Roundtable Ruse
I’ve noticed lately that many associations are discouraging speakers from lecturing (you know – be the “guide on the side” versus the “sage on the stage”). Roundtable discussions seem to be the “in” solution.
But there is a problem. Being an effective guide on the side isn’t easy. I once attended a workshop in which the speakers utilized great in-depth case studies to generate roundtable discussions. They had the groups discuss the cases, report out…and then they moved to the next case. Here were two individuals with combined 30+ years experience and they offered no opinion on how the cases could or should have been handled. They didn’t even identify if they agreed or disagreed with the solutions identified in the report-outs. We all had interesting discussions, but left feeling we still didn’t know how to handle the situations if presented to us. Anyone off the street could have “facilitated” that session. It was easy, but not effective.
If you have experts available, use them – I mean really use them. Don’t let them just organize table discussions; have them use their experience and expertise to facilitate meaningful discussions and learning. As one model, consider how the workshop I attended could be reworked:
- Experts shares enough information and context about the cases to enable a rich discussion
- In small groups, learners discuss case studies and generate ideas for how they would handle the situations
- Each group reports back ideas generated
- Experts debate, clarify and/or build upon the ideas/actions suggested (providing the rationale and/or evidence for their advice)
- Experts close the session by highlighting the key lessons to be taken from the each of the case studies
- Learners depart with knowledge they can use
Now, building a session like this is harder than assigning table topics and letting the session go where it may. Roundtables need a purpose and structure. So, choose your experts carefully and provide them guidance. Your learners will thank you.
[…] kid you not that within seconds of posting Roundtable Ruse, I got an e-mail from an association for which I agreed to lead a roundtable. Here are my […]
I attended a roundtable workshop one year on component relations challenges at an industry meeting. The large room was divided into about 5 different areas, each based on a certain topic related to running/interacting with chapters. You were to go to the table of most interest to you for the roundtable discussion. Here was the problem with the format…..we had a bunch of people sitting around the table commiserating. No one had solutions. We all had the same problem! I go to conferences to learn from experts in the field and to get ideas from and share ideas with peers. Peer-to-peer sessions should be set up to actually generate ideas and ways to solve problems - not just open discussion.
I completely agree with you, Mickie, that there are better ways than others to provide roundtable discussions to live events, and that Jay’s situation is all too common.
Our association uses roundtable discussions, to mixed reviews. The bottom line is always money: holding a live event in an attractive location while providing nourishment, paying huge AV and meeting space fees, etc. etc. mean that the challenge is to find engaging, informed, and skillful facilitators for such discussions is sometimes hard to overcome.
Why do we keep offering these roundtables?
Because whenever a roundtable discussion results in people extending their conversation into the break, a meal, or at the bar later that evening — whenever they result in someone getting to know someone they would not have met before they sat at the same table and wrestled (or not) with the same topic — then the roundtable, for all its weaknesses, was a success in engaging people and encouraging networking.
Because networking is consistently the number one reason our members say they want to attend in the first place.
[…] confused over how to use the expertise of presenters and still get people participating. Check out Mickie Ropps ideas on how to make it […]