Managing Large-Group
Presentations
Dr. Sharon Walpole
University of Delaware
Professional Development
Nightmares
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Be honest. Tell about a nightmare
presenter or a nightmare group.
What strategies have you
noticed used in these meetings?
Goals
1.
2.
3.
Define role of external facilitator
Provide “tips” for management and
planning
Brainstorm possible scenarios and
solutions
A great resource
Eller, John. (2004). Effective group
facilitation in education: How to
energize and manage difficult groups.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
What is a facilitator?
John Eller, in Effective Group Facilitation
in Education (2004) argues that
employing a facilitator to run a team
meeting has distinct advantages over
having the leader run the meeting
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A facilitator does not assume or use any
positional power
A facilitator’s role is to serve the group
A facilitator is interested in the process
and its integrity, not in the results or
application
A facilitator sets up conditions for
success, and adjusts those conditions if
necessary
A facilitator can tap “true feelings” and
create a safe and open atmosphere
And an external facilitator . . .
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Comes with an open mind
Has to rely on the messages
communicated during the meeting rather
than established norms or culture
And an effective external
facilitator
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Puts needs of groups before own needs
Understands his/her own limitations
Works to build rapport
Understands the goal/content of the session
Watches and listens to participants
Depersonalizes negative events or comments
Stays calm under pressure

How can you show interest in others
and in their success?

How can you stay calm in negative or
uncomfortable situations?
Some concrete things you can do
to start . . .
1.
2.
3.
4.
Put up a welcome sign
Greet everyone at the door
Have music playing?
Plan an ice breaker
And once you are ready to open
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Be welcoming and thankful for participants’
time
Give a short and humble (funny?)
introduction of yourself
Give some ground rules for the day
Share the agenda and the logistics
Make sure that everyone is comfortable and
make any adjustments needed in the room
Consider a way for the participants to meet
and connect with one another
Be yourself when you introduce
yourself

There are different ways to start the
meeting; spend time thinking about
what works for you. Don’t imitate
someone else (unless that works for
you).
How can you involve the
participants in setting ground
rules? What rules are important?
How can you connect the
participants to one another?
Forming random groups

Use playing cards or tokens
–
Groups of 4 by card (kings, twos, etc)
– Larger groups by adding to the deck
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Use candy or jelly beans
Put numbers on the handouts
Organize by month of birthday
During the meeting, there are some
things that you can control (Eller)
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The conditions and tone
The pacing
The meaningfulness
The connections that participants build to
you, to one another
And some that you can’t
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The attitudes people arrive with.
The task/materials
People’s past experience with PD
People’s past experience with people in
the room
Whether individuals actually do what
you say
Crazy people
What if the group is breaking
down?

Use redirecting language:
–
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I understand that you are concerned with
______. That will be addressed ________.
Here we have a change to work on
____________.
Write down the participants’ issue and
tell them that you will communicate it.
What if an individual is giving you
fits?
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Make every effort to connect directly to the
individual.
Privately express your concern that the meeting
is not meeting that person’s needs.
Privately ask whether there is anything you can
do personally to better meet that individual’s
needs.
Privately ask if the person needs to take a
break.
Think of things that you can
control
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How prepared you are
How positive you are
Whether you listen or not
How quickly you respond to problems
–
In general, don’t ignore them
What if people are chatting?
What if people are pretending
they already know everything?
What if you have one person who
is being domineering?
What if someone falls asleep?
What if someone is constantly
expressing negative comments?
What else are you worried about?
Some things that I focus on
because I control them:
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Be prepared
Be honest and take responsibility
immediately when things aren’t going
right before the participants call you on
it
Create an atmosphere of service