# An AI facilitator for workshops that runs inside the call

> A Mainroom Facilitator agent joins your Zoom, Google Meet or Teams workshop, keeps the timeboxes, collects anonymous input from the quiet half of the room, and notices when one voice has had the floor too long.

Canonical: https://mainroom.ai/use/ai-workshop-facilitator/
Updated: 2026-11-01

Workshops run long for the same reasons every time: the clock slips, the loudest three people do the talking, and the decisions live in someone's memory. A Mainroom **Facilitator** agent sits in the call as a participant and handles that mechanical half of facilitation, out loud and on the shared screen.

## What it does in the workshop

- **Keeps the timeboxes.** Give it the agenda at the start ("ten minutes on problems, fifteen on ideas, five to vote") and it says when a section is over time and what is left.
- **Collects input from everyone.** It opens an anonymous intake link in the chat, shows a live count of responses, and, when you ask, puts the themes on the shared screen.
- **Balances the room.** It notices when one voice has had the floor for a long stretch and, if its manners allow, invites someone else in. It can also do this privately: a nudge to the facilitator on their companion page instead of out loud.
- **Draws when it helps.** "Sketch the process we just described" gets a step-by-step drawing on the whiteboard, built while it talks.
- **Writes down what was decided.** Decisions, owners and dates go into a ledger the moment they are confirmed, and everyone gets a recap email afterwards.

## Setting one up

1. In the [Studio](https://app.mainroom.ai), start from the **Facilitator** template (or Brainstorm Partner, or Retro Guide).
2. Adjust its manners in plain English: "Speak only to keep time or when asked. Never summarize unprompted."
3. Add its email address to the workshop's calendar invite. It joins at the start time and appears in the lobby to be admitted.

## Where it fits best

Retrospectives, planning sessions, design workshops, and any session where a few people tend to dominate. For a two-person conversation, a silent agent or no