Facilitation

He who asks a question remains a fool for five minutes. He who does not ask remains a fool forever.

-Chinese proverb

The Power of the Question

What matters most when....? A version of this question prompted the stakeholder community engagement in partnering for research that informed these materials. When shaped thoughtfully, the right question can inform or guide each step of the research process to be meaningfully influenced by all stakeholder partners.

These tools instruct the user in facilitated structured processes to support psychologically safe environments, teamwork, reciprocal relationships and rigorous research goals. Built on the spirit of inquiry and appreciation for diverse perspectives, these scripts, checklists and processes, when used in combination, foster trust, innovation, understanding and shared leadership.


Facilitation is an essential resource when navigating complex human topics on a multi-stakeholder research team's journey, Facilitation can:

  • create an environment of win-win and collaboration.

  • prevent power differentials from diminishing the wisdom and influence of the stakeholder community members the research seeks to serve.

  • support shared decision making and a spirit of appreciation and inquiry.

  • attend to the health and wellbeing of each member of the team.

And, facilitation takes practice and patience with oneself and others.

Facilitation Tools

Printable Checklists and Scripts

Use these facilitated processes in combination with one another for supporting virtual or in person engagement. Printing the scripts or instructions may be helpful, especially for virtual meetings where multiple screens may not be available to the facilitator.

Conducting Virtual Meetings

Conducting Virtual Meetings and Warm-ups

An essential planning, expectations, and warm up guide for conducting virtual meetings and creating a sense of teamwork and shared humanity.

Affinity Diagram Process

Affinity Diagram Process

(ADP)

A structured facilitated method for generating and capturing all perspectives and increasing shared understanding when discussing complex topics .

Shared Lived Experiences Process

Sharing Lived Experiences Process

(SLP)

A structured and facilitated method for evoking bi-directional learning from stakeholder expertise gained from lived experience.


Appreciative Response Process

Appreciative Response Process

(ARP)

A structured and facilitated method for
generating critical response, feedback, innovations and promoting shared ownership and collaboration.

For more information on the original Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute projects that inspired this website, please visit:

PCORI website links to :

The Integrated Behavioral Health and Primary Care Research Study

CIRCLE: Cooperatively Inspired Research Community for Learning and Engagement

If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.

-Nelson Mandela