Moderator / Facilitator Handbook

Welcome to the Facilitator's Handbook for unDavos. This guide is crafted for those leading the dynamic and collaborative sessions at unDavos, offering insights and tools essential for fostering an atmosphere of vibrant collaboration and spontaneous idea exchange.

unDavos is deeply inspired by the ethos of decentralized, action-based collective intelligence. At the heart of unDavos is an organic, participant-driven structure that sets it apart from traditional conferences. Here, instead of a preset agenda, the event evolves through the real-time emergence of ideas, discussions, and collaborations brought forward by the participants themselves.

At unDavos, we value the diverse expertise and unique perspectives every attendee brings. Our format is specially designed to harness this collective wisdom, creating a fertile ground for innovation, connection, and multifaceted learning.

Your role as a facilitator is pivotal in catalyzing solutions, fostering team-building, and igniting creative thinking. Through this handbook, we aim to equip you with the necessary skills to guide these interactions effectively, ensuring unDavos is a memorable and impactful experience for everyone involved.

IGP (Individual → Group → Plenary)

The IGP format is a highly interactive and inclusive method designed to engage every participant in the conversation. It consists of three steps:

Individual: Each participant is given time to reflect independently on the topic at hand. This might involve writing down thoughts, brainstorming ideas, or considering specific questions.

Group: Participants then split into small groups (usually of 3-5 people) to share their individual reflections. This stage allows for deeper discussion, diverse perspectives, and collaborative thinking.

Plenary: Finally, each group shares their insights with the entire assembly. This ensures that everyone's voice is heard, and allows the broader group to benefit from the diverse discussions that took place in the smaller groups.

Fishbowl

The Fishbowl format is an effective way of facilitating large group discussions. It allows everyone to participate actively or passively and ensures that many voices get heard.

In a Fishbowl conversation, a small group of individuals (usually 4-6 people) sit in an inner circle and discuss a topic, while the rest of the participants form an outer circle and listen. Any participant from the outer circle can join the inner circle to contribute to the conversation at any point by simply moving into the inner circle.

It encourages open dialogue, participation, and equal sharing of the conversational space. It's an excellent tool for ensuring depth of conversation, while also allowing larger groups to engage in a single conversation.

Fishbowl - Basic Format:

Setup: Arrange chairs in two concentric circles, a smaller circle inside of a larger one. The inner circle is the "fishbowl", and the outer circle is for observers.

Starting the Conversation: Select 4 to 6 participants to start the conversation in the fishbowl. These participants are chosen because they have unique perspectives or experiences related to the topic at hand.

Facilitation: A facilitator opens the conversation, usually with a question or prompt. The participants in the fishbowl then discuss the question, while those in the outer circle listen, observe, and reflect.

Rotation: After a designated amount of time (this can vary, but 15-30 minutes is common), one or more seats in the fishbowl open up and participants from the outer circle have the opportunity to join the conversation. This rotation continues until everyone who wants to speak has had the chance to do so.

Wrap-up: The facilitator concludes the session by summarizing key points and/or inviting reflections from participants.

Variations of Fishbowl Process:

Empty Chair Fishbowl: In this variant, one chair in the fishbowl is always left empty. Anyone from the outer circle can claim the empty chair and join the conversation. When this happens, an existing member of the fishbowl must voluntarily leave and join the outer circle.

Popcorn Fishbowl: In this format, anyone in the outer circle can "pop" into the fishbowl at any time. To maintain the balance, someone from the fishbowl must move to the outer circle.

Fishbowl with a 'Hot Seat': In this variation, a specific person (usually an expert or someone with unique insights) is invited into the fishbowl for a set period of time. Others in the fishbowl have the opportunity to ask them questions before they return to the outer circle.

These different formats allow for flexible and dynamic conversations where everyone gets the chance to contribute.

Open Space

Open Space technology is a method for hosting meetings or multi-day conferences where participants co-create the agenda and self-organize their time.

The process begins with a group gathering, where the topic of discussion is presented, and participants are invited to identify any issue or opportunity related to that topic that they are passionate about. These participants then take responsibility for hosting a session on their topic, adding it to a public 'agenda wall'.

Throughout the Open Space event, participants can move freely between these self-organized sessions, contributing where they feel they have something to add and learning from discussions that interest them.

Open Space technology enables a high level of participant engagement, ensures a diversity of topics are explored, and leverages the wisdom and expertise of all attendees. It's an ideal approach when dealing with complex issues that don't have a single 'right' answer, as it encourages creative problem-solving and collaborative thinking.

IGP (Individual → Group → Plenary)

Fishbowl

Open Space

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