Method guide · Arrange people and ideas
Gallery Report-back
Use to compare small-group work at each person’s own pace and identify cross-cutting issues without treating them as formal decisions.
- People
- 8–60
- Base procedure time
- 40 minutes
- Recording
- Shared record
Purpose: Explore through dialogue; Organise and narrow ideas.
English guide
Text acceptance is not approval of this rendered page, its media, or publication.
How this method works
Share small-group points at each person’s own pace to identify cross-cutting issues. Each group makes an original poster of points that may be disclosed. Only one willing person optionally stays to answer questions or add explanations. Treat seated viewing, reading aloud and passing as equal participation. Collect questions or common points on unsigned cards. The transcriber shuffles them, copies them into a standard format and shreds the handwritten originals. Do not describe this as fully anonymous, because the transcriber sees the original text. Separate cross-cutting issues and matters to check from individual identities, and do not treat them as formal decisions. This description independently adapts Rhizome’s method under the Commons Library’s terms. Do not run this where confidential or personal information cannot be displayed on a wall.
Phase schedule
Minutes are cumulative from the start of the base plan, not a live timer. Read scaling for any additional time. Phase controls do not advance automatically.
Use the arrow keys, Home or End while these controls have focus. The complete phase schedule remains below, including without JavaScript.
- Condense each group’s points onto one sheet0–10 minutes from the start (10 minutes)
Action: Condense. Participation: Groups of 4–6.
Shared record
- Check disclosure and viewing options10–15 minutes from the start (5 minutes)
Action: Check. Participation: Everyone.
Shared record
- Browse displays at your own pace15–25 minutes from the start (10 minutes)
Action: Browse. Participation: Everyone; one optional explainer.
Shared record
- Transcribe shuffled questions into a standard format25–35 minutes from the start (10 minutes)
Action: Transcribe. Participation: Individuals and one transcriber per group.
Shared record
- Organise cross-cutting issues and checks35–40 minutes from the start (5 minutes)
Action: Organise. Participation: Everyone.
Shared record
Facilitation steps
- For 10 minutes, work in groups of 4–6 to put disclosable points, evidence and matters to check onto one sheet in large text.
- For 5 minutes, exclude personal and confidential information and check seated viewing, reading aloud, unsigned submissions and passing.
- For 10 minutes, browse freely at your own pace. Only one willing person optionally stays at a poster to answer questions or add explanations.
- For 10 minutes, submit a question or common point unsigned. The transcriber shuffles the cards, copies them into a standard format and shreds the originals.
- For 5 minutes, return one de-identified cross-cutting issue and one matter to check from each group, without treating them as formal decisions.
If something changes
If
At least one display or submitted card contains a name, individual case, confidential information or content the person has not permitted for disclosure.
Then
Do not put the display on the wall; return it to the person. Do not transcribe the submitted card: separate it into an opaque bag and shred it on the spot.
If
Even one person chooses not to move, read text, report orally or ask a named question.
Then
Let them choose seated viewing, large text, reading aloud, unsigned submission cards or passing. Do not appoint them as a reporter.
If
At least 7 people gather in front of one poster during browsing, or at least one location cannot maintain passage width.
Then
Stop browsing, move half the participants to seated viewing, and separate starting positions and directions before resuming.
Preparation
Materials
- Original posters: one per group
- Unsigned submission cards and standard-format transcription cards: one of each per person
- Lidded boxes and opaque shredding bags: one box and one bag per group
- Broad-tip pens: one per person
- Seated-viewing copies and read-aloud scripts: 2 copies and one script per poster
- Route signs: 4 for the venue
Room and setup
- Display only group points approved for disclosure, with no personal or confidential information.
- Provide routes, seated viewing, large text, reading aloud, unsigned submissions and passing.
- Only the transcriber copies shuffled original cards into the standard format and shreds them. Explain that this is not complete anonymity: the transcriber can see original wording and handwriting.
- Explaining is voluntary. State that the outputs are candidate cross-cutting issues and matters to check, not formal decisions.
Adjust for people and time
With fewer than 8 people, multiple groups’ points cannot be compared; switch to individual reflection. Use 2 groups for 8–12 people, 3 for 13–18 and 4 for 19–24, adding one group for every further 6 people. Keep groups at 4–6. Browse freely at individual pace, dividing into halves only when crowded. Each group’s transcriber shuffles and transcribes 4–6 cards. Return only de-identified cross-cutting issues and matters to check to the whole group. For 61 or more people, use separate sessions.
Safety and non-applicable situations
Confirm disclosure before displaying anything and exclude personal/confidential material. Offer equal non-moving, reading and unsigned-question alternatives without forcing a reporter role. Do not promise full anonymity to people whose cards are seen by the transcriber. Shred originals and unsafe submitted cards as specified, manage crowding and keep outputs provisional rather than formal decisions.
Manuscript's recorded references
These translate the original manuscript's source and rights claims. They remain separate from any current-page notice below; they do not establish new verification.
- Commons Library / Rhizome Facilitation Tools and Techniques: Gallery Report-back
https://commonslibrary.org/facilitation-tools-and-techniques/
CC-BY-SA-4.0 adaptation; changes made
- Conditions applying to CC-BY-SA-4.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Diagram, print, and video language
Original Japanese guide, diagram, and print view. Their labels and print text have not been translated; an English print edition is not provided here.
English video-library navigation. Original Japanese audio, subtitles and transcripts remain labelled Japanese resources. Their translations are separate later work. No remote player is embedded here.
The manual English phase controls are a navigation aid, not a live facilitation timer. Interactive diagram motion remains pending.
Editorial provenance
Japanese source status and logs are provenance only. They do not mean this English text or interface was field-tested. Historical fixed-text acceptance and hold records remain specific to their recorded versions; displaying them neither asserts current acceptance nor resolves source-specific restrictions.