How can you ensure equal participation and contribution from all members in a facilitated group discussion?

Having superior active listening skills is a necessary condition for being an effective group facilitator.As a group facilitator , the primary responsibility is to bring out the collective wisdom of the group. That requires being fully present in the moment to listen and understand what the group members are saying and to bring out key insights in the service of the group! The best group facilitators listen intently to pick up the insights of the group members and help connect the dots!

It can be helpful to offer different ways of engaging with content - some people are happy to share their ideas verbally, while others prefer to add comments in a written form or even anonymously. It all depends on personality type: some people just prefer to take their time to fully formulate their idea in a written way rather than shout it out, and someone those are the most insightful ideas! So, making space in the session for people to engage in different ways can mean fuller input. Group size and make-up is also really important - as is reminding people to make space for one another at the start.

What might be very powerful in discussing ideas or exchanging opinions is the greatest and most inclusive question from Amy Edmondson - the mother of psychological safety concept: “Who has a different opinion or idea?”. This implements that there must be someone in the room having a different perspective. Asking this laud by a supervisor or project manager could encourage team members to speak up.

Always good to have a facilitator who is used to running focus groups, who is making sure everyone gets to talk and helps with any clarifications. I use part of the Time to Think way of running meetings, using rounds to give more equal time to people. I also sens information beforehand to help people start thinking about the questions beforehand.

First, I wouldn't worry about '"equal" participation, at least not in terms of e.g. amount of time spent speaking. People land in very different places on a 'concise-to-verbose' scale, and depending on the session topic and format will have more or less to contribute. To ensure everyone has space to input I usually include activities that involve going round the (virtual) room in turn, and check in at the end to see if people felt they had the space they needed.

In my experience conducting qualitative research for my master's dissertation, I facilitated a focus group with 6 participants. All of them knew each other beforehand as they had been taking part in a monthly support group. As with any research project, detailed information were sent out with consent form. I also met with them at one of the monthly meetings to explain the procedure. On the day, I did a brief introduction to emphasise the ground rules then let the group to talk using the questions guide. The only time I intervened was when I asked the group to discuss in more details about certain aspect of my study.

To enhance ground rules- ask the group for an indication they understand and agree to the ground rules (if virtual, you can utilize a reaction button, hand raise, video camera thumbs up or chat response). You can also ask if there are any other ground rules that you didn't mention that the group would like to add. This helps ensure clarity and understanding whilst also giving the group a chance to co-create a psychologically safe environment.

Ground rules mean that everyone in the group is on the same page from the outset; ensuring all participants get the same respect, same inclusion and same opportunity

Ground rule is the law of majority of participants can ruled and bought to it because of more than 51% of participants agreed on it.

These ground rules have served me well as a facilitator (inspired by Celeste Headlee): 1. Be in this moment (presence) 2. State once (clear and concise - avoid rambling/pontification) 3. Ask discovery questions (fosters clarity and peer dialog) 4. Be mindful of mental chatter (helps with active listening and awareness of judgments) 5. Doubt is good (we don't have to know everything in this moment) 6. Be curious (open to new or alternative ideas) 7. Full body listening (everyone deserves the right to be heard - engage in what other's are sharing)

It’s all about contextualisation … - If possible, do a bit of prep knitting each group member’s context - While it’s good to have a couple of ice breaker, generic questions, try to use tailored questions to draw people in - Observe body language and try to draw folks in based on that eg “I noticed you nod when this point was being made … we’d love to get your perspective” - Do a couple of summaries or ask for a rapid fire “take-a-way from everyone

A short and sweet way to engage 100% of the room is to lift one arm high and start with "How many of you....." and then lift the other arm and ask "Anyone not?"This way you engaged the whole room and gage who is there and what is their stance of the subject. Years ago at an event, there were a few people who were confused about the topic and then realised they were in the wrong room after a few enrolling questions. The funny thing is they stayed!!!!

Consider having participants share first with a partner, and walk around to determine who is most comfortable sharing and who is more reserved. When you hear good comments, ask if that person would be willing to share with the group. Or, make intentional choices about who to call on and in what order. You might call on quieter folks first, and then more exuberant ones as the conversation picks up.

Try a ⚡️1-2-4-All technique⚡️ from Liberating Structures to ensure all voices are heard. Here’s how👇 1️⃣ minute individually 2️⃣ minutes in pairs/ groups of 2 4️⃣ minutes in groups of 4 (have 2 pairs join) ALL - bring the whole group together to share insights ⏰ Tips to run: 🔑Encourage each group to build on the ideas developed in the last round 🔑For the ‘All,’ have each group of 4 share a number of new ideas/ insights with the whole group 🔑Don’t over-explain the steps. Allow the group to dive in and let the ideas flow 🔑For larger groups, consider a 1-2-4-8-All 🔑Hold the timebox- you can repeat the activity if needed

Smaller groups ensure that individuals all get the opportunity to offer their ideas, thoughts and beliefs. It allows them to gain comfort and confidence in the topic and themselves.

