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| Criterion |  Facilitation Lean Coffee |  Facilitation World Café |  Innovation Lotus Blossom |  Facilitation Fishbowl Discussion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When a group without a fixed agenda needs to get into useful conversations quickly, Lean Coffee structures the start around interests rather than a presentation. The group itself negotiates which topics get time first and which wait. | When a group needs to connect many viewpoints in a short time, World Café creates a calm alternation between closeness and rotation. It sets thinking in motion without forcing the conversation into full-plenary rigidity. | When a central question feels too large, the method breaks it into neighboring topic fields with their own depth of ideation. It holds structure and openness at the same time, so adjacent perspectives don't get lost. This grows an idea space out of a core problem. | When a controversial topic needs depth and discipline at the same time, Fishbowl Discussion makes the structure of the conversation transparent. The format keeps the core small enough for real dialogue and open enough for controlled turnover. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 30-90 min | 60-180 min | 45-90 min | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-20 | 12-100+ | 3-10 | 8-80 |
Formatsame | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Prioritized Topics, Discussion Notes, Action Items | Table Notes, Emergent Themes, Shared Questions | Lotus Diagram, Idea Themes, Shortlist | Discussion Insights, Observed Tensions, Follow-up Questions |
Tagsno overlap | FacilitationAutonomyDialogue | FacilitationDialogueLarge groupSensemaking | BrainstormingIdeationCreativityDivergenceWorkshop | FacilitationDialogueLarge group |