Method guide · Progress through phases
Go-round
Use when everyone should have a brief turn on one topic with a predictable order and a later chance for those who passed.
- People
- 5–100
- Base procedure time
- 5 minutes
- Recording
- No record
Purpose: Explore through dialogue; Build working relationships.
English guide
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How this method works
Choose the direction beforehand and pass brief speaking turns around the circle one person at a time. Use when you want everyone’s voice to make one round on a topic while also giving people time to prepare. Knowing the direction makes the order predictable, and people who pass still have a chance to return at the end of the round. There is no special recorded artifact afterwards, but everyone has had a speaking opportunity and their candid reactions to the topic remain in the room. This is not suitable on its own for exhaustive discussion or dialogue where people want to change the speaking order freely in the moment.
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.
- Show the direction0–1 minutes from the start (1 minute)
Action: Show. Participation: Everyone.
Recording not separately specified for this phase
- Complete one round1–4 minutes from the start (3 minutes)
Action: Round. Participation: Everyone.
Recording not separately specified for this phase
- Check for return turns4–5 minutes from the start (1 minute)
Action: Check. Participation: Everyone.
Recording not separately specified for this phase
Facilitation steps
- Sit in a circle or semicircle where everyone can see one another. Choose one topic and tell everyone.
- For 1 minute, the facilitator indicates the direction and the first speaker, then allows a little thinking time.
- For 3 minutes, speak one at a time in the indicated direction, giving the next person a brief signal after finishing.
- For 1 minute, name anyone who did not speak and offer a brief additional turn only to those who want it.
If something changes
If
Passes exceed half of the participants during the round.
Then
Narrow the prompt to “Just a brief phrase is enough” and have the facilitator give one concrete example.
Preparation
Materials
- One sheet with the topic written large, placed where everyone can see it
- One clock or timer visible to everyone
Room and setup
- Circle or semicircle seating where everyone can see everyone’s face, with one seat per person
- The facilitator decides the direction, clockwise or anticlockwise, in advance.
Adjust for people and time
With fewer than 5 people, choosing a direction for one round has little value and the method does not work. With more than 15 people, split into several circles of 7–8 and run them simultaneously to keep the 5-minute slot. Set the direction in each circle beforehand. With a smaller number, you may allow more time per person and take more care over the return-turn check.
Safety and non-applicable situations
A passed turn is not compulsory: offer a return only to people who want one. This produces no special recorded artifact. Do not use it alone for deep discussion or when the order needs to change freely.
Historical translation and source notes
These original notes are retained verbatim with their fixed source versions. This historical label does not resolve a source-specific concern or establish current acceptance.
- For more than 15 participants, the source requires circles of 7–8 but gives no remainder rule for counts that cannot be partitioned that way, such as 17–20. The translation does not add a smaller-circle exception.
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.
- Rhizome: Go-round (Facilitation Tools and Techniques)
https://commonslibrary.org/facilitation-tools-and-techniques/
CC BY-SA 4.0 adaptation; changes made
- Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
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.