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Facilitation Patterns Templates

Quick-start templates for session design, agenda building, logistics, and follow-up.

Workflow

Facilitation Planning Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Define session objectives
- [ ] Step 2: Select facilitation pattern
- [ ] Step 3: Design agenda
- [ ] Step 4: Prepare materials and logistics
- [ ] Step 5: Facilitate the session
- [ ] Step 6: Close and follow up

Step 1: Define objectives → Use Session Design Template

Step 2: Select pattern → See SKILL.md Common Patterns

Step 3: Design agenda → Use Agenda Design Template

Step 4: Prepare logistics → Use Logistics Checklist

Step 5: Facilitate → Use Facilitation Script Template

Step 6: Close and follow up → Use Closing and Follow-up Template

Session Design Template

Session name: [Give it a clear, descriptive name]

Date/Time: [When, how long]

Facilitator: [Who runs it] Scribe: [Who takes notes]

Objective

Primary goal (complete this sentence): "By the end of this session, we will have [specific outcome]."

Examples:

Decided on Q2 roadmap priorities (top 5 features)
Generated 30+ ideas for customer onboarding improvements
Aligned on product vision and 6-month milestones
Identified 3 improvements from sprint retrospective

Success criteria: How will you know if session succeeded?

[Measurable outcome 1]
[Measurable outcome 2]
[Participants report session was valuable (feedback score ≥4/5)]

Participants

Name	Role	Why invited	Required?
[Person 1]	[Title]	[Decision-maker, subject matter expert, implementer, stakeholder]	Yes/No
[Person 2]	[Title]	[Reason]	Yes/No
[Person 3]	[Title]	[Reason]	Yes/No

Total: [N people] (ideal: 5-8 for discussion, up to 20 for presentation+Q&A, 3-5 for decision)

Power dynamics to manage: [Boss in room? New person? Introverts + extroverts? Conflict between attendees?]

Pre-work (if needed)

Send 3-5 days before session:

[Read document X]
[Prepare data/examples for discussion]
[Complete survey to gather input]

Don't overload: 15-30 min max. If no one does pre-work, session still succeeds.

Agenda Design Template

Session: [Name] Duration: [Total time]

Decision method: [How will decisions be made? Consensus, consent, vote, advisory, delegation]

Agenda

Time	Activity	Format	Owner	Output
0:00-0:05 (5 min)	Welcome & ground rules	Facilitator presents	[Name]	Shared norms
0:05-0:15 (10 min)	Context setting	Present slides, Q&A	[Name]	Aligned on why we're here
0:15-0:30 (15 min)	[Activity 1 name]	[Silent brainstorm, round robin, etc.]	[Name]	[Output: sticky notes, list]
0:30-0:50 (20 min)	[Activity 2 name]	[Small groups, report back]	[Name]	[Output: clustered themes]
0:50-1:00 (10 min)	Break			Recharged
1:00-1:25 (25 min)	[Activity 3 name]	[Dot voting, discussion]	[Name]	[Output: prioritized list]
1:25-1:35 (10 min)	Decision	[Vote, facilitator decides with input]	[Name]	Final decision documented
1:35-1:45 (10 min)	Next steps & close	Facilitator summarizes	[Name]	Action items, owners, dates

Total: 1:45 (105 min) Buffer: 15 min for overruns → Schedule 2 hours

Activity Details

Activity 1: [Name]

Goal: [What you're trying to achieve]
Format: [How it works - e.g., "Each person writes 5 ideas on sticky notes (5 min), then shares with group (1 min each)"]
Materials: [Sticky notes, Mural board, shared doc, etc.]
Facilitation tips: [Start with example, remind time limit, collect notes on board]

Activity 2: [Name]

Goal: [What you're trying to achieve]
Format: [How it works]
Materials: [What's needed]
Facilitation tips: [How to run it well]

[Repeat for each activity]

Flow Check

Diverge before converge: Generate ideas before evaluating (don't critique during brainstorm)
Energy variation: Mix individual work, pairs, whole group. Sit/stand. Talk/silent.
Breaks: Every 60-90 min (5-10 min break)
Buffer time: 10-15% slack for overruns, questions
Outputs visible: Shared board, doc, or projection (everyone sees same thing)

