Feel ready to host your first session

Prepare to host

Before participants arrive, choose your scenario and open Prepare to host this scenario in setup or the lobby. Read the reference priorities and caveats, then choose one discussion question. You do not need to memorize all 15 explanations.

• Decide what you want the group to reflect on: making assumptions, handling disagreement, or changing its mind.
• For a full session, allow 25–35 minutes for team ranking and 10–20 minutes after the reveal for debrief. Add time for joining, briefing, and reveal. Adjust to your group and workshop goals. The Free Demo limits ranking to 15 minutes.
• Check the join link and room screen before people arrive. Keep your private host notes off the shared screen.
• Creating a lobby and previewing the briefing are free. Starting live play, including a rehearsal, uses a Free Demo run or paid credit.

Give teams a clear start

Say: “Agree on your strongest ranking of all 15 items. Explain your priorities and make one shared list. Take turns editing so everyone can contribute.” Read the short scenario facts, share the join link, and check that teams are ready.

• When someone asks for a fact, use Questions teams may ask in your host briefing. Clarify the premise without suggesting where an item belongs.
• If the brief leaves something unknown, say: “What assumption will your team work with?” Avoid inventing extra supplies or guarantees.
• Listen for one concrete disagreement or change of mind to return to later. You do not need to monitor every conversation.

Turn the reveal into a conversation

Say: “This reference gives us another perspective. Let’s look at how you reached your decision.” The score describes closeness to the reference; it does not measure how well a team worked together.

• Start with one choice: “Which item was hardest to agree on, and why?” Give the team a moment to think before answering.
• Explore the reasoning: “What assumption shaped that choice?” or “What changed your mind?” Ask for an example rather than judging the answer.
• Use one reference difference if it helps: “What does this model prioritize differently?” You do not need to explain every item or settle every disagreement.
• Invite another perspective with “Did anyone see it differently?” Let people pass, and focus on choices rather than labeling individuals.

After the session: take one thing with you

A debrief is simply a short conversation about what happened and what to try next. Before everyone leaves, ask the group to connect one moment from the exercise to an everyday decision. You can use these questions word for word.

• Notice: “What helped us reach agreement, and what made it harder?” Ask for one specific moment from the activity.
• Connect: “Where do we face a similar decision at work, in class, or as a group?” Let participants make the connection themselves.
• Choose: “What is one small thing we want to try next time?” For example: name our assumptions before debating solutions, or invite a different view before deciding.
• Close: repeat the group's chosen action and thank everyone. If useful, agree when you will check whether the action helped. A later meeting can start with: “Did we try it? What happened?”

Why a useful debrief asks about what worked, too (opens in a new tab)