What do you do if conflicting opinions arise during large group facilitation?

When conflicting opinions arise during large group facilitation, I focus on creating space for active listening and respect. Acknowledge each perspective so that everyone feels included, then guide the group toward finding common ground or constructive solutions. Conflict often presents an opportunity for deeper insights—as facilitators we must channel that energy into dialogue that promotes growth, clarity, and collective progress.

It is essential to form a view of what are the most important issues for each party and why. As the understanding of priorities and their root causes grows, the probability of reaching a common solution improves.

Highlight that this is a growth opportunity in embracing different vantage points and the benefits of diversity in views. Encourage all to actively listen in the same way they would like to be listened to. Lets grow together being the thrust in that session

Open questions are extremely important. When the parties get to talk, the conversational connection often begins to gradually improve.

Visualizations help different team members. Goal, measuring methods, resources and current status are the basics. Courage participation point different ideas widely, everyone can stilizise team data. Potential ideas takes practical level, often project manager needed to get optimal profit. Sometimes goal is different if mirrored orginal perspective but then we have nobler goal.

Conflicting opinions are a needed way to grow and learn together. I absolutely cherish them, even celebrate them! It is wonderful if someone says: het hold on a minute, I don't see it like that... As a facilitator it is very important for me to listen to the different views thoroughly, ask deepening questions and try to show them in some visible format for everyone: draw or write on a whiteboard, add key points in the presentation we're working on etc. This gives everyone a chance to engage more deeply in the alternatives and study them in their own pace and learning style. All of a sudden we might see similarities, possibilities, ideas or something groundbreaking when we immerse ourselves in different views. Innovation needs exploration.

I feel sometimes we are so focused on consensus because of pressure to move on and it becomes a form of stifling different opinions.The focus should not be simply moving on but allowing enough time, research and "desteaming" and effective evaluation of all perspectives. In some instance having a group of experts that was not in the initial meeting discuss the issue even in a quick zoom call. The issue can be 'parked' and revisited later in an hour or 2 or even the next day. I believe it always give better perspective when everyone has more 'unpressured' comsideration of the issue. Life has often how popular opinion is wrong. A premeditated and agreed decisio .aking framework to evaluate opinions also helps if its a group from the same firm

A very good advice is to ask: ”Why is this particular issue important to you?” When the party in question gets to tell the reasons, the atmosphere often calms down.