Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.

Help me prepare and run the exercise below. First ask for my participant count, time, setting, access needs and intended result. Check these against the stated limits. Use the supplied rules and materials. Explain any proposed changes before using them, and label them as adaptations. Do not invent source claims or require personal disclosure. Give me one step at a time when I say start. I manage the people, physical activity and clock; do not claim to observe the room. Ask me what happened before choosing a next step.

Reference revision: c79ebc9740d8c5908fb9275fc318c8a83daa84a9f42aae030041a655e192277b

# Dynamic Facilitation

Participants address a complex issue by speaking naturally while the facilitator maps all remarks without judgment onto four charts: Solutions, Data, Concerns, and Problem Statements. The group follows unfolding shifts in perspective to see whether shared breakthroughs or clarified issues emerge.

**Time:** 90 minutes. Source recommends 90 minutes minimum up to 3 hours; UWT sets 90 minutes for standard session run sheet.
**People:** 4 to 12. Single group seated in a semi-circle facing four charts; individuals speak one at a time while the facilitator scribes.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Map competing perspectives, facts, and proposed remedies onto four distinct visible charts to clarify an unstructured problem.
**Use it when:** Use when a small group is stuck on a contested, messy topic where linear problem-solving failed and participants hold strong differing viewpoints.
**Skip it when:** Skip for simple operational tasks with obvious solutions, tight 15-minute deadlines, groups over 12 people, or pre-decided mandates requiring only compliance.

## Materials and tools

- 4 flip chart easels or wall areas with large chart paper pads
- 8 to 12 broad-tipped markers in multiple colors
- 1 roll of painter's masking tape for posting completed sheets
- Comfortable chairs arranged in a semi-circle facing the charts
- Drinking water for the room

## Before participants arrive

1. Label four chart sheets clearly: Solutions, Data, Concerns, Problem Statements.
2. Hang or stand the four charts side by side where every seat has an unobstructed view.
3. Arrange seating in an open semi-circle facing the charts without intervening conference tables.
4. Prepare backup flip chart pads and tape nearby for fast paper changes.

## Say this to open

This conversation runs differently from a regular meeting. We have no fixed agenda, no voting, and no rush to force consensus. I will capture your statements on these four charts: Solutions for ideas, Data for facts and experiences, Concerns for worries or obstacles, and Problem Statements for how we frame the core issue. Speak freely, change your mind whenever you want, and pass whenever you prefer. Who would like to start with an initial thought, concern, or fact on this issue?

## How to run it

### 1. Introduce the four charts (10 minutes)

Explain the four charts using the opening script. Confirm everyone can see each chart clearly. Emphasize that all comments will be captured using the speaker's own phrasing.

### 2. Reflect and chart the first speaker (15 minutes)

Listen attentively to the first volunteer without interruption. Reflect back what they said to verify accuracy before writing. Write their statement on the matching chart. Ask open prompts such as 'What is behind that for you?' or 'What would that look like?' until the speaker indicates they feel completely heard.

### 3. Facilitate open dynamic charting (45 minutes)

Open the floor to other participants one by one. Capture every remark on the appropriate chart without editing or debating. If someone disagrees, welcome the difference and write it on the board alongside earlier views. If someone states a solution, ask what problem it solves and note that on Problem Statements. If someone states a concern, ask what would be needed for it not to be a problem. When a sheet fills up, tape it to the wall and keep writing.

### 4. Track shifts and emerging insights (10 minutes)

Observe moments where the room goes quiet, leans in, or reframes the challenge. Pause the discussion and ask what just occurred. If participants express a new framing or combined idea, record it explicitly on Problem Statements or Solutions and verify if others share that perspective.

### 5. Harvest patterns and close (10 minutes)

Step back so the room can review all posted sheets. Ask the debrief questions. If clear next steps or agreements surfaced, record who will do what by when; if not, acknowledge the complete map of the issue as the tangible outcome. Thank the room and conclude.


## Debrief questions

- Looking across all four charts, what stands out to you or surprises you most?
- How has your understanding of the core problem shifted from when we started?
- Which specific ideas or unresolved concerns require action first?

**Finished output:** Four populated wall charts containing all recorded Solutions, Data, Concerns, and Problem Statements, plus any identified action commitments.

## Remote

Set up a shared digital whiteboard with four distinct columns: Solutions, Data, Concerns, Problem Statements. Keep camera video active to monitor speaker posture and reactions. The facilitator shares the screen and types verbatim into sticky notes in real time. Participants signal by unmuting or typing 'ready' in chat; the facilitator stays with each speaker before moving to the next.

## Hybrid

In-person and remote participants must share identical visibility. Project the digital whiteboard onto the room screen while remote attendees join via video call. A dedicated co-facilitator watches remote video feeds and chat so virtual contributors are called on with equal turn time alongside room participants.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may speak aloud, submit a written sticky note to the facilitator, or remain silent during any round.
- Anyone may pass without explanation; the facilitator never demands input from quiet individuals.

## If the session gets stuck

**Participants start arguing directly with each other and interrupting.**

Step between the cross-talk, address one person, and say: 'Let me make sure I capture your point on the chart first.' Write their point verbatim, then turn to the second person and give them equal dedicated airtime on their chart.

**A speaker presents a statement that mixes a concern, a fact, and a solution all at once.**

Ask the speaker which aspect they want to write down first, then log the separate pieces on their respective charts using their exact phrasing.


## Terms used here

- Dynamic Facilitation: A facilitation method that tracks participants' organic thoughts across four distinct charts rather than enforcing a linear agenda.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in WorkshopBank documentation, which attributes the development of Dynamic Facilitation to Jim Rough in the 1980s.

Retained the defining four-chart mechanic (Solutions, Data, Concerns, Problem Statements) and non-linear reflection process from the source record. UWT standardized the duration to a structured 90-minute run sheet, added clear time boundaries per step, explicit facilitator scripts, and hybrid/remote operating rules.

[WorkshopBank](https://workshopbank.com/tools/dynamic-facilitation)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/dynamic-facilitation-workshopbank/