It can be challenging to keep a session on target if there’s a participant who tends to take over the discussion or is long winded. Participants look to us – the facilitators – to deal with this. To create balanced participation, you could try two solutions. First, give limits to sharing:
“In two or three sentences, let’s have each person give their opinion on…”
“Each group will have 5 minutes to present their ideas.”
The second option is to speak to that participant during a break:
“Thank for participating so much. I’m noticed that a few people aren’t sharing. I’d like to make sure everyone gets a chance. Would you help me by letting others in the group have an opportunity to join in on the discussion?”
