Provides structured formats and techniques for running productive group sessions, from standups to multi-day workshops. Covers format selection, agenda design, participation management, decision methods, and handling difficult dynamics. Use when running meetings, workshops, brainstorms, design sprints, retrospectives, or team decision-making sessions, or when user mentions facilitation, workshop design, meeting patterns, session planning, or effective collaboration.
What outcome do you need? (Decision, ideas, alignment, learning, relationship-building). Who attends? How much time? See resources/template.md.
Step 2: Select facilitation pattern
Based on objective and group size, choose pattern (Brainstorm, Decision Workshop, Alignment Session, Retro, Design Sprint). See Common Patterns and resources/methodology.md.
When: Global team, deep thinking needed, no urgency for immediate decision
Guardrails
Objectives before format: Start with "what outcome do we need?" not "let's do a brainstorm." If the objective is unclear, the session will drift.
Time-box activities: Parkinson's Law means work expands to fill time. Set strict timers, end activities even if incomplete. 25 minutes of focused work beats open-ended discussion.
Separate divergence from convergence: Defer judgment during brainstorming, because critiquing ideas early kills creativity. Generate first, evaluate second.
Ensure psychological safety: Set ground rules (no interrupting, critique ideas not people). Address power dynamics (boss speaks last, use anonymous input). Without safety, the result is groupthink or silence.
Manage participation actively: Use individual writing, round robin, and small groups to draw out quieter participants. Use time limits and parking lots to manage those who dominate.
Decide how decisions are made: Consensus, consent, majority vote, or delegation. Announce the method upfront to avoid "I thought we decided, but nothing happened."
Track outputs visibly: Shared board, live doc, or sticky notes so everyone sees the same thing. Assign a scribe. Invisible outputs are easily lost.
Close with clarity: State what was decided, who does what by when, what is still open, and how the group will communicate.
Common pitfalls:
❌ No agenda: Meetings drift, go long, participants unclear on purpose. Always have agenda (even 3 bullets).
❌ Wrong people: Decision-makers absent, too many observers, missing key stakeholders. Right people > right process.
❌ Too much content: 10 topics in 60 min = shallow on all. Better: 2-3 topics, go deep, make progress.
❌ Facilitator dominates: Facilitator should guide process, not content. Reduce own talking, ask questions, stay neutral.
❌ No breaks: 2+ hours without break → diminishing returns. Break every 60-90 min (5-10 min).
❌ Ignoring energy: Pushing through low energy → poor output. Use energizers, adjust pace, or stop early.