# Facilitating Effective Discussions Self-Checklist

Facilitators review their preparation and in-room habits against a structured checklist. Each person selects one concrete adjustment and tests it with a peer partner.

**Time:** 15 minutes. UWT suggested 15-minute sequence based on the Sheridan Center self-checklist resource.
**People:** 4 to 24. Individual audit, pairs (or one trio if an odd number), then whole-room debrief

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Evaluate personal facilitation preparation and delivery habits against concrete indicators to select one specific behavior change for a future session.
**Use it when:** Use in facilitator workshops, teaching seminars, or peer-coaching circles when participants have led or are about to lead group discussions.
**Skip it when:** Skip when participants do not facilitate discussions, when they have no specific past or future session to evaluate, or when the group needs live conflict resolution.

## Materials and tools

- One printed Discussion Facilitator Checklist per participant (or digital document link)
- One pen or pencil per participant

## Before participants arrive

1. Print or provide digital links to the Discussion Facilitator Checklist for every participant.
2. Arrange seating to allow quiet pair conversations without crowding.

## Say this to open

Take a copy of the checklist. We will spend five minutes evaluating our actual habits against these questions, based on a recent session or an upcoming plan. Mark each prompt honestly. Then choose exactly one behavior you want to change. Your checklist stays private; you share only what you decide to test.

## How to run it

### 1. Individual audit (5 minutes)

Distribute the checklist. Participants independently review both sections: Preparation and In-Session Facilitation. For each question, mark whether you did it consistently, partially, or skipped it. Stop by choosing one specific practice to adjust in your next session. For example, if you checked 'allow sufficient wait-time', write a target pause of four seconds after asking an open prompt.

### 2. Pair consultation round one (3 minutes)

Form pairs. If the group has an odd number of people, form one trio. Person A takes three minutes to describe the practice they chose and their exact plan to apply it. Person B listens and asks one clarifying question to make the action concrete. In a trio, Person A shares while Persons B and C listen and ask one question.

### 3. Pair consultation round two (3 minutes)

Signal pairs to switch roles. Person B shares their selected behavior and implementation plan for three minutes while Person A listens and clarifies. In a trio, split the remaining time evenly so Persons B and C each describe their planned adjustment.

### 4. Whole-room reflection (4 minutes)

Call the room back together. Ask one question from the debrief list and collect brief answers from three volunteers. Give participants thirty seconds to write their final commitment at the bottom of their checklist.


## Debrief questions

- Which checklist item was easiest to overlook during your planning or delivery?
- What specific adjustment did your partner help clarify?
- How will you remind yourself to practice this behavior in the moment?

**Finished output:** Each participant holds a completed diagnostic checklist and records one specific, actionable facilitation behavior for their next session.

## Remote

Distribute the checklist text via shared document or chat. Keep participants on mute with cameras on or off for the 5-minute individual audit. Assign pairs (and one trio if odd) into breakout rooms for 6 minutes. Return to the main room and invite three volunteer responses using chat or raised hands.

## Hybrid

In-person participants partner with each other; remote participants work in video breakout rooms. If remote numbers are odd, add one remote participant to a remote trio. For the final reflection, call alternately on one remote speaker and one in-person speaker.

## Access and participation choices

- Provide a screen-reader-accessible digital copy of the checklist as an alternative to print.
- Participants may keep all checklist ratings private and choose to discuss an abstract scenario or observe during partner work without explanation.

## If the session gets stuck

**Participants evaluate their general philosophy instead of concrete behavior.**

Ask them to pick one specific calendar event from the past two weeks or next two weeks and evaluate only that session.

**One participant in a pair takes all the time.**

Give an audible call at the 3-minute mark to enforce the role switch between partner A and partner B.


## Terms used here

- Wait-time: The intentional silence of three to five seconds allowed after asking a question before speaking again or calling on someone.

## Participant material: Discussion Facilitator Checklist

Preparation (Did I...)
[ ] Determine learners' relevant experiences, needs, strengths, and interests?
[ ] Identify learning goals for the group (or with the group)?
[ ] Plan activities for learners to prepare them for discussion?
[ ] Read and reflect on the topics planned for the session?
[ ] Find or create appropriate resources?
[ ] Attend relevant lectures or prior sessions if appropriate?
[ ] Identify and work on the understanding and skills I need for leading the session?
[ ] Develop a structured yet flexible plan for the session?

In-Session Facilitation (Did I...)
[ ] Create an inclusive environment where learners feel they can take risks?
[ ] Do an initial assessment of learners' readiness levels?
[ ] Initiate discussion with an engaging, relevant topic or challenge?
[ ] Use mainly open-ended questions or comments?
[ ] Encourage active listening?
[ ] Foster dialogue amongst learners and help them consider multiple points of view?
[ ] Probe learner understandings and encourage higher-level thinking?
[ ] Help learners digest what they are hearing?
[ ] Monitor and facilitate the flow of the session?
[ ] Help the group reach a satisfactory closure when needed?
[ ] Allow sufficient wait-time when learners or I ask questions?
[ ] Listen actively and non-judgmentally, encouraging learners to do likewise?
[ ] Use strategies for involving all learners, including quieter ones?
[ ] Keep the discussion from being dominated by a subset of learners?
[ ] Build what learners say into the discussion?
[ ] Make clear that my statements are open to further discussion?
[ ] Model being patient and ask for clarification when needed?
[ ] Help learners reframe, focus, or expand their ideas as needed?

My Target Adjustment:
Choose one item above. Describe the exact behavior you will practice in your next session:

## Sources and adaptation

Observed on the Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning website at Brown University under Facilitating Effective Group Discussions.

Retained the inventory items and category divisions from the Sheridan Center resource. UWT converted the static checklist into a four-step diagnostic sequence with peer consulting, explicit pairing rules for odd groups, and timing limits.

[sheridan.brown.edu](https://sheridan.brown.edu/resources/classroom-practices/discussions-seminars/facilitating-effective-group-discussions/self-checklist)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/facilitating-effective-discussions-self-checklist/