Parking Lot

Purpose

The Parking Lot is a simple facilitation tool that captures off-topic but valuable ideas, questions, and concerns so they are not lost but also do not derail the current discussion. It creates a visible holding space that honours every contribution while keeping the group focused. Use it in any meeting or workshop to manage tangents without shutting people down.

At a glance

• Group size: 3–50+ people
• Duration: 5 minutes (setup and periodic review)
• Difficulty: Beginner
• Facilitation style: Structured
• Setting: Indoor / Remote-friendly

How to run

1. Setup (1 min): At the start of the session, designate a flip chart or whiteboard section as the "Parking Lot." Explain its purpose: important items that are off-topic for right now will be parked here.
2. During the session: When someone raises a valid but off-topic point, acknowledge it and invite them (or do it yourself) to write it on a sticky note and place it in the Parking Lot.
3. Review (4 min): Before the session ends, review the Parking Lot items. For each, decide: address now (if quick), schedule for a future meeting, assign to someone, or acknowledge and release.

Materials needed

• Flip chart, whiteboard section, or digital board labelled "Parking Lot"
• Sticky notes
• Markers

Pitfalls & common mistakes

• Never reviewing the Parking Lot — if items are parked and forgotten, people stop trusting the tool and revert to tangents.
• Using it to silence uncomfortable topics — the Parking Lot is for off-topic items, not for avoiding difficult conversations.
• Parking too many items — if everything gets parked, the facilitator may be too rigid about the agenda.

Inclusion & accessibility

• The Parking Lot validates contributions without requiring the contributor to fight for airtime.
• Anyone can add to it — no permission needed.
• For remote: use a dedicated channel, sticky-note frame, or chat thread as the Parking Lot.

Variations

• Action Parking Lot: Each parked item gets an owner and a due date immediately.
• ELMO Parking Lot: Combine with the ELMO (Enough, Let's Move On) signal — when someone holds up ELMO, the point goes to the Parking Lot.
• Digital Parking Lot: A shared document or chat channel that persists beyond the meeting.

When NOT to use this

Avoid using the Parking Lot as a tool to avoid difficult conversations that the group actually needs to have. If an "off-topic" item keeps resurfacing, it may be the real issue.

Source & further reading

A ubiquitous facilitation technique with no single originator. Standard practice in Agile, Design Thinking, and professional facilitation.