How do you respond to the tensions of participation?
Tensions of participation

How do you respond to the tensions of participation?

We invite you to explore a few situations and notice what you tend to prioritize when participation gets complicated.

You’ll follow a project and make a series of decisions along the way. Don’t look for the right answer: this isn’t about getting it right, it’s about noticing yourself.

Choose what you’d most likely do in a real situation.

Enter the project →
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New project

Redesigning Impulso

Impulso is a professional development program for people stepping into a management role for the first time.

Its evaluations are decent, but recent interviews reveal a gap: many people feel that what happens during the program doesn’t really reflect the challenges they face back at work.

The team has decided to bring in a more participatory process to redesign it.

You’ll be designing and facilitating that process.

Meet the team →
Meet the team

Before you start, meet the people

Hover over each person to see more

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Cares about
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Start →
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Situation {{ sceneNum }} of 6 {{ scene.label }}

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Earlier: {{ prevRecap }}

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In the room
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Enter the room →
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You
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You
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Meanwhile, in the room…
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See what your decision protects →
You’re reviewing an earlier situation. See the reading of your decision →
You · facilitator
Your turn

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Choose how you’d respond
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What might be going on here

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Something to notice
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Explore your decisions

In each situation, you protected something: time, structure, voice, decision-making power, agreement, exploration…

Participation happens right in the middle of those tensions.

Your answers don’t say “what kind of facilitator you are.” But they can help you notice what you tend to prioritize when those needs compete with each other.

See your reflection →
Your reflection

Your participation reflection

A reading of the decisions you made across these six situations. It doesn’t define your style: it shows what seemed to get the most protection when different needs pulled against each other.

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What this can bring
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Something to watch for
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Your question
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Where your decisions leaned
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This isn’t a score: it shows which way your choices moved when two needs were competing.

Two things to notice →

Two things you might notice

Patterns that might be worth paying attention to, based on the specific decisions you made.

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Choose what to take with you →

A few questions to take with you

For the next time you design or facilitate a participatory experience.
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Next time this moment comes up, you don’t need to fix it right away. Just notice it. That small pause can reveal a lot about how you’re designing participation.

← Choose another question
Participation isn’t about getting rid of these tensions.
It’s about learning to see them while we’re making decisions.
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