Ever been to a workshop and the facilitator says: let’s just put your contribution in the parking lot! It doesn’t feel good. Parking lots are ugly and in facilitation it’s generally where ideas go to die. Years ago, at a City of Vancouver event, someone put an idea on a bike rack! Better than a parking lot perhaps but still… what does that mean?
Here’s where the greenhouse comes in. It’s an approach we’ve used for years but didn’t come up with. We’ve played with it and are happy to provide a free download for your use. Here’s some key things with a greenhouse:
- Things grow in greenhouses.
- Greenhouses are living, organic places where plants can put down roots or sprout.
- They have different seasons, but mostly things don’t stay in the greenhouse forever.
Now, for facilitation, here are some tips on how to use this template.
- Early in the session, introduce the greenhouse as a place where participants and the facilitator can put ideas. Not sure if the idea belongs in the conversation, what to see if an idea will take root or needs to be cultivated – put it on a sticky and put it in the greenhouse. It’s for everyone, not just the facilitator.
- Throughout the session, check-in with the contents of the greenhouse and see if there are contributions, ideas or thoughts that need to take up space in the agenda in the here and now or in the future.
- Report out on the contributions for the greenhouse and review them when planning future sessions.
The greenhouse can be used in-person as a print-out with sticky notes, but it can also be loaded into MIRO, Padlet or Flinga for virtual or hybrid facilitation.
Enjoy and happy harvesting!