Fishbowl

The art of active listening
 * FISHBOWL**


 * What it is**


 * Tool for facilitating dialogue between experts in a way that exposes others to their knowledge while expanding the collective understanding of a subject.
 * Knowledgeable people (the fish) sit in circle to discuss a series of directional questions.
 * They are surrounded by a larger group of observers in an outer circle (the bowl).
 * The inner circle is the stage for speaking and contributing. Those in the outer circle must listen actively and move into the role of fish when they wish to participate in the conversation.


 * When to use it**
 * An alternative to traditional debates
 * As a substitute for panel discussions
 * To foster dynamic participation
 * To address controversial topics
 * To avoid lengthy presentations


 * How it is applied**
 * Identify 2 to 3 experts or experienced participants on the issue you want to discuss
 * Brief the experts/participants on the Fishbowl process.
 * Set up a small circle of chairs surrounded by a larger circle, with 3-4 additional spare chairs to facilitate mobility.
 * Open the session with the experts in the centre circle.
 * Explain the process, the objectives and the issue/s that will be discussed.
 * Opt for one of the two types of Fishbowl: open or closed.
 * An __open fishbowl__ contains several empty chairs in the centre circle from the outset. Any member of the audience can join the discussion by occupying an empty chair at any time. A current “fish” must voluntarily leave the centre circle to free a chair. The discussion continues with participants frequently entering and leaving the Fishbowl. Participants have more than one opportunity to move to the inner circle.
 * In a __closed fishbowl__, all the centre chairs are occupied. The facilitator splits the participants into two groups (or more as needed) and assigns the role of speakers to one group, and the role of observers to the other. The initial participants in the inner circle speak for some time about the subject indicated by the facilitator. When time runs out (or when no new points are added to the discussion), initial participants leave the fishbowl and a new group from the audience enters the fishbowl. The new group continues discussing the previous issue. This may continue until all audience members have spent some time in the fishbowl. This approach is only appropriate when all participants have at least some level of prior knowledge of the subject.
 * The outer circle must always silently observe. The facilitator should enforce this principle diligently. Participants in the external circle prepare questions and comments and move into the circle when ready to take the floor.
 * Summarize the discussion and open the floor for a debriefing after either the conversation topics or the time allocated has been exhausted.
 * Simply removing the centre circle of chairs allows for participatory debriefing discussions that are very conducive to reflection.
 * During the debriefing, review key points, interesting comments and the group’s feelings regarding particular issues.
 * The participants must be allowed to develop their own conclusions and express themselves freely.
 * Providing an overview document of the lessons learned and key resources to the participants can be helpful after the exercise has ended.


 * How to adapt it**
 * Divide the participants into two groups to prepare 2-4 questions for the other group, to ensure that everyone participates. The inner circle has a discussion based upon the questions posed. When everyone in the inner circle has had a chance to speak, reverse circles to examine the second set of questions according to the fishbowl rules.
 * A Feedback Fishbowl systematizes interaction between the inner and outer circle. After the “fish” have discussed the issue for approximately 15 minutes, they spin their chairs 180 degrees to face the outer circle. The outer circle shares comments and feedback directly to the “fish” in front of them. The inner circle again faces the centre and incorporates the new information into the conversation. After the conclusion of the second round of discussion, the participants in the inner circle switch places with those in the outer circle and the process is repeated.
 * Invite people with similar opinions or experiences to sit in a Homogeneous Fishbowl. The objective is to provide the outer circle with evidence and logic to support a cohesive perspective. This helps to avoid wasteful disagreements at the early stages of the discussion and elaborates a clear concept for debate throughout the exercise.
 * In contrast to the previous variation, a Heterogeneous Fishbowl requires that one person from all divergent viewpoints in the group is invited to sit in the fishbowl. The debate must be carefully managed by the facilitator to ensure that it is productive and examines the full variety of opinions equally.
 * Multiple Fishbowls are ideal for addressing issues with large groups or when language barriers exist between participants. Assign a moderator to each fishbowl and provide them with clear instructions as well as support throughout the exercise. Select representatives from each fishbowl to form a new central fishbowl after the first discussions. Following a conversation in the central fishbowl, decide according to the composition of the group if the debriefing would be more effective within the large group or back in the original multiple fishbowls. Ensure that the moderator records the reflections to share in a resource for all the participants.
 * Roleplays can be played in closed fishbowls. Divide participants in as many groups as the number of roles you prepared. The group will prepare a role but only one member will play it. When ready, one representative per group will play the assigned role in the middle of the room (around a table or in a circle of chairs) while the other participants observe from outside. After the roleplay, close the session with a de-briefing. Sometimes de-briefings are longer than the roleplay. It means the exercise was thought-provoking!


 * What to consider**
 * More reserved groups may require encouragement to begin entering the inner circle of discussion. This can be helped by well-formulated objectives and introductions to the subject matter.
 * You can place limitations on entering the inner circle in the interest of time or fairness, such as everyone being required to make a minimum or maximum number of contributions in the centre circle.
 * If the outer circle seems to have more contributions to make after the fishbowl, open a blog, wiki or discussion forum to continue capturing their comments, reflections and questions once the face-to-face activity has ended.
 * The way to request a place in the inner circle should be decided at the outset of the session. It will depend on the culture and composition of the group. Often, simply standing up to indicate interest is enough. A tap on the shoulder may also be helpful, but be wary of cultural taboos.
 * Consider appointing a note-taker/rapporteur to write down the key points of the discussion on a flipchart and present a summary to the group after the fishbowl has ended.

-Introduce the method and the objectives/guiding questions of the discussion (10 minutes) -Fishbowl discussion (1 hour) -Debriefing (20 minutes)
 * Timing** (approximately 1h30)

- one chair for every participant (plus 3-4 empty chairs) - flip chart and markers for the note-taker
 * What you will need**



During the "Share, Learn, innovate!" workshops, different groups of OHCHR participants brainstormed on the potential application of the Fishbowl method. Here are some of their ideas for applying this tool:
 * OHCHR Applications**

- As an innovative format for coffee briefings - As a tool to facilitate discussion on focused topics during section meetings - To discuss both substantive and administrative topics during branch or division retreats - In the context of small expert meetings - During the Heads of Field Presences Meeting
 * Where to learn more**

Comprehensive book from Learning Resources and Information: “The winning trainer”, Julius E. Eitington p.67-70. Collaboratively written instructions from the KS Toolkit: http://www.kstoolkit.org/Fish+Bowl?f=print Using the fishbowl for awareness-generating activities: http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/activities/fishbowl.html A general article on the Fishbowl method with additional resources: []

//“I was pleased to skip the boring part of my long PowerPoint presentation and move directly to the much more interesting group discussion. Although I used to be rather sceptical about untraditional presentations and debates, this set-up was highly stimulating for in-depth participant involvement.” (A.Rosemberg, International Trade Union Confederation; expert in a fishbowl)//   // The facilitator explained the fishbowl principles and objectives to the group. The inner circle began with experts from three well known international organizations. After a short introduction explaining the roles of the experts, two of them gave a PowerPoint presentation on the subject itself. A participant from China, a government official from Nepal and an enterprise manager from South Africa were the first to join the inner circle. During the one-hour fishbowl discussion 12 people contributed to the inner circle dialogue, demonstrating the low entry-barrier to discussion with experts during a fishbowl. The other participants observed and reflected in silence. (M. Lisa, ITC-ILO training expert) //