CF Meeting Design & Planning 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does 'just-in-time' agenda design mean in facilitation practice?
- Sending the agenda to participants minutes before the meeting starts
- Building flexibility into the design so the facilitator can adapt structure based on how the group is progressing (Correct answer)
- Designing the entire agenda the day the meeting is held
- Skipping formal agenda planning and responding only to participant needs
Correct answer: Building flexibility into the design so the facilitator can adapt structure based on how the group is progressing
Just-in-time design means the facilitator holds multiple process options ready and selects the best fit as the session unfolds.
Question 2: A meeting is scheduled for 90 minutes but the sponsor wants to cover 10 agenda items. What is the facilitator's BEST response?
- Agree and plan to move quickly through each item
- Work with the sponsor to prioritize items and align the agenda to a realistic time budget (Correct answer)
- Extend the meeting without informing participants
- Remove all discussion time to fit more items in
Correct answer: Work with the sponsor to prioritize items and align the agenda to a realistic time budget
Facilitators must help sponsors set realistic expectations by prioritizing outcomes over volume of topics.
Question 3: Which room setup is BEST for fostering equal participation in a 20-person dialogue session?
- Theater style with rows facing a screen
- Classroom style with tables facing the front
- Circular or U-shaped seating with no head-of-table position (Correct answer)
- Boardroom style with a rectangular table and a designated chair
Correct answer: Circular or U-shaped seating with no head-of-table position
Circular or U-shaped arrangements remove hierarchy cues and encourage all-directional conversation.
Question 4: When a facilitator uses a 'parking lot' during meeting design, what is its purpose?
- A physical space reserved for latecomers
- A place to capture off-topic items so they are honored but do not derail the agenda (Correct answer)
- A list of agenda items that were cut before the meeting
- A tool for recording action items at the end of the session
Correct answer: A place to capture off-topic items so they are honored but do not derail the agenda
A parking lot acknowledges important tangents without letting them disrupt the session flow.
Question 5: What is the role of 'process design' as distinct from 'content design' in meeting planning?
- Process design focuses on what topics will be discussed; content design focuses on how
- Process design determines how participants will interact; content design covers the subject matter (Correct answer)
- Process design is the facilitator's responsibility; content design belongs to IT
- Process and content design are synonymous terms in facilitation
Correct answer: Process design determines how participants will interact; content design covers the subject matter
Process design covers the methods, sequence, and interactions used to work through content, which is the subject matter itself.
Question 6: A facilitator notices that a key decision-maker will not attend the planned session. What should the facilitator do?
- Proceed as planned and send the decision-maker meeting notes afterward
- Advise the sponsor to either reschedule or redesign the session to match the authority level present (Correct answer)
- Assign a proxy to represent the absent decision-maker during the meeting
- Remove decision-making from the agenda and convert the session to an information share
Correct answer: Advise the sponsor to either reschedule or redesign the session to match the authority level present
Sessions requiring decisions need the appropriate authority present; missing decision-makers undermine the meeting's purpose.
Question 7: Which of the following BEST describes a 'flow' in meeting design?
- The order in which participants enter the room
- The intentional sequencing of activities that builds energy and moves the group toward its outcomes (Correct answer)
- The speed at which the facilitator speaks
- The transition slides used in a presentation
Correct answer: The intentional sequencing of activities that builds energy and moves the group toward its outcomes
Flow refers to purposefully sequencing activities so each one builds on the previous and moves the group toward its goals.
CF Meeting Design & Planning 3
What does 'just-in-time' agenda design mean in facilitation practice?