Ever heard of breakout fatigue? Are there situations where too many small-group interactions in a workshop becomes just too much?
In researching best practices for facilitating for and with neurodivergent individuals, I came across this topic, and was recently inspired by a very interesting exchange with the lovely community members at the Facilitation Lab by Voltage Control
😵💫 So what’s the deal with breakout groups?
Well, turns out they can be quite exhausting, mentally and socially.
Unlike in a large group where you can hide, you cannot escape interaction a group of 2-5 people. Some participants may resent being forced into an exchange, or feel overwhelmed by a quick succession of highly interactive breakout activities.
This is especially true for those for whom the social battery drains faster: neurodivergent folks who are masking, introverts and those with social anxiety, or anyone already experiencing overwhelm and fatigue.
😵💫 Here are some workarounds:
- 🔀 Reshuffling the plan: If you already have a draft session plan, identify which activities are requesting more social energy and bandwidth, and how they are spaced out throughout the day/workshop, in relation to the breaks, and other less demanding activities. If you identify a lot of back-to-back high interactive breakouts, this might be a sign to reorganise your agenda, or consider one of the options below.
- 🛒 A Marketplace: An activity that revolves around creating a “marketplace”, or a menu of thematic “stations” (virtual or physical) where participants can stop by and gain insight or provide input on a relevant topic, and move about as needed (or sit out part or all of the exercise, as needed)
- 💫 Impromptu breakout: Give permission to offer an alternate breakout. One of the most memorable moments at the IAF San Diego Conference of the Americas was a harvesting session breakout where a small group of us decided that after 3 days of conference, our brains needed a break from generating and organising ideas, and crafted our own low-stakes breakout convo. I forgot what we called ourselves but it was great fun!
- 🔇 Silent breakout: Offer a socially acceptable to sit out a breakout entirely, by adding a silent breakout where there is not expectation of discussion. It can be used for those who need to sit out that part of the agenda entirely. Or be used as a quiet space to contribute towards the goal in a non-interactive way (see next).
- 👩🎤 Alternative breakout: Similar to the Silent Breakout, but giving participants a chance to contribute towards the goal in a different way: individually review documentation or watch a video, research a topic, generate and organise ideas on a board, fill in a worksheet, summarise contributions to a previous step or write a report.
What do you think?
What are your recommendations for creating less overwhelming, more psychologically safe workshops for your ND collaborators?
Marie Dubost is an accessibility facilitator and trainer. She originally posted this content on her profile.
