Usually when I first walk into a room full of agitated people, I hear Jimmy Buffett singing in my head – “You got fins to the left, fins to the right.” Dealing with disparate groups and the thorny problems that they struggle with poses challenges for facilitators from lots of angles. For the person in front of the room it can help to know a little about the issue(s), but interestingly, that part’s not really as critical as a lot of people might think. What is vital is coming to know the people in the room and that doesn’t happen instantly. One of the first things to understand is how people best consume information.