‘‘ D Open or closed?
An “open fishbowl” is a fishbowl where members of the audience can join the central circle and contribute their views. Here, one central chair is left empty for newcomers. The first four speakers are usually chosen beforehand to start the convers ation off, but once the conversation is underway, audience members are free to join the group via the empty chair when they have something relevant to contribute. At this point, one of the existing speakers will drop back to the audience. A “closed fishbowl” is a fishbowl where the central circle of five speakers remains constant, similar to a panel discussion but more conversational. Either a single group of five speakers can talk for the full allotted time, or one can run consecutive groups of five speakers, where each group talks for a set period, then the whole group swaps out.
What makes fishbowl conversations different and useful?
The structure of the fishbowl conversation helps to minimise the distinction between speakers and audience, which means it can feel more inclusive and democratic. Those who might often be underrepresented on panels or in Q&As, have more
September 2022
There is always concern in a fishbowl discussion that more introverted or shy people will be excluded from the conversation.
O you find panel discussions a bit sterile or lacking in diverse opinions? Are you looking for new ways
to share complex knowledge inside your organis ation or a way to tease out differing viewpoints and share them? You might be looking for a fishbowl…
What is a Fishbowl conversation? A fishbowl conversation is a type of witnessed conversation, often used for sharing complex experiential knowledge to a wider audience. Traditionally five chairs are set in a central circle for those who will be speaking, and concentric circles of chairs are set around them for the audience.
opportunities to join in and contribute to the discussion and to feel like they belong in the discussion.
The circular layout enables better
eyecontact between the speakers than a singleline speakerpanel facing an audience and encourages a more conversational style. This encourages an emphasis on exploring the topic, rather than answering questions. With the audience on the same level as the speakers, it can also feel more inviting for audience members to get involved, compared to being expected to stand up alone and ask a panel of speakers a single question, with little opportunity to clarify or follow up on the answer.
What are the potential problems? There is always concern in a fishbowl discussion that more introverted or shy people will be excluded from the conversation. My own experience as a naturally introverted person (admittedly one who has made public speaking a central part of my business) is that the circle of speakers encourages good eyecontact, meaning that I focus on the conversation rather than the audience far more than in a traditional panel Q&A. If this could be a problem in your organisation, you can split the fishbowl into a number of smaller conversations or capture thoughts on post it notes at breakpoints in the discussions, to make sure all viewpoints and knowledge are included.
A participant’s experience Hank Malik and I ran an open fishbowl conversation at the recent CILIP conference in Liverpool on the topic of psychological safety and trust at work. Rather than simply giving you my views on fishbowl conversations, I will leave you with a participant’s thoughts on being part of that conversation. “Fishbowl activities are a great activity for knowledge sharing in my experience, as they are suitable for your introverted attendees and your extroverted attendees.
As an observer in the outer circle you are able to listen to the live discussions and formulate your thoughts and
Hélène Russell (
helenerussell@theknowledgebusiness.co.uk) runs The Knowledge Business and is Chair of CILIP’s K&IM Group.
reflections. As a participant in the inner circle you are able to share those reflections, experiences and thoughts. Either way knowledge matures. As the inner circle of attendees change, the dynamics of the conversation changes and reflections can bring on a new thought process. The choice to reflect and share or reflect inwardly is optional. I have a passion for knowledge sharing and love the pathways all of these reflections take me. It’s a great space to think and share and in my opinion, a fishbowl is an immersive dynamic knowledge sharing tool.
Helene and Hank facilitated a great example of a fishbowl activity at the CILIP conference. It was much bigger than I have previously been involved in, but the way they both encouraged the participants to engage was done in a supportive way. The type of space created by the facilitators massively helps the feeling within the fishbowl activity. No pressure was felt by me when Helene and Hank facilitated with minimal effort but great impact. All those factors created a safe space to be an active attendee, therefore I was able to be a participant in the inner circle on this occasion. I felt I was able to contribute to the discussions rather than simply be in receipt of the knowledge sharing. It was a great two way knowledge sharing experience.” Have you used a fishbowl conversation in your organisation? I’d love to hear about your experiences, contact me at
helenerussell@theknowledgebusiness.co.uk. IP
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