Nominating Questions

When moving from small- to large-group discussions it's sometimes difficult to decide what should be the focus of the large-group discussion. Nominating Questions addresses this concern by inviting participants to vote for which question or questions will be the focus for whole-group exploration.

Purposes

• To give participants control over the focus of large-group discussion
• To provide small groups practice in developing engaging questions for large-group discussion
• To avoid the loss of energy that sometimes afflicts reporting back to a group
• To ensure an organic connection between small- and large-group discussions

How It Works

• Small groups engage in a discussion of a topic or focus question.
• One person volunteers to keep a list of questions that emerge during the discussion.
• As they conclude their discussions the recorder shares the questions raised so far. Group members voice any additional questions they would like to have considered.
• The group then chooses one or two questions that emerged from its conversation that they would like the large group to discuss.
• Each group puts its questions on the blackboard or on newsprint. This can also be done electronically via Today's Meet (https://todaysmeet.com).
• Each participant is then invited to come to the board and put a check or sticky note by the question he or she most wants to discuss.
• The questions that receive the most votes then become the focus of the whole-group conversation.

Where and When It Works Well

1. When moving from small- to large-group discussion. This is a good exercise in any class, workshop, or meeting in which you are looking for a relatively simple but meaningful transition from small-group deliberations to large-group discussion.
2. Building an agenda. This is useful whenever you're trying to build an agenda from the ground floor or grass roots. People like to feel in control of the topics they are discussing.
3. When democratic fairness is important. This democratizes a process so that no group exerts undue influence.

What Users Appreciate

1. The chance to exert control. Participants get to influence the direction of the large-group discussion.
2. The fairness of the process. Everyone can see that the questions generating the most interest become the focus for subsequent discussion.
3. Knowing that their small-group work matters. People know that what they do in the small group will not disappear into the ether but will be considered in what happens next.

What to Watch Out For

1. Shortchanging the time in the small group to develop questions. If a small group is engaged in an interesting and intense discussion it's often hard to get the members to step back and identify possible questions that have emerged. This is why the question recorder is so important.
2. Keeping the large-group discussion focused. Once the top questions have been identified it's crucial that the facilitator strives to ensure that the subsequent large-group discussion stays focused on these.

Questions That Fit This Protocol

The focus question that triggers the small-group discussions from which nominating questions subsequently emerge must be complex and controversial enough to stimulate a variety of interesting questions for further large-group conversation. Examples of focus questions are as follows:

• “How would our organizations and communities look different if discussion were more highly valued?”
• “How can we democratize our organization or community?”
• “What would it mean to function as a learning organization?”
• “What future strategies can ensure our group's long-term stability?”