How to Run an Action Learning Set: A Practical Guide

Action Learning sounds quite simple.

Bring a small group of people together, ask someone to talk about a real challenge, and get everyone else to ask questions that help them think.

In principle, that is pretty much it.

In practice, a good Action Learning Set needs a bit more thought.

People need to understand that they are not there to solve each other's problems. The person bringing the issue needs enough space to think. Questions need to be genuinely curious rather than advice with a question mark on the end. And somebody needs to look after the process without taking over the conversation.

Done well, Action Learning gives people something that can be surprisingly difficult to find at work: protected time to think properly about a real issue with the help of other people.

This guide explains how to run an Action Learning Set, from deciding who should take part through to structuring the session and agreeing what happens afterwards.

What is an Action Learning Set?

An Action Learning Set is a small group of people who meet regularly to help one another think through real workplace challenges.

One person, sometimes called the presenter, brings an issue they want to explore.

Rather than telling them what they should do, the other members ask questions designed to help them understand the situation differently, challenge their assumptions and decide what they want to do next.

The emphasis is on learning through reflection and action.

If you are considering introducing this approach within your organisation, you can read more about how I design and facilitate Action Learning Sets.

Who should be in an Action Learning Set?

An Action Learning Set will typically contain around four to eight people.

You need enough people to bring different perspectives, but not so many that participants spend most of the session waiting for an opportunity to speak.

There isn't a perfect number.

What matters just as much is who you put together.

A good set often brings together people with broadly comparable levels of responsibility who do not necessarily work together every day. This can reduce some of the hierarchy and history that might otherwise affect the conversation.

Cross-departmental or cross-organisational groups can work particularly well because participants are less likely to become caught up in the detail of somebody else's problem.

They can concentrate on helping the person think.

What sorts of issues can people bring to Action Learning?

The issue should be real.

That sounds obvious, but it is important.

Action Learning isn't usually at its best when people are discussing hypothetical scenarios or case studies. Its strength comes from somebody bringing something they genuinely need to think about.

That might be:

• a difficult leadership decision

• a relationship that isn't working

• a change they need to implement

• a team problem

• conflicting priorities

• a project that has stalled

• a decision they have been avoiding

• a challenge around influencing other people

• something about their own leadership or management approach

The person does not need to arrive with a perfectly formed question.

Quite often, working out what the real issue is becomes part of the session.

What are the ground rules for an Action Learning Set?

Before the first session, I would agree some straightforward ground rules.

These usually include confidentiality, listening properly, respecting different views and giving everyone an opportunity to contribute.

But there is another rule that matters particularly in Action Learning:

Don't immediately give advice.

For many people, this is surprisingly difficult.

At work we are often rewarded for knowing the answer. Someone describes a problem and our instinct is to help:

"Have you tried...?"

"What you need to do is..."

"If I were you..."

There is nothing inherently wrong with advice.

It just isn't what Action Learning is trying to do.

The aim is to help somebody develop their own thinking rather than borrow yours.

How do you structure an Action Learning Set?

There are different approaches, but a straightforward structure works well.

1. Check in

Start by giving everyone a chance to arrive properly.

If this isn't the first meeting, participants can briefly update the group on anything they committed to doing at the previous session.

This creates some accountability without turning the session into a progress meeting.

2. Decide who will present

One or more participants bring an issue they would like to explore.

If several people want time, agree how the available session will be divided.

It is better to give somebody enough time to explore an issue properly than squeeze everyone in for the sake of fairness.

3. Let the presenter explain the issue

Give the presenter uninterrupted time to describe what is happening.

They might explain the background, why it matters and what they are finding difficult.

Everyone else's job at this stage is to listen.

Not formulate a solution.

Not decide what they would do.

Listen.

4. Clarify what the presenter wants from the session

A useful question is:

"What would be helpful for you to leave with today?"

They may want a decision.

They may want some options.

They may simply want to understand why they keep getting stuck.

Getting clear about this gives the conversation some direction.

5. Ask questions

This is where the main Action Learning conversation happens.

Set members ask questions one at a time.

Good questions are usually short, open and genuinely curious.

For example:

"What feels most difficult about this?"

"What assumptions are you making?"

"What have you already tried?"

"What might you be avoiding?"

"What is within your control?"

"What would happen if you did nothing?"

"What else could be true?"

I have put together a separate guide with 50 Action Learning Set questions that help people think more clearly.

