Contents
Key points
- Good facilitation gets everyone talking, not just the most confident.
- Choose the format according to the aim: generating ideas, deciding or bonding.
- The facilitator is responsible for timing, framework and the written record.
Formats by objective
| Objective | Suitable formats |
|---|---|
| Generate ideas | World Café, silent brainstorming on sticky notes, “1-2-4-all” (think alone, in pairs, in fours, then as a whole group) |
| Prioritise and decide | Dot voting, impact / effort matrix, timed structured debate |
| Cover many topics | Open space: participants propose the topics and choose their workshops |
| Share a vision | Short plenary followed by Q&A, strategy “fresco” |
| Bring the team together | Group activity, team challenge, a meal prepared together |
Getting off to a good start: icebreakers
- The quick round: first name, role and one expectation for the day, in a single sentence.
- Common ground: in threes, find three unexpected things in common in five minutes.
- The map: everyone stands on a map drawn on the floor according to where they come from.
An icebreaker lasts ten minutes at most and puts no one on the spot.
The facilitator’s role
- Restate the objective and the expected deliverable of each session.
- Keep time and bring digressions back on track.
- Share out speaking time and draw out the quieter participants.
- Rephrase, summarise and get decisions confirmed.
- Ensure a shared written record at the end of the offsite.
Internal or external facilitator?
| Internal | External | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Low | Fees to budget for |
| Knowledge of the subject | Strong | Needs to be built beforehand |
| Neutrality | Limited | Strong |
| When to choose | Simple working day, small group | Sensitive subject, large group, senior leader taking part |
Equipment to ask the venue for
- Projector or screen, cables and connectors, microphone depending on the size of the room
- Flipcharts, marker pens, sticky notes, voting dots
- Breakout rooms or spaces for workshops
- Walls or boards to display the group’s output
- Reliable Wi-Fi
Specify these needs in your request: we pass them on to the venues. For how to sequence the sessions, see our sample agendas.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a professional facilitator for an offsite?
Not always. A trained manager can facilitate a straightforward day. An external facilitator is worthwhile when the subject is sensitive, when the head of the company wants to take part fully, or when the group exceeds about thirty people.
What is a World Café?
A format in which participants work at small tables on a question, then move to another table at regular intervals, while one “host” stays at each table to summarise the previous discussions. It allows a whole group to contribute in a short time.
