Facilitating talks

Facilitating is the skill of guiding a group through a session so it reaches a useful result. A facilitator plans the activities, keeps time, makes sure everyone can contribute and helps the group move from open discussion to clear decisions, without taking over the content themselves.

In UX and product work, facilitation matters because so much design now happens in groups: kick-offs, research synthesis, ideation sessions and design critiques. A well-run session draws out knowledge from people across disciplines and builds commitment to what is decided.

This topic has sub-topics on brainstorming, gamestorming and workshops. Its one talk is “Design Practices for Co-creation and Engagement” by Dave Gray, recorded at UX Week in 2010 and also linked to design practices and design thinking.