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: d77a560cec29c1840b788baa7517a06733b7e576ece7dd09fca0f97a9e5b9374

# Fishbowl Discussion

Participants conduct a structured conversation where a small inner group speaks while the outer circle actively listens and takes notes. An open chair allows outer observers to rotate in and out of the conversation smoothly.

**Time:** 50 minutes. Standard 50-minute session based on source guidance (50-90 minutes total).
**People:** 6 to 24. Concentric rings: 4 chairs in the center (3 speakers, 1 open seat), remaining participants in an outer ring.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Enable a structured conversation on a complex topic where a small group speaks at a time and all participants can rotate into the speaking circle.
**Use it when:** Use when examining complex, multifaceted topics with a medium-sized group where standard open discussions lead to crosstalk or domination by a few voices.
**Skip it when:** Skip when you need rapid consensus, simple status updates, or binary decision-making.

## Materials and tools

- Chairs for all participants arranged in two concentric circles
- 1 flip chart or whiteboard with markers
- 1 pad of paper and pen per participant
- 1 countdown timer visible to the group
- Omnidirectional microphone (for hybrid delivery)
- Room camera (for hybrid delivery)
- Main room display screen (for hybrid delivery)

## Before participants arrive

1. Arrange 4 chairs in an inner circle facing inward in the middle of the room.
2. Arrange all remaining chairs in a wider concentric circle around them.
3. Write the central discussion prompt on the flip chart where everyone can see it.

## Say this to open

Welcome. We will explore our topic using an open fishbowl. Only people sitting in the inner circle speak. The rest of us sit in the outer circle to listen and note key arguments. There is always one empty chair in the center. If you are outside and want to speak, walk up and sit in that empty chair. When you do, someone currently in the center will stand and return to the outer circle to keep one chair open.

## How to run it

### 1. Frame format and open seats (5 minutes)

Read the opening script. State the central question on the flip chart. Explain the core ground rules: only inner chairs speak, active listening without interruption from the outer circle, and voluntary rotation using the open seat. Ask for three volunteers to take speaking seats in the center, leaving exactly one chair empty. In hybrid delivery, fill two seats in person and spotlight one remote volunteer on screen.

### 2. Run open fishbowl dialogue (30 minutes)

The inner circle begins discussing the central question. Observers take notes on paper, recording arguments and emerging questions. When an observer steps into the open chair (or is spotlighted from remote queue), an existing speaker who has already contributed wraps up their thought and moves to the outer circle. Maintain rotation momentum without interrupting the dialogue content.

### 3. Synthesize center perspectives (5 minutes)

Call time on inner circle rotations. Ask the final speakers sitting in the center to each provide a 30-second summary of the primary tensions or agreements they noticed during their turn. Record their points on the flip chart.

### 4. Debrief with full room (10 minutes)

Invite all participants, including outer observers, to reflect together. Take 3 to 4 contributions from people who spent most of their time observing. Ask the debrief questions and document any final action items on the flip chart.


## Debrief questions

- What unexpected perspective or trade-off emerged while you were listening from the outside circle?
- How did having a rotating speaking seat change how quickly you listened or responded compared to an open free-for-all discussion?
- What unanswered questions should our team address next?

**Finished output:** A shared flip chart list of core arguments, tensions, and open questions captured during the discussion.

## Remote

Use a video platform with a spotlight or stage feature. Spotlight 3 speaking participants and leave 1 empty stage slot. Outer participants mute audio and turn cameras off. When an observer wants to speak, they turn their camera on; the facilitator then spotlights them into the empty stage slot, and one current speaker voluntarily turns off their camera and mutes, returning to the observer pool.

## Hybrid

Set the inner fishbowl chairs around a central omnidirectional microphone and room camera. Project remote attendees on the main room screen. Remote observers signal their intent to speak using the digital hand-raise tool. When a remote observer is brought to screen, they occupy the open seat. In response, one current speaker (in-person or remote) rotates out to preserve one open speaking slot for the next contributor.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may remain in the outer observation ring for the entire session without taking a center speaking chair.
- Observers may capture notes privately or pass on speaking during the final reflection.

## If the session gets stuck

**No one in the outer ring steps forward to sit in the open inner chair.**

Pause the inner conversation briefly. Ask the outer circle: 'What is one point you have heard that needs another angle?' Then invite someone to step in and test it.

**A speaker in the center monopolizes the conversation and refuses to rotate out when someone joins.**

Step near the circle, touch the back of the open chair, and remind the group: 'A new voice has joined, so one person who has already spoken should rotate out now.'


## Terms used here

- open fishbowl: A conversation format where 3 to 5 participants talk in an inner circle while others observe from an outer circle, featuring an open seat for rotations.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in Participatory Methods documentation (2025).

Retained the open fishbowl rotation mechanic, inner-outer concentric setup, and observer synthesis rules from the Participatory Methods documentation. UWT structured a compact 50-minute run sheet, aligned hybrid equipment lists, resolved turn-taking rules across mixed groups, and added concrete facilitator troubleshooting.

[Participatory Methods](https://participatorymethods.com/activities/fishbowl-discussion/)

[Participatory Methods](https://participatorymethods.com/activities/fishbowl)

[Participatory Methods](https://participatorymethods.com/activities/fishbowl-discussion/#)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/fishbowl-discussion/