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Description

Participative Meetings: Generating Contributions, Managing Discussion and Reaching Decisions

Thirty minutes to make a group genuinely work together instead of chairing a sequence of individual speeches

  • 0.07 days — 0.5 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • All levels
  • Up to 6 participants

The meeting is announced as participative but two people hold the floor while everyone else listens. Ideas do not circulate, decisions are taken by default and participants leave with the feeling that they attended a discussion that did not concern them.

Thirty minutes online to acquire the facilitation techniques that make a group contribute. You will learn how to open with a question that triggers debate, how to distribute speaking time without pressure and how to bring a discussion back on track when it drifts. The short format focuses on techniques you can apply immediately in your next meeting.

Learning objectives

  • Frame an opening question that triggers contributions
  • Distribute speaking time between the most and the least vocal participants
  • Refocus a discussion that drifts off topic without cutting the speaker off
  • Have the group articulate the decision before closing the meeting

What makes this programme different

Short format built around three facilitation techniques you can apply in your very next meeting
Ready-to-use prompts and phrasings you can reuse word for word
Work on the most common deadlock situations brought by participants

Programme

1Opening Up Participation

The question drives the contribution

  • Framing an open question anchored in a real situation
  • Individual reflection time before sharing with the group
  • Ground rules that make speaking up safe
  • Pitfalls of questions that call for an expected answer

2Managing the Discussion

Giving everyone space

  • Distributing speaking time when one participant dominates
  • Inviting quieter participants to speak without putting them on the spot
  • Refocusing a discussion that drifts off topic
  • Handling disagreements voiced during the session

3Closing on a Decision

The group articulates what it has produced

  • Summarising contributions at the end of each sequence
  • Decision-making methods announced from the outset
  • Having participants themselves articulate the decision
  • Allocating actions and deadlines

Who is it for

Managers, project managers and working group facilitators who wish to involve the participants in their meetings more fully.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites

Dates & locations

12 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.