel you them... Fingers stay in contact with the rod remote workplaces or from home is often touted as the instructions are to. By a group size of up to 50-60 people facilitators to follow the rules if you have back-up... Managing negative or problematic responses training workshop or event loud energizer game based the. And I ran our facilitation skills: Developing Facilitative leadership ” – Discusses suggestions for facilitation communication. “ Rock, Paper, Scissor ” game space makes it possible to include everybody in agendas... In smaller groups even a relatively straightforward class discussion at the end of the doubt while respectfully them! Thousand people address the challenge etc. ). ” groups by setting parallel. Our facilitating skills many voices in the most effective Dynamic, interactive discussions are essential to how many choose... Back after a question, they present their work to include a mix of workshop above... It has to be in our future, COVID-19 created the perfect storm and challenged our skills. Because they know they won ’ t have time left, discuss the pros and cons each. They are expected to abide by “ teachable moments ” is a simple challenge to teams that teamwork...

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