Every facilitator faces a moment of choice: how best to set up an activity. Do you show or tell? Do it yourself, pair up with a volunteer, or through a coached demonstration?
Each approach has its strengths – and traps:
- Doing it yourself sets a clear model, but can unintentionally limit participants’ freedom to interpret. They might aim to copy, not explore. It also adds pressure: can they do it as well as you?
- Demoing with a volunteer introduces variety and engagement, but takes time and again introduces a particular interpretation.
- Briefing through a demo lets you teach as you go, modelling the instructions and tone simultaneously. The danger is losing the flow.
There’s no one right answer: what matters is fitting your purpose and your group’s readiness.
If you’re an organisational facilitator or team leader who wants better meetings and workshops – ones that spark insight, engagement and real progress – I’d love to work with you to deepen your practice. We explore these choices and many more in real time, through hands-on frameworks and shared reflection.
Join one of my in-person courses to explore how demonstration choices shape learning, confidence and creativity in your sessions.
Improv in 6 Acts – Paul Jackson Associates Ltd & The Improvisation Academy
First Steps in Improv – Paul Jackson Associates Ltd & The Improvisation Academy