Logistics Checklist

Before Session (1 week out)

Calendar invite sent with clear title, objective, agenda, pre-work (if any)
Room booked (physical) or virtual link created (Zoom, Meet, Teams)
Materials prepared: Slides, Mural/Miro board, shared doc, templates
Tech tested: Can you share screen? Camera/mic work? Board accessible to all?
Pre-work sent (if needed): Clear, time-boxed (15-30 min max), due 1 day before

Day Before

Reminder sent: "Looking forward to [session] tomorrow. Please complete [pre-work] if you haven't."
Agenda finalized: Timing confirmed, activities clear, decision method chosen
Roles assigned: Facilitator, scribe, time-keeper (if different people)

Day of Session (15 min before)

Room setup: Chairs arranged (circle for discussion, theater for presentation), whiteboard/flip charts ready
Tech ready: Laptop connected, screen sharing works, Mural/doc opened, recording (if applicable)
Materials accessible: Links shared in chat, sticky notes available, pens/markers ready
Facilitator mindset: Calm, neutral, focused on process (not pushing own opinion)

During Session

Start on time: Don't wait for latecomers (trains people to be on time)
Scribe tracks: Decisions, action items, questions/parking lot
Time-keeper alerts: 5 min warnings, cut discussions if over time
Facilitator manages: Participation (quiet voices speak, verbose people time-limited), energy (breaks, pace), focus (parking lot for tangents)

After Session (within 24 hours)

Notes shared: What was discussed, decisions made, action items (who, what, when)
Feedback gathered (optional): Quick survey (3 questions: What worked? What to improve? Overall rating 1-5)
Follow-ups sent: Action item owners reminded, next session scheduled (if needed)

Facilitation Script Template

Use this to run the session smoothly, especially for new facilitators.

Opening (5 min)

Welcome: "Thanks for joining [session name]. We have [duration], goal is [objective]."

Agenda overview: "Here's how we'll spend our time: [list 3-5 key activities]. We'll break at [time]."

Ground rules (choose 3-5):

One conversation at a time (no sidebar discussions)
Vegas rule (what's said here stays here, if sensitive)
Challenge ideas, not people
Step up, step back (if you talk a lot, make space; if you're quiet, push yourself to contribute)
Phones/laptops closed unless needed for the work

Decision method: "Just so you know upfront, here's how we'll make decisions: [consensus, vote, advisory]. I'll [make final call with your input / we'll vote / we'll discuss until agreement]."

Transitions Between Activities

Moving to next activity: "Okay, we've got [summarize output from last activity]. Now we're going to [next activity]. Here's how it works: [explain format]. You'll have [time]. Ready? Go."

Time warnings:

"5 minutes left"
"2 minutes - start wrapping up"
"Time's up. Let's hear what you've got."

Cutting off discussion: "This is a great discussion, but we need to move on to stay on schedule. I'm going to [add to parking lot / table for later / make a call now]."

Managing Participation

Inviting quiet voices:

"We haven't heard from [name] yet. [Name], what do you think?"
"Let's do a round robin so everyone shares. [Name], want to start?"

Limiting verbose participants:

"Thanks, [name]. Let's hear from others. Who else has a perspective?"
"I'm going to ask you to wrap up in 30 seconds so we can hear from the group."
Set time limits: "Everyone gets 2 minutes to present their idea."

Handling sidebar conversations:

"Hey, can we have one conversation? What were you discussing?"
If recurring: "I'm noticing sidebars. Let's stay together or take a break if folks need to connect offline."

Handling Difficult Situations

Conflict / disagreement:

"I hear two different views. Let's understand each. [Person A], can you explain your reasoning? Then [Person B], yours."
Don't rush to resolve. Air the disagreement, clarify trade-offs, then decide per decision method.

Tangent / off-topic:

"That's important, but off the agenda for today. I'll add to parking lot. Let's come back to [topic]."

Someone dominating:

"Thanks for the input. Before we continue, let's hear from others. Quick round robin - 1 min each."

