The Fishbowl

A strategy for large group discussions

So many of the PDFs on this site help inspire discussions, debates and conversations. If you're looking for a way to corral a large group, here is a possibility that might work for you.

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The Fishbowl is a classic discussion strategy that manages big groups by dividing them into an inner circle (the speakers) and an outer circle (the observers).

It gives everyone a clear (and somewhat low-anxiety) job. It also helps encourage respectful disagreement – at least that’s the idea!

You can keep things informal, without requiring the outer circle to take notes. Or you can extend the thinking involved by having them track and analyze the arguments they hear.

The Setup 

First things first, decide on a debate prompt that works for the age of the participants and that has plenty of room for opposing views. Then, arrange your chairs into two concentric circles.

    • The Inner Circle (The Fishbowl): Place 4 to 6 chairs in the very centre. These participants are the fish who will do the active speaking. (One chair will remain empty to start.)
    • The Outer Circle: Arrange the rest of the chairs in a larger ring around the centre. These participants are the observers who listen and take notes.

How to Play

    • Only the Fish Can Speak: Only those sitting in the inner circle are allowed to talk. 
    • The Outer Circle: All non-fish participants must remain completely silent, actively listening and taking notes on the arguments – such as the main points; points they agree and disagree with; points they think are missing; and points they want to raise.
    • Hot Seat: Keep one chair in the fishbowl empty. If an observer from the outer circle wants to contribute an idea, challenge a point, or ask a question, they must stand up, walk over and sit in the hot seat. Once the hot seat debater makes their point, they return to the outer circle, leaving the seat open for someone else.
    • The Facilitator's Role: The facilitator/teacher stands outside the bowl. Their only job is to provide the initial debate prompt, step back and redirect the inner circle if they get stuck or completely off-track.

Suggested break down of timing

    • The Launch (2-3 minutes, or whatever is best): Announce the debate prompt or topic. Give everyone two minutes to think about their stance. Or you can give them the prompt the day before - whatever works best. Totally up to you.
    • The Discussion (10-15 Minutes): The inner circle begins discussing. They talk directly to each other, not to the facilitator/teacher. The outer circle takes notes and uses the hot seat to tap in and out.
    • The Debrief (5 Minutes): Bring everyone back together. Use the outer-circle notes to kickstart a quick post mortem debrief (e.g., "Outer circle, who made the most convincing point? What major question did the inner circle miss?").
    • Next time: Swap out the inner circle with a new set of fish when you’re ready to play again.

Variation: You can also use the empty chair to completely swap out members of the inner circle.

    • The Rule: When someone from the outer circle sits in the hot seat, they become a permanent part of the inner circle. However, because the fishbowl is now too full, someone else in the inner circle must voluntarily get up and move to the outer circle to recreate another empty space.
    • What this does: It helps ensure everyone who is eager to participate can get a chance to - and also gives quieter students a natural way to exit the spotlight when they feel they’ve said enough.

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Need help coming up with prompts?

Our Critical Thinking and Conversation ebooks are packed with great options for a Fishbowl session - in particular, Agree or Disagree, 2nd Edition serves as an especially valuable resource.