Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Using the Parking Lot as a Facilitation Tool


Some things seem too obvious to discuss... but they're not...

I've been working on a training class for facilitation.
One common tool of facilitation is the 'parking lot'.
I took it out of the class, because I thought it was too obvious.
Recently, however, I found that many experienced facilitators have never heard of a parking lot.
Now it's back in my class.

A parking lot is a place where the group can track ideas or questions that are currently off-topic.
It's usually written on a flip chart, a corner of a white board, or a piece of paper.

It's a good idea to set this up at the beginning of a session with a few words, "I don't want to let us get off topic. At the the same time, I want to capture any great ideas we have. So, let's talk freely. If I think something is off-topic, however, or better handled later, I'll put it in the parking lot. Okay?"

This accomplishes a number of objectives.
  1. it keeps us on topic
  2. it helps us capture great ideas
  3. it helps the facilitator look competent
So, next time you have a meeting or workshop, try using a parking lot!


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