Energy drop:

"Feeling the energy lag. Let's take a 5 min break."
"Quick energizer: Stand up, stretch, shake it out. 30 seconds."

Confusion about task:

"I see some confusion. Let me re-explain: [clarify activity]. Questions before we start?"

Closing (10 min)

Summarize outcomes: "Here's what we accomplished today: [list key decisions, outputs, insights]."

Action items: "Next steps - I'll read each and confirm owner and due date."

[Action 1] - [Owner] by [Date]
[Action 2] - [Owner] by [Date]

Parking lot: "We captured these topics for later: [list]. I'll [send to owner, schedule follow-up, add to backlog]."

Feedback (optional): "Quick feedback: Thumbs up if session was valuable, thumbs sideways if just okay, thumbs down if waste of time." [Tally and note patterns]

Thanks and close: "Thanks for your time and engagement. Notes will be sent within 24 hours. [Next session scheduled for X date, or I'll follow up with next steps]."

Closing and Follow-up Template

Session Summary

Session: [Name] Date: [Date] Participants: [Names]

Decisions Made:

[Decision 1]: [Rationale - why we chose this]

Key Insights / Themes:

[Insight 1 from discussion]
[Insight 2]
[Insight 3]

Parking Lot (topics for later):

[Topic 1] → [Owner to address / schedule follow-up]
[Topic 2] → [Action]

Action Items

Action	Owner	Due Date	Status
[Do X]	[Name]	[Date]	Not started
[Do Y]	[Name]	[Date]	Not started
[Do Z]	[Name]	[Date]	Not started

Next session: [Scheduled for X date, or TBD]

Feedback Summary (if collected)

Overall rating: [Average score out of 5]

What worked:

[Feedback 1]
[Feedback 2]

What to improve:

[Feedback 1]
[Feedback 2]

Facilitator notes (for yourself):

[What I'd do differently next time]
[What worked well to repeat]

Quick Templates by Pattern

Divergent Brainstorm (30-60 min)

Agenda:
1. Frame the challenge (5 min)
2. Silent brainstorm on sticky notes (10 min)
3. Share ideas, one per person (10 min)
4. Cluster similar ideas (10 min)
5. Dot voting on most promising (5 min)
6. Discuss top 5-10 ideas (15 min)
7. Next steps (5 min)

Materials: Sticky notes, pens, Mural board, dot stickers (or virtual equivalent)
Output: 30-100 ideas, clustered, top 5-10 prioritized

Convergent Decision (90 min)

Agenda:
1. Present context and options (15 min)
2. Clarifying questions (10 min)
3. Small groups assess options on criteria (20 min)
4. Report back, discussion (20 min)
5. Break (10 min)
6. Vote or rank options (10 min)
7. Decision + rationale (10 min)
8. Next steps (5 min)

Materials: Criteria matrix, voting mechanism (dots, Fist to Five, ranked choice)
Output: Decision documented with rationale, action items

Retrospective (60-90 min)

Agenda:
1. Set the stage: Check-in, ground rules (5 min)
2. Gather data: Timeline or Start-Stop-Continue (15 min)
3. Generate insights: Themes, patterns, root causes (20 min)
4. Decide what to do: Pick 2-3 improvements (15 min)
5. Close: Appreciation, feedback (5 min)

Materials: Retro board (physical or Retrium/Mural), sticky notes
Output: 2-3 actionable improvements with owners and dates

Alignment Session (2-4 hours)

Agenda:
1. Welcome, agenda, ground rules (10 min)
2. Context: Why we're here, current state (20 min)
3. Vision: Where we're going (30 min presentation + Q&A)
4. Small group discussion: Questions, concerns, gaps (30 min)
5. Break (15 min)
6. Report back: Each group shares themes (20 min)
7. Facilitated Q&A: Address concerns (30 min)
8. Consensus check: Fist to Five on alignment (10 min)
9. Next steps, commitments (15 min)

Materials: Presentation slides, breakout spaces, shared doc for questions
Output: Documented alignment (or misalignment to address), commitments

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