Method guide · Progress through phases
Reflecting and Replanning in Action
Replan only the next stage from observed participation, understanding, and time while protecting safety, consent, access, and the agreed end time.
- People
- 3–50
- Base procedure time
- 15 minutes
- Recording
- Shared record
Purpose: Reflect and learn; Make a decision.
English guide
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How this method works
A method for comparing the current situation with the meeting's original intent and rearranging only the next single stage. Record current participation, understanding, and time as observed facts, then choose keeping, shortening, replacing, or pausing. Show everyone the reason, what will not change, and what will be observed again after the change. Do not frequently alter the entire plan; keep the end time. Do not cut safety, consent, breaks, access support, or statutory procedures; when time is short, reduce output volume, the number of shared items, or the number of issues. For danger or serious ill health, stop replanning and move to formal support. The outputs are a reasoned next stage and points to observe again. This description is a distinct adaptation, with changes, of Reflecting in Action by Rhizome, published in Commons Library, under CC BY-SA 4.0, and is provided under the same terms.
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.
- Check original intent and essential outputs0–3 minutes from the start (3 minutes)
Action: Recheck intent. Participation: Everyone and co-facilitator.
Shared record
- Record current participation, understanding, and time3–6 minutes from the start (3 minutes)
Action: Record current position. Participation: Everyone.
Shared record
- Separate gaps from protected conditions6–9 minutes from the start (3 minutes)
Action: Protect conditions. Participation: Everyone and co-facilitator.
Shared record
- Keep, shorten, replace, or pause the next stage9–12 minutes from the start (3 minutes)
Action: Choose next action. Participation: Everyone.
Shared record
- Show the reason and what to observe again12–15 minutes from the start (3 minutes)
Action: Share reasons. Participation: Everyone.
Shared record
Facilitation steps
- For 3 minutes, check the original intent, essential outputs to retain, and end time on the plan sheet.
- For 3 minutes, write current participation, understanding, and time as observed facts on the three-field sheet.
- For 3 minutes, separate the gap from intent from safety, consent, breaks, access, and statutory procedures.
- For 3 minutes, choose keeping, shortening, replacing, or pausing only the next single stage.
- For 3 minutes, show everyone the change reason, what will not change, and what will be observed again afterwards.
If something changes
If
A change proposal cuts any safety, consent, breaks, access support, or statutory procedure.
Then
Do not adopt it. Reduce output volume, shared-item counts, or issues covered while retaining protected conditions.
If
Even one person cannot understand the reason, what will not change, or the end time.
Then
Do not begin the next stage. Explain again through plain displays and speech, and receive questions or passing.
If
There is even one instance of danger, sudden ill health, or severe distress.
Then
Stop ordinary replanning, secure safety, and prioritise formal emergency and support routes.
Preparation
Materials
- One whole-group self-made plan sheet for original intent, essential outputs, and end time
- One whole-group self-made three-field sheet for current position, gap from intent, and next stage
- One whole-group keep/shorten/replace/pause card set
- One whole-group protection card for safety, consent, breaks, access, and statutory procedures
- One whole-group timer
- 2 whole-group broad-tip pens
Room and setup
- Show original intent, essential outputs to retain, current participation/understanding/time, and end time on one sheet, with roles enabling consultation with a co-facilitator
- Change only the next single stage, choosing keep, shorten, replace, or pause. Show everyone the reason, what will not change, and what will be observed again after the change
- Do not cut safety, consent, breaks, access support, or statutory procedures. If time is short, reduce output volume, the number of shared items, or the issues covered
Adjust for people and time
With 3–50 people, do not split the whole group; choose only the next single stage again within fifteen minutes. Show everyone the reason, unchanged conditions, and end time simultaneously. With 51 or more, do not make changes through one facilitator alone; use separate sessions with a co-facilitator.
Safety and non-applicable situations
Protect safety, consent, breaks, access support, statutory procedures, and the end time. Reduce work rather than those conditions, and do not start the next stage while someone cannot understand the change. Stop ordinary replanning for danger, sudden ill health, or severe distress and use formal emergency/support routes. Change only one next stage, with co-facilitation for the stated larger setting.
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: Reflecting in Action
https://commonslibrary.org/facilitation-tools-and-techniques/#h-reflecting-in-action
Adaptation under CC-BY-SA-4.0; changes made
- Conditions for applying 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.