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: 6e05a970d1ccad381aa3ed235eaadc3208b4d6a4ba56cb04355b1cf49e0d9739

# Fishbowl Panel

Panelists sit in a central inner ring to hold a peer conversation while an outer ring observes and writes questions on cards. The facilitator gathers three questions for panelists to answer before concluding with a short whole-room debrief.

**Time:** 45 minutes. Source suggests 30 to 60 minutes. Set to 45 minutes for a full panel discussion with question selection and debrief.
**People:** 6 to 24. Inner circle of 3 to 5 panelists plus 1 facilitator; outer circle of up to 18 observing participants. For hybrid sessions, 1 tech co-facilitator handles incoming remote chat.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Host a focused discussion among a small group of speakers while an outer circle observes and supplies written questions without slides or lectures.
**Use it when:** Use when you have 3 to 5 invited speakers or subject matter experts and an audience that needs to hear varied viewpoints through natural conversation rather than a traditional stage panel.
**Skip it when:** Skip when every attendee needs equal speaking time, when the group has fewer than 6 people total, or when presentation slides and technical demonstrations are required.

## Materials and tools

- Chairs arranged in two concentric circles (4 to 6 chairs in center, remainder outside)
- Index cards (1 per participant)
- Pens (1 per participant)
- 1 timer for the facilitator
- 1 collection basket for index cards
- Optional for amplified or hybrid rooms: omnidirectional boundary microphone or individual mics, and 1 display screen on a stand

## Before participants arrive

1. Place 4 to 6 chairs in a tight inner circle facing inward for panelists and the facilitator.
2. Arrange the remaining chairs in an outer ring completely encircling the inner ring with clear sightlines.
3. Distribute one index card and one pen onto each outer-ring chair.
4. If running a hybrid session, place the display screen and microphone stand directly in the inner ring and test audio levels.

## Say this to open

Welcome. Today we are using a fishbowl panel format. Our panelists sit in the center circle facing one another to talk directly as colleagues. Those in the outer circle will listen and record emerging questions on their index cards. Panelists, please speak directly to each other rather than addressing the outer circle as an audience. Outer circle, write down questions as you listen. I will collect cards at the halfway mark.

## How to run it

### 1. Set topic and ground rules (5 minutes)

Deliver the opening script. Explain the two-circle layout. Instruct inner-circle panelists to maintain eye contact and conversation with each other rather than facing outward. Instruct the outer circle to remain silent observers and write questions on their cards.

### 2. Inner circle initial conversation (15 minutes)

Start the timer for 15 minutes. Pose the opening focus question to the inner circle. Example: 'What is the biggest operational hurdle your team faced this quarter, and how did you address it?' Panelists respond, build on points, or challenge assertions. Intervene only to manage time or prompt an unspoken panelist.

### 3. Collect and cluster audience questions (5 minutes)

Pause the inner-circle conversation. Collect written index cards from the outer circle into the basket. Read through submissions quietly. Select three distinct questions that highlight clear themes. Read all three chosen questions aloud to the room. Set aside unselected cards for optional later review.

### 4. Panelist response to clustered questions (15 minutes)

Set the timer for 15 minutes. Give panelists freedom to choose which of the three read questions they want to address first. Allow them to build on each other's answers conversationally. Keep turns balanced across panelists without forcing a strict order.

### 5. Full room debrief (5 minutes)

Close the inner-circle discussion. Open the floor to the full room. Take up to three brief observations from outer-circle participants about key themes or contrasting viewpoints they tracked.


## Debrief questions

- Which core disagreement or point of agreement stood out most clearly from the outside?
- What was different about observing a peer conversation compared to watching a traditional podium presentation?
- What related question remains unanswered that our group should explore next?

**Finished output:** A curated set of participant question cards and documented perspectives across panelists on the selected focus topic.

## Remote

Panelists keep webcams on, unmute, and use gallery view. Outer participants mute microphones and turn off video during speaking rounds. Outer participants enter questions into the meeting chat during the collection step. The facilitator selects three questions and pastes or reads them for the panel.

## Hybrid

Seat in-person panelists in the center ring with an omnidirectional boundary microphone or individual mics. Remote panelists appear on a dedicated display screen positioned directly inside the inner ring. Remote audience members submit questions through chat, which a designated tech co-facilitator copies onto index cards for the collection basket alongside in-person cards.

## Access and participation choices

- Outer-circle participants may submit written questions, suggest questions through chat, or simply listen without writing.
- Inner-circle panelists may pass on any specific prompt or question during the conversational rounds.
- Outer-circle seating allows standing or movement behind the outer ring for comfort.

## If the session gets stuck

**Panelists turn around to address the outer audience instead of talking to each other.**

Gently interrupt and remind them: 'Please talk directly to your peers in the center as if sitting around a private table.'

**Outer-circle participants speak up or interrupt during inner rounds.**

Remind the room that outer-circle comments are reserved for the debrief step, and ask them to write their thoughts on their cards.


## Terms used here

- Fishbowl: A discussion format where a small center group converses while an outer group silently observes.
- Question clustering: Grouping similar written audience questions into three representative topics for the panel.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in Relationship Makers Handbook, pages 407-408.

Retained the core fishbowl mechanic from Relationship Makers Handbook: panelists seated facing each other in an inner ring encircled by the audience, inner conversation prompts, mic and table variations, timeboxing, and gathering three audience questions for panelists to answer by choice. UWT standardized the facilitator role, added specific hybrid role support and equipment, explicit card handling instructions, and a 45-minute timed breakdown.

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/the-fish-bowl/