1-2-4-All is a facilitation method grounded in liberating structures and is a way of helping participants think together. What is nice about this method is that it is easily scalable from a small group of 20 to 200 or more participants.
The method begins with a clear, compelling question that the host or facilitator wants the group to consider. For example, a facilitator might ask:
As we embark on a new strategic plan, what are the most important considerations we must reflect on?
Step 1 is that the facilitator poses the question and gives individual participants a minute to consider the question and their initial thoughts.
Step 2 is that the facilitator invites participants to meet up with another participant to create a pair and they have at least two minutes to share their thoughts with each other.
Step 3 is that the facilitator then invites each pair to pair up with another group to create a group of four. The group of four then will have at least four minutes to discuss their shared insights to the question and are asked to consider two points they have alignment on as a group of four.
Step 4 is the “all” part of 1-2-4-All and then everyone is invited to whole group or plenary. At this point the facilitator may use another facilitation method (such as focussed conversation) to debrief and explore what are the emerging ideas with alignment across the group.
Why we like this method
- It works equally well in-person or virtually.
- It is scalable from relatively small groups to larger groups.
- It helps to facilitate whole group engagement that feels more comfortable to introverts and extroverts.
- It is low-cost or even no cost if you have already invested in bringing people together.
- It generates a significant amount of input quickly.