Flight Plan Pattern#

Tags flight plans facilitation production learning continuous improvement patterns

Warning

This page is under development.

When to use this pattern#

Flight plans are used for all Better Conversations course sessions - from design through delivery. They are essential for:

Designing and delivering any Better Conversations session
Training new facilitators or producers
Ensuring consistent quality across different delivery teams
Managing complex multi-role coordination
Scaling delivery while maintaining participant experience
Adapting the course for different contexts (team sessions, one-to-one coaching)

Flight plans are a reliable and commonly-used framework to ensure quality while preserving authentic facilitation.

We suggest you download the flight plans from this site each time you deliver a ‘standard’ session. Note that the flight plans are updated regularly to reflect our learning and feedback we have received..

The pattern#

Through thousands of hours of design and delivery, we’ve developed a comprehensive approach:

Design with layered patterns

Build flight plans from smaller, reusable patterns (e.g. state check-ins, breakout structures, timing blocks). Modular design allows continuous improvement without disrupting the whole structure. You can see an example of this modular design in the course overview document.
Create comprehensive documentation

Include session overview, learning objectives, minute-by-minute time plan, script guidelines, and role-specific instructions. Teams need clear reference points while maintaining flexibility for authentic responses.
Mark fixed vs flexible elements

Clearly indicate which elements are essential (learning objectives, key concepts) versus adaptable (exact wording, timing adjustments). Teams will know where they can respond to group needs without compromising core learning outcomes.
Follow the three-phase delivery flow

30-minute pre-session briefing, structured delivery, 30-minute afterparty including team review. This provides a predictable rhythm for the delivery team and just the right amount of time to brief and reflect.
Maintain version control

Keep controlled master versions of the flight plans while creating working copies for each session. This preserves quality standards and traceability while allowing session-specific adjustments.

What makes this pattern reliable#

Key Element	How it creates the “safety net” effect
Detailed time planning	Minute-by-minute structure prevents drift while highlighting flexibility points
Role clarity	Each team member knows their responsibilities - no surprises, no divas
Pre-session alignment	30-minute briefing catches issues before they affect participants
Script guidelines	Ensures consistent key messages while allowing personal style
Built-in reflection	Afterparty format captures learning while experiences are fresh
Modular design	Individual patterns can be improved without breaking the whole

Variations we’ve tested#

Variation	How it works
Standard approach	Two co-facilitators with a producer, which is great for 6-20 participants
Small groups (under 6)	Single facilitator possible, though we prefer paired facilitation for development
Large groups (20+)	May need multiple producers depending on the anticipated technical difficulties
Training contexts	Experienced facilitator explicitly supports trainee with planned handoffs The actual division of segments is agreed in advance to meet the needs of the trainee
Odd numbers of participants	One facilitator joins the breakouts, getting valuable participant perspectives
One-to-one coaching	Flight plan becomes conversation guide rather than strict timeline
In-person delivery	Adapt technical elements, breakout instructions, and movement patterns
Time-compressed	45-minute versions for in-person demonstration workshops focus on core exercises, trimming discussions

Evidence this pattern works#

Participant Experience

Participants consistently report feeling supported regardless of facilitator style
Quality and consistency across hundreds of sessions - people are able to come back, observe and learn how to deliver that session because of this

Facilitator Development

Novice facilitators feel ready to deliver after 2-3 observed sessions
Delivery teams report feeling confident and prepared

Operational Reliability

Sessions finish on time or early in 99.9%+ of cases (we only had one session that ran 1.5 minutes over time!)
Minor mistakes don’t derail sessions - the structure provides resilience

Building on this pattern#

We’ve found it is quick to create new modules from existing flight plans - the smaller reusable patterns are easy to copy and paste into a new module (and you know they work).

Reflections on our experience to date#

Flight plans evolved. Initially, we relied on experienced facilitators’ intuition - this worked brilliantly for them but made scaling impossible and left new facilitators floundering. We have tried many variations of words and found what works well across different groups, what needs to be tightly scripted and what doesn’t (allowing for the facilitator’s style and personality to shine through).

The breakthrough came when we started thinking of flight plans like stage scripts or musical scores. The essential elements (learning objectives, key concepts, time boundaries) are given, but there’s room for improvisation in delivery style, exact wording, and energy management. This metaphor helps facilitators understand they’re not robots reading scripts - they’re musicians or actors performing within a structure that’s there to help them.

The three-phase delivery structure emerged naturally. Meeting 15 minutes before created panic. The 30-minute sweet spot gives enough time to align without losing energy. Similarly, the afterparty creates a natural transition from formal session to informal connection, while ensuring we capture insights while they’re fresh.

We learned to be explicit that “there are no prizes for being a diva” after sessions where team members arrived unprepared or threw in a “clever” facilitation technique with no warning to the rest of the team, thinking their experience meant they could wing it. The flight plan creates a safety net - when everyone does their part, even significant challenges (technology failures, difficult participants, timing pressures) rarely derail the core learning experience.