Small groups allow participants to begin to relate to the rest of their peers, to begin their socialisation and therefore their integration into the larger group. It is a good idea to start with a smaller group in which we feel comfortable, supported and confident and, little by little, open up to the rest of the group and participate actively.

To ensure equal participation and contribution from all members in a facilitated group discussion, the facilitator can establish clear guidelines that promote respect and inclusivity, actively encourage quieter members to share their thoughts and use techniques such as round-robin sharing, breakout groups, or structured turn-taking. The facilitator should remain vigilant to dominant voices, gently redirecting the conversation to ensure balanced input and providing a variety of engagement methods to accommodate different communication styles and preferences.

Using visual aids can add more dimensions of understanding and focus to a conversation. Participants can be directed to use the visual aid to provide evidence for their ideas, or to draw conclusions based on the visual. This creates equity for an audience drawing diverse access to prior knowledge.

For a decade I've used a flip chart and coloured markers. It works really well for the visual learners, I can refer back to the pages any time and there are many benefits: *the coloured markers stimulate the right side of the brain whilst the words stimulate the left side *it creates impact as all the senses are at play, reading whilst listening and in some cases touching the flip chart *it dictates conversation as when someone asks a question I can go back to the flip chart or create a new one *it creates suspense when I am in front of it and they have no idea what I'm writing For those that are more techy savvy, you can use a tablet and still use colours for impact.

After breaks, conduct a "pulse check" to gauge participant engagement and ensure content relevancy: 1. Ask participants how they're doing and if the session's pace is appropriate—too slow or too fast. 2. Inquire about the relevance of the content to their work and learning objectives. 3. Check if the balance between instruction and interaction is suitable. 4. Assess if the variety of learning activities is maintaining their interest. 5. Ask how you can better serve their needs as a facilitator. This pause allows for reflection on participants' needs and enables you to make necessary adjustments. It also demonstrates active listening and shows that you value their input, which can increase engagement.

Asking for feedback on the success of the facilitation eg. ‘Did it meet the objectives’ is a good way to know what works and what doesn’t.

Cuando los miembros del grupo se sienten valorados y escuchados, están más dispuestos a participar. Un ambiente inclusivo fomenta la igualdad en la participación.

Carving out time in the agenda for regular check-ins, sharing insights and learnings, and gathering feedback is crucial to ensure messages are resonating and being reinforced. It's also essential to continually read the room throughout the day, particularly during longer meetings, to maintain high energy and engagement levels. If I notice energy starting to wane, I incorporate activities that involve movement. These can include simple stretching exercises, short walks, or interactive activities that require participants to move around. This helps to reinvigorate the group and keeps everyone focused and engaged. Additionally, I ask for real-time feedback to make immediate adjustments to the meeting structure or content.

The timing of reflections is key in facilitation. It can and should provide a lot of information to improve and advance the training. For this, the participants must be motivated to do the reflection because this can also be a boring moment, which is completed by compromise and we would lose valuable information to be able to work properly.

As facilitators, it is important to understand that contribution is NOT just "speaking". After more than 3 decades of facilitation, I've come to believe that one of the unspoken, but critical, responsibility of a facilitator, is to help everyone learn to acknowledge different forms of contribution. A nod is a contribution. "Resistance" is a contribution. Silence is a contribution. On that basis, beyond best practices: - Design your session to incorporate all sensory forms of expression - Early on, publicly acknowledge ALL contribution, individually, because more than anything else, this deceptively simple act communicates, "I see you" - Respect those who wish to remain under the radar

1. Identifying the key active members. 2. Running group activities and distributing the key active members among the groups to have them lift up the energy of others. 3. Asking simple questions to inactive listeners (members) to have them gradually build up interest and motivation in the discussion. 4. Sharing relative experience to the topic or asking members to share the same.

The key thing missing from this opinion piece of 'participation' is whether you want to judge who is participating or not. As a facilitator, I am confident that I'm leading learning and discussion in a way that is inclusive - as adults in a learning environment the decision to participate in traditional ways lies with the participant themselves, not with me. Everyone takes something from a session, if they want to. It's not the facilitators place to determine who has participated - that sits firmly with the workplace and seeing if the change guided by any learning is in place or ignored. Whilst all these points above a re a great guide in general... they miss the point entirely when it comes to adult learning.

A ridiculous question. Equal participation and contribution! Participants contribute and participate in different ways. The role of the facilitator is to make each person comfortable. Some people are reflectors. Some are are active participants etc. There are many activities that can be utilised to encourage contribution. However there is no point saying something just for the sake of it. Some people can dominate and this can be addressed. Preparation for a discussion getting contributions beforehand can encourage participation. Rather than "equal" participation the facilitator ensures that each person is heard.

I would add the capacity for facilitators to gently, genuinely, and consistently, without pressures or expectations, invite first to share or participate people from the non-dominant culture.