Facilitating Discussions and Activities:

Active Engagement Techniques:

• Use socratic questioning to garner deeper thinking and insights from attendees

• Facilitate attendees’ their learning using Bloom's Taxonomy

• Identify any challenges or obstacles encountered during the session and propose solutions for addressing them during and in feedback for future sessions

• Share insights or observations on emerging themes, patterns, or areas of consensus from the discussions (weaving the ‘golden thread’)

• Collaborate with the team to ensure alignment between the session outcomes and the WG’s objectives.

Time Management:

• Allocate specific time slots for each agenda item and keep discussions within these limits to cover all planned topics. Use timers for activities and gently steer conversations back on track if they diverge significantly from the topic at hand.

Encouraging Participation:

• Create an environment where all participants feel comfortable contributing. Use techniques such as round-robin (everyone takes turns speaking), calling on quieter members directly (if they seem comfortable), and utilizing digital platforms for anonymous contributions.

• Keywords typed by attendees into the workshop survey (eg mentimeter) to create a word cloud visualizing ongoing discussions and reflections

Balancing Contributions:

• Monitor discussions to ensure that all voices are heard. Gently intervene if someone dominates the conversation, and encourage quieter participants by asking for their opinions directly or through post-activity reflections.

Facilitating Productive Discussions:

• Summarize key points regularly to keep discussions focused and ensure clarity. Use visual aids like whiteboards or shared documents to map out ideas and connections, making the discussion tangible and easier to follow.