Improve Workshops and Retrospectives with 1-2-4-All

Enhancing workshops with the liberating structure 1-2-4-All

As agile coaches and scrum masters, facilitating workshops that engage everyone can be a challenging task. You aim to include all participants, hoping to hear a variety of expectations, opinions, and solutions. However, in a group of 20 or more people, giving each person just two minutes to speak can consume almost an hour. There’s always the risk of someone exceeding their time or presenting an idea so compelling that it naturally extends the discussion. Meanwhile, you might notice the energy in the room diminishing as participants grow weary of listening. Cutting the discussion short feels unfair to those who haven’t shared yet, and skipping contributions isn’t an option—you value every voice, especially the quieter ones who often offer profound insights.

So, how can you effectively include everyone without exhausting your time and your team’s attention span?

I’ve long been using 1-2-4-All, a liberating structure designed to address this exact challenge.

The Challenge: Inclusive Participation Without Time Overload

Facilitating large group discussions often presents several hurdles:

• Time Constraints: Allowing everyone to speak individually can be time-consuming.
• Energy Drain: Prolonged listening can lead to decreased engagement and focus.
• Dominant Voices: Some participants may unintentionally monopolize the conversation.
• Unheard Insights: Quieter individuals might hesitate to share in a large group setting.

These challenges can hinder the effectiveness of your workshops, limiting the collective potential of your team.

The Solution: What Is 1-2-4-All?

1-2-4-All is a facilitation technique that encourages inclusive and efficient idea generation. It guides participants through a structured process:

1. Individual Reflection (1 minute): Participants silently reflect on a question or challenge, writing down their thoughts.
2. Pair Sharing (2 minutes): They share and discuss their ideas with a partner, building on initial thoughts.
3. Group of Four Discussion (4 minutes): Pairs join another pair, expanding the conversation and exploring ideas further.
4. Whole Group Sharing (5 minutes): Each group shares one key idea with everyone, ensuring that the most significant insights are highlighted.

This method allows you to engage all participants meaningfully in about 12 minutes. The technique comes from a wonderful collection of facilitation techniques called liberating structures.

Why Use 1-2-4-All in Your Workshops?

• Inclusive Engagement: Ensures every participant contributes, capturing a diverse range of perspectives.
• Efficient Time Management: Maximizes idea generation without lengthy individual presentations.
• Maintained Energy Levels: Keeps participants active through varied interaction formats.
• Equal Opportunity: Provides a platform for quieter team members to share their valuable insights.
• Collaborative Refinement: Ideas are developed collaboratively, leading to more refined and actionable outcomes.

When to Apply 1-2-4-All

Consider integrating 1-2-4-All in scenarios such as:

• Workshops and Training Sessions: To gather participant expectations or feedback. I use this at the beginning of my workshops to understand the expectations participants have towards the event.
• Retrospectives: When reflecting on team performance and identifying improvements. 1-2-4-All can help keep retros efficient and effective.
• Problem-Solving Meetings: To tackle complex challenges with collective input. When it comes to innovation, we want lots of diverse input. 1-2-4-All helps to manage this flood of ideas and surface crucial solutions.
• Strategic Planning: For brainstorming initiatives or process enhancements. Again: We need lots of ideas and 1-2-4-All helps us managing the sheer amount.
• Post-Presentation Discussions: To collect questions and insights in a structured manner. It’s great at the end of a workshop or workshop section to get insights.

How to Implement 1-2-4-All

1. Think about an open-ended question relevant to your session’s objectives. Examples: – “What strategies can we adopt to improve our sprint efficiency?” – “How might we enhance collaboration between departments?” – “What obstacles are preventing us from achieving our goals?” – “What are your expectations for this workshop?“
2. Facilitate the 1-2-4-All Process
   • Individual Reflection (1 minute): Ask participants to think about the question silently and jot down their ideas.
   • Pair Sharing (2 minutes): Have participants discuss their thoughts with a partner, encouraging active listening and idea exchange.
   • Group of Four Discussion (4 minutes): Merge pairs to form groups of four, allowing for deeper exploration and synthesis of ideas.
   • Whole Group Sharing (5 minutes): Invite each group to share one key insight with everyone. Encourage sharing unique ideas to avoid repetition.
3. Manage Time Effectively
   • Use a timer or visual cues to keep each stage on schedule.
   • Provide gentle reminders as time winds down for each segment.
   • Be flexible if discussions are particularly engaging but remain mindful of the overall timeframe.

Benefits of Using 1-2-4-All

• Time Efficiency: Engages all participants without extending the session unnecessarily.
• Enhanced Engagement: Keeps energy levels high through interactive and varied discussion formats.
• Diverse Perspectives: Taps into the collective intelligence of the group, uncovering a wider range of ideas.
• Improved Collaboration: Strengthens team relationships through collaborative discussion.
• Actionable Outcomes: Leads to well-developed ideas that are more likely to be implemented.

A Practical Example

I use 1-2-4-All at the start of almost any training and workshop. As a facilitator I need to know the participants’ expectations and learning goals. Many years ago I often had participants write down their expectations and pin the to a wall; but then I had to walk through them one-by-one. That not only took time, but also slowed the momentum of the training or workshop.

Now I often use this liberating structure to collect expectations. Even before I introduce myself, I ask participants to get started voicing their goals and expectations in a 1-2-4-All format. This always ends up with a manageable handful of relevant expectations. They act as my guiding star for the rest of the training or workshop.

And of course I still let people pin their individual cards to a wall. But instead of acknowledging every card publicly, I take a few minutes during a break to see the individual goals.

At the end of the training or workshop, I come back to the handful of expectations and review them with the participants. It’s much like a Product Owner would review that the product delivered meets the customer’s requirements.

Variations

You don’t have to stick to the exact steps of this pattern. I sometimes start with pairs right away (2-4-All), or I stop after the pairing round (1-2-All). If you have large groups, you might even want to tack on another round (1-2-4-8-All).

Conclusion

Facilitating workshops that are both inclusive and efficient doesn’t have to be a balancing act. 1-2-4-All offers a structured approach that ensures every voice is heard while keeping the session engaging and time-effective. By integrating this technique into your facilitation toolkit, you enhance the quality of discussions and empower participants to collaborate more effectively.

I invite you to try 1-2-4-All in your next workshop or meeting. It’s a straightforward method that can transform group dynamics and unlock the full potential of your participants’ collective wisdom.

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