You certainly don't need to ask all 50.

Often one simple question asked at the right moment is more useful than five clever ones.

6. Give the presenter time to think

Silence can feel uncomfortable.

Don't rush to fill it.

If somebody sits quietly for ten seconds after being asked a question, they are probably thinking.

That is the point.

One of the easiest ways to weaken an Action Learning conversation is to ask another question before the person has had time to answer the first one.

7. Move towards action

Towards the end of the person's time, the focus shifts from exploration towards what they want to do next.

Useful questions include:

"What are you taking from this?"

"What will you do next?"

"When will you do it?"

"What might get in the way?"

"What support do you need?"

The presenter decides their action.

The group doesn't decide it for them.

8. Reflect on the process

Before moving to the next presenter, it can be useful to spend a few minutes reflecting on what happened.

What helped?

Which questions opened up the thinking?

Where did people slip into advice?

What did set members notice about their own questioning and listening?

This is an important part of Action Learning because participants aren't only working on the presenter's issue.

They are also developing their own ability to listen, question, reflect and resist jumping straight to solutions.

How long should an Action Learning Set last?

There is no single correct length, but around 90 minutes to two hours works well for many groups.

The right length depends on the number of participants and how many people will present an issue.

If everybody needs substantial presenting time, you may need longer or you may decide that not everybody presents at every meeting.

Depth is more important than getting through everybody.

How often should Action Learning Sets meet?

Every four to six weeks is a useful starting point for many organisations.

That gives people enough time between meetings to take action and see what happens, without so much time passing that the group loses continuity.

A programme might run for several months, allowing participants to bring different issues and learn from what happens between sessions.

The regularity matters.

Action Learning works particularly well when it becomes a continuing process rather than a one-off interesting conversation.

What does an Action Learning facilitator do?

The facilitator looks after the process rather than solving the problems being discussed.

Particularly with a new group, that means helping participants understand what Action Learning is, establishing the ground rules and helping people become comfortable with asking questions rather than giving advice.

During the conversation, the facilitator might intervene if:

• questions become advice

• one person dominates

• several questions are being asked at once

• the discussion drifts away from the presenter

• people start debating the problem amongst themselves

• the presenter needs more thinking time

• the group is rushing towards a solution

As the set becomes more experienced, the facilitator may need to do less.

That is a good thing.

The aim isn't to make the group dependent on the facilitator. It is to help them become better at the process themselves.

My broader facilitation work follows a similar principle. I provide enough structure to help people have a useful conversation without becoming the person who has all the answers.

What makes a good Action Learning question?

A good Action Learning question helps the presenter think rather than showing them what the questioner thinks.

There is quite a difference between:

"Have you thought about speaking to your manager?"

and:

"What options do you have?"

The first contains a suggestion.

The second opens up the thinking.

Good Action Learning questions tend to be:

• open

• short

• neutral

• curious

• free from hidden advice

• focused on the presenter rather than the questioner's experience

You can find many more examples in my guide to 50 powerful Action Learning Set questions.

What should you avoid in an Action Learning Set?

The biggest thing to avoid is turning it into a problem-solving meeting.

If the presenter describes an issue and six people immediately start suggesting solutions, you have probably lost the thing that makes Action Learning different.

There are a few other traps worth watching for.

Asking questions that are really advice

"Have you tried...?" is usually the giveaway.

Asking three questions at once

Ask one and give the person time to answer it.

Trying to demonstrate expertise

Your experience might be relevant, but the session isn't about proving how much you know.

Letting the group debate the presenter's problem

Questions should generally be directed to the presenter, not become a conversation between everybody else about what they think is happening.

Being frightened of silence

Thinking takes time.

Give it some.

Forgetting the action

Reflection matters, but so does doing something with it.

The presenter should normally leave with greater clarity about what they want to do next.

Is Action Learning the same as group coaching?

There are similarities, but they are not quite the same thing.

Both create space for reflection, questioning and learning.

Action Learning has a particularly strong emphasis on participants helping one another explore real issues through questions and then taking action between sessions.

Group coaching may have a broader developmental focus and the coach may take a more active role in shaping the learning.

Action Learning also gives participants repeated practice in coaching-type skills themselves.

That can make it particularly useful as part of leadership and management development.

For people who would benefit from more individual space to explore their leadership, confidence or career, one-to-one coaching may be more appropriate. Some organisations use both.

Can Action Learning work online?

Yes.

Action Learning can work very well online because the process is based primarily on listening, questioning and reflection rather than activities that require people to be physically together.

The same principles apply.

Keep the group small enough for genuine conversation, establish clear expectations and make sure everybody has space to contribute.

For organisations with people based in different locations, online Action Learning can also make it much easier to create sets that bring together people who would rarely otherwise work with one another.

Who is Action Learning particularly useful for?

Action Learning can work with many different groups, but I find it particularly useful for:

• new and experienced managers

• senior leaders

• people taking part in leadership development programmes

• professional services staff

• project leaders

• people working across organisational boundaries

• colleagues dealing with complex problems where there isn't an obvious answer

It can also be valuable when an organisation wants development to be connected directly to real work rather than separated from it.

Participants aren't discussing somebody else's case study.

They are working on what is actually happening to them.

Do you need an external facilitator?

Not necessarily.

An experienced internal facilitator can run an effective Action Learning Set.

An external facilitator can be useful when an organisation is introducing Action Learning for the first time, when participants come from different parts of the organisation or when you want somebody independent of the organisational hierarchy to establish the process.

My role when facilitating Action Learning Sets is not to arrive with the answers to everybody's problems.

It is to create a structure where people can do better thinking for themselves.

Action Learning is simple, but that doesn't mean it is easy

The basic process isn't complicated.

Listen.

Ask.

Think.

Act.

What makes it difficult is that most of us have spent years learning to do the opposite.

We solve problems. We share our experience. We offer suggestions. We try to be helpful.

Action Learning asks us to hold some of that back.

Instead of asking:

"What can I tell this person that might help?"

we ask:

"What could I ask that might help them think?"

That small change can produce a very different conversation.

Frequently Asked Questions about Action Learning Sets

What is an Action Learning Set?

An Action Learning Set is a small group of people who meet regularly to help one another explore real workplace challenges. Participants use questions rather than advice to help the person presenting an issue reflect, consider different perspectives and decide what action to take.

How many people should be in an Action Learning Set?

Around four to eight participants usually works well. The group needs enough people to provide different perspectives while remaining small enough for everyone to contribute.

How long should an Action Learning Set meeting last?

Around 90 minutes to two hours is typical, although the length depends on the number of participants and how many people will present an issue during the session.

How often should Action Learning Sets meet?

Many sets meet every four to six weeks. This gives participants time to take action between meetings while maintaining continuity within the group.

What happens during an Action Learning Set?

One participant presents a real issue or challenge. Other set members listen and then ask questions to help them explore it. The presenter reflects on the questions, develops their own thinking and usually identifies an action they want to take afterwards.

What are the ground rules for Action Learning?

Typical ground rules include confidentiality, listening without interruption, respecting different perspectives, asking questions rather than immediately giving advice and allowing everyone an opportunity to contribute.

What is the role of an Action Learning facilitator?

The facilitator manages the process rather than providing solutions. They establish the structure and ground rules, help participants ask useful questions, manage the time and group dynamics, and keep the conversation focused on helping the presenter think.

What makes a good Action Learning question?

A good Action Learning question is open, neutral, concise and genuinely curious. It should help the presenter explore their own thinking rather than steer them towards the questioner's preferred solution.

Can Action Learning Sets be run online?

Yes. Action Learning works well online because its core activities are listening, questioning and reflection. Online sets can be particularly useful for organisations whose participants work in different locations.

What's the difference between Action Learning and coaching?

Coaching is usually a one-to-one conversation between a coach and an individual. Action Learning takes place within a small group, with participants helping one another think through real challenges. Both approaches use questioning and reflection, and organisations can use them alongside one another.

Do Action Learning Sets need a facilitator?

Not indefinitely. A facilitator is particularly valuable when establishing a new set because they help participants learn the process and resist slipping into advice giving. Experienced sets can become increasingly self-facilitating.

Thinking about introducing Action Learning?

I design and facilitate Action Learning Sets for organisations in Manchester and across the UK.

That might be a standalone programme or part of wider leadership and management development.

I can help you decide how to structure the sets, who should take part, how often they should meet and how to get the process started. I can then facilitate the sessions so participants become increasingly confident at listening, questioning and helping one another think.

If you are wondering whether Action Learning would work in your organisation, get in touch and we can talk it through.