Giving the presenter a chance to show their work without being interrupted by a string of questions turns out to be pretty important. After seeing the Chosen Ones [the observed magician group] in action, I immediately noticed how, in my design reviews, disruptive interruptions can be. It throws the presenter off and doesn’t give them a chance to tell their story about the design and what they’re trying to accomplish.

Unfortunately, we often let the presenter also play the roles of facilitator and recorder. The wise kids at SYM let one of their own be the facilitator. (It was officially the VP’s job, but when that kid needed to perform, one of the other chapter officers would facilitate that meeting.)

Recording all the ideas coming in is important and it’s really hard to do, even for seasoned adult presenters, when simultaneously trying to listen and take in the ideas. Having another person record the group’s thoughts gives the presenter the confidence that everything’s being recorded without needing to juggle listening with note taking.