Use when running meetings, workshops, brainstorms, design sprints, retrospectives, or team decision-making sessions. Apply when need structured group discussion, managing diverse stakeholder input, ensuring equal participation, handling conflict or groupthink, or when user mentions facilitation, workshop design, meeting patterns, session planning, or running effective collaborative sessions.
Provides structured facilitation patterns for running productive meetings, workshops, and team sessions. Use when planning agendas, managing group dynamics, making collaborative decisions, or handling difficult facilitation situations like conflict or unequal participation.
/plugin marketplace add lyndonkl/claude/plugin install lyndonkl-thinking-frameworks-skills@lyndonkl/claudeThis skill inherits all available tools. When active, it can use any tool Claude has access to.
resources/evaluators/rubric_facilitation_patterns.jsonresources/methodology.mdresources/template.mdFacilitation Patterns provide structured approaches for running productive group sessions—from quick standups to multi-day workshops. This skill guides you through selecting the right format, designing agendas, managing participation dynamics, making group decisions, and handling difficult situations to achieve session objectives.
Use this skill when:
Trigger phrases: "facilitation", "workshop design", "meeting patterns", "how to run", "session planning", "effective meetings", "group discussion", "team collaboration"
Facilitation Patterns are proven formats and techniques for structuring group interactions to achieve specific outcomes (decisions, ideas, alignment, learning, etc.).
Core components:
Quick example:
Scenario: Product team needs to prioritize features for Q2 (8 people, 90 minutes).
Pattern selected: Effort-Impact Workshop (diverge → assess → converge)
Agenda:
Outcome: Prioritized list of 5 features, buy-in from team (they contributed), completed in 90 min.
Core benefits:
Copy this checklist and track your progress:
Facilitation Planning Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Define session objectives
- [ ] Step 2: Select facilitation pattern
- [ ] Step 3: Design agenda
- [ ] Step 4: Prepare materials and logistics
- [ ] Step 5: Facilitate the session
- [ ] Step 6: Close and follow up
Step 1: Define session objectives
What outcome do you need? (Decision, ideas, alignment, learning, relationship-building). Who attends? How much time? See resources/template.md.
Step 2: Select facilitation pattern
Based on objective and group size, choose pattern (Brainstorm, Decision Workshop, Alignment Session, Retro, Design Sprint). See Common Patterns and resources/methodology.md.
Step 3: Design agenda
Create time-boxed agenda with activities, transitions, breaks. Follow diverge-converge flow. See resources/template.md and resources/methodology.md.
Step 4: Prepare materials and logistics
Set up space (physical or virtual), prepare slides/boards, send pre-work if needed, test tech. See resources/template.md.
Step 5: Facilitate the session
Run agenda, manage time, ensure participation, handle dynamics, track outputs. See resources/methodology.md and resources/methodology.md.
Step 6: Close and follow up
Summarize outcomes, clarify next steps and owners, gather feedback, share notes. See resources/template.md.
Validate using resources/evaluators/rubric_facilitation_patterns.json. Minimum standard: Average score ≥ 3.5.
Pattern 1: Divergent Brainstorm (Generate Ideas)
Pattern 2: Convergent Decision Workshop (Choose Direction)
Pattern 3: Alignment Session (Build Shared Understanding)
Pattern 4: Retrospective (Reflect and Improve)
Pattern 5: Design Sprint (Prototype and Test)
Pattern 6: Asynchronous Collaboration (Remote/Distributed)
Critical requirements:
Objectives before format: Start with "what outcome do we need?" not "let's do a brainstorm". Format serves objective. If objective unclear, session will drift.
Time-box ruthlessly: Parkinson's Law (work expands to fill time). Set strict timers, end activities even if incomplete. 25 min generates better focus than open-ended "until we're done."
Separate divergence from convergence: Don't critique ideas during brainstorm (kills creativity). Defer judgment. Generate first, evaluate second. Premature convergence yields safe, obvious ideas.
Ensure psychological safety: Ground rules (no interrupting, critique ideas not people, Vegas rule if needed). Address power dynamics (boss speaks last, use anonymous input). Without safety, you get groupthink or silence.
Manage participation actively: Silent people have ideas (use individual writing, round robin, small groups). Verbose people dominate (time limits, "let's hear from others", parking lot for tangents). Don't let dysfunction fester.
Decide how decisions are made: Consensus (everyone agrees), consent (no objections), majority vote, delegation (input → decision-maker). Announce method upfront. Lack of clarity → "I thought we decided, but nothing happened."
Track outputs visibly: Shared board, live doc, sticky notes. Everyone sees same thing (reduces misunderstanding). Assign scribe if needed. Invisible outputs are easily lost.
Close with clarity: What was decided? Who does what by when? What's still open? How will we communicate? 5 min close prevents week of confusion.
Common pitfalls:
Key resources:
Decision-making methods:
Participation techniques:
Energizers (5-10 min):
Timing guidelines:
Red flags (adjust or stop session):
50% on laptops/phones (not engaged) → take break, energizer, or change format
Inputs required:
Outputs produced:
facilitation-plan.md: Session design (objective, agenda, materials, decision method, outputs)session-notes.md: What was discussed, decisions made, action items with ownersCreating algorithmic art using p5.js with seeded randomness and interactive parameter exploration. Use this when users request creating art using code, generative art, algorithmic art, flow fields, or particle systems. Create original algorithmic art rather than copying existing artists' work to avoid copyright violations.
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