There are certain facilitation skills and abilities needed in order to master working with a group. In essence, facilitation is about leading people to learn and problem solve in ways that will also serve the group.
If you are a teacher, trainer, or workshop facilitator, the aim is to capture people’s attention, elicit multiple opinions, and build effective working teams that can learn together.
At EZ Public Speaking, we pride ourselves on providing vibrant public speaking and facilitation skills for anyone responsible for leading small group facilitation questions and discussions.
Small Group Facilitation Questions: An Overview
From a brainstorming session to a problem-solving or a team discussion, the proper questions help the group work on achieving the set objectives. Here at EZ Public Speaking we have set out a list of powerful and effective small group facilitation questions helpful for small group learning that are meant to create interest and healthy debate as well as foster collaborative thinking. Here are some key questions you can use in various scenarios:
- Opening Questions
These questions are designed to ensure that the participants feel relaxed and to allow them to get their creative juices going.
- Why are you here today, and what would you like to get out of the discussion?
- Has anyone heard of some incidents to relate with the topic we are debating on?
- Before reading or watching anything about this topic, what do you suppose or believe is true?
- Clarifying Questions
These questions assist in making sure that all the participants grasp what is being talked about and promote increased involvement in offering of ideas.
- Could you elaborate on that a little bit more?
- What do you mean by that? Can you give an example?
- What has that idea got to do with what we were just discussing?
- Can I simplify what you are saying because I couldn’t quite understand?
- Probing Questions
Whole group discussion questions can be generative, elaborative, or interrogative in nature: generative questions are designed to elicit new and creative ideas from participants; elaborative questions are designed to expand on previous ideas, get participants to add more detail to what they have previously stated and get participants to think more deeply about their own or others’ ideas; interrogative questions are designed to ask participants to explain the thoughts or motivations that they had when producing.
- I bet that is why it is so?
- It raises the question of what might happen if we followed that particular course of action.
- I would like to understand that in detail and how it could work out in a much more practical setting.
Creative Ways to Facilitate Group Discussion: What Will You Get?
Facilitating a group discussion is a powerful way to encourage collaboration, problem-solving, and idea-sharing. However, to ensure that these discussions are not only productive but also engaging, it’s important to incorporate creative ways to facilitate group discussion that keep participants involved, focused, and inspired. Here are some creative ways to facilitate group discussions that will bring fresh energy to your conversations.
Brainstorming with a Twist
In face-to-face brainstorming, ideas often get hijacked by over-talking individuals or bosses, and others who retain them do not get the chance to give them out. One method to reduce these isues and make it more equal is to apply the silent brainstorming technique, which implies that all the participants who have the same amount of time (for example, 5-10 minutes) write their ideas. After the time is out, the group members can then share what they have come up with on their own and more so, piggyback on the other members’ ideas.
Round Robin Sharing
The round-robin technique helps the user/user(s) of the meeting to contribute in equal measure without any exclusion. In round-robin talk, when participants express ideas only, one at a time, in a stipulated sequence, without interruption.
Fishbowl Technique
Fishbowl Technique is another technique we’re going to discuss here today that is interactive and enhances listening skills as well as enriches group discussions. In this format, only some of the participants who form the inner circle of the discussion participate, while others form the outer circle. After a period of time, the groups switch, and the outer circle is now the inner ring, and people are now in the middle.
Debate Format
In an academic discussion, divide participants into two teams, with each team supporting a particular position regardless of the student’s beliefs. Engage in an open debate and discussion allowing for the free flow of ideas. This will necessitate a strong facilitator to contral the discussion.
Ending Note!
Leading a discussion in the workplace or classroom is a very important aspect of enabling critical thinking, group work, and participation. If you have questions about “how to facilitate a discussion in the classroom, or workplace” EZ Public Speaking would be happy to have discussions to make your facilitating more robust
Begin facilitating effective discussions now – visit EZ Public Speaking and find out more!