9/24 BITES

How do you prepare for holding a social learning space?

This module is a part of a larger collection of bite-sized learning on facilitating social learning spaces.

This collection of learning bites was created by Danida Fellowship Centre together with Beverly and Etienne Wenger-Trayner and produced by Grape and Brand By Hand. Photos used in the collection were taken by @Crawfurd Media, @E Pictures Media Ltd, @Daniel Samwel and Danida Fellowship Centre, supplemented with Stock Photos.

Three approaches

You just heard Beverly and Etienne talk about how these three approaches can help you turn a conversation into a social learning space:

Ask questions

…that help people articulate the difference they care to make.

E.g.: “What is the difference you care to make?” or “What keeps you up at night? Why does it matter?”

Ask a follow-up question

…to help the group engage their uncertainty and direct the conversation to those things that are getting in the way of them making that difference.

E.g.: “If you want to make that difference, then what’s getting in your way?”

Recap

…to help everyone pay attention to what is happening in the space.

E.g. say: “Well, okay, perhaps let’s just pause here and recap what we have heard so far.”

Reflection exercise: Take 30 seconds to reflect

Think about a situation where you need to hold a space for others — a meeting, a group session, or even an informal gathering.

What can help the conversation feel open and meaningful?
How would the three approaches make a difference?
- Articulating the difference people care to make
- Sharing where they are stuck
- Getting the most out of the interaction
How else might you promote the group to take agency for their own learning?

Work document

Before continuing, download your personal working document. Keep it open — you will use it for the reflection exercises in this module.

Work document - How do you prepare.docx 217.0 KB Download

Planning a session: purpose, props and prompts

As you have heard, holding a social learning space doesn’t mean letting go of structure. There is a range of different facilitation approaches – from very structured to some prompts to start the conversation. There are different ways to go about it.

Some of the ingredients to consider in your preparation include:

Thoughts from the participants

What do participants care about?
What are they struggling with?
Maybe explore a challenge, hear stories, or spark new ideas.

Consider the structure and format

You may want to use a structured format to help make the most out of time and encourage diverse voices to be heard. There are a range of facilitation formats you could use. Examples we cover in other modules include: A Fishbowl, a Gallery walk, a Practice matrix or a World café.

If you feel your group needs something more open, then it’s often helpful to prepare a few questions or prompts that can invite others in. Keep them ready in your pocket.

Think about the setting

Will you need markers, sticky notes, or a flipchart? A quiet room? And if it is online, do you need breakout groups?

Do you need a collaborative workspace like Miro or Mural?

Invite allies

Ask one or two participants in advance to share an experience or uncertainty — to help open up the space.

Or you can begin with a small presentation and then invite the others in to discuss a related dilemma.

You might start your planning with any one ingredient and add the others to make a good dish! There is no right order and no perfect recipe.

Try this: A lunch break is enough

You don’t always need a formal meeting to spark social learning. Sometimes, a lunch break is enough. Even a short, thoughtful conversation can be the start of learning together.

Think of a topic or challenge you care about – something you’d love to hear others’ thoughts on. Now imagine bringing it up at lunch with 1–2 colleagues. Write down: