CF Meeting Design & Planning 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When designing a meeting for a group with widely varying levels of expertise on the topic, what is the BEST approach?
- Use the most advanced level of content to challenge all participants
- Design activities that allow multiple entry points and scaffold complexity (Correct answer)
- Separate participants into groups by expertise level for the entire meeting
- Focus only on foundational content so no one is left behind
Correct answer: Design activities that allow multiple entry points and scaffold complexity
Scaffolded activities with multiple entry points allow diverse participants to engage meaningfully at their own level.
Question 2: A facilitator is planning a 3-hour strategy session. Which element should be built into the agenda FIRST?
- Ice-breaker activities to warm up the group
- The desired outcomes and how success will be measured (Correct answer)
- A list of topics the sponsor wants to cover
- Time allocations for each agenda item
Correct answer: The desired outcomes and how success will be measured
Outcomes define the purpose of the session and should anchor all other planning decisions.
Question 3: What is the primary purpose of a pre-meeting interview with key stakeholders?
- To gather background data to present during the meeting
- To understand expectations, concerns, and the political landscape before designing the session (Correct answer)
- To train participants on the facilitation process
- To assign roles such as scribe and timekeeper
Correct answer: To understand expectations, concerns, and the political landscape before designing the session
Pre-meeting interviews surface stakeholder expectations and hidden dynamics that shape effective session design.
Question 4: Which agenda structure is MOST appropriate for a meeting aimed at resolving a deeply contested organizational decision?
- A tightly scripted agenda with no open discussion blocks
- A flexible agenda with defined decision points and deliberate diverge-then-converge phases (Correct answer)
- An open agenda where participants decide topics in real time
- A single long presentation followed by a Q&A
Correct answer: A flexible agenda with defined decision points and deliberate diverge-then-converge phases
Contested decisions benefit from structured divergence (exploring options) followed by convergence (reaching agreement).
Question 5: A sponsor requests that the facilitator also present content during the session. What should the facilitator do?
- Accept the dual role without comment to accommodate the sponsor
- Clarify the tension between facilitator neutrality and content presenter role and discuss alternatives (Correct answer)
- Decline the engagement entirely
- Present the content at the very end so facilitation is not compromised
Correct answer: Clarify the tension between facilitator neutrality and content presenter role and discuss alternatives
Combining presenter and facilitator roles creates a neutrality conflict that must be openly discussed with the sponsor.
Question 6: When designing breakout group activities, which factor MOST affects how many groups to form?
- The physical size of the room
- The number of distinct sub-topics or tasks that need parallel processing (Correct answer)
- The preference of the highest-ranking participant
- The total number of flip chart stands available
Correct answer: The number of distinct sub-topics or tasks that need parallel processing
The number of groups should match the parallel workstreams needed to maximize efficiency and coverage.
Question 7: Which technique BEST helps a facilitator verify that the meeting design aligns with what the client actually needs?
- Sending the agenda by email without explanation
- Conducting a design review meeting with the sponsor before the session (Correct answer)
- Relying on past experience with similar groups
- Asking participants to rate the agenda at the start of the meeting
Correct answer: Conducting a design review meeting with the sponsor before the session
A design review with the sponsor ensures alignment and allows adjustments before the session begins.
CF Meeting Design & Planning 2
When designing a meeting for a group with widely varying levels of expertise on the topic, what is the BEST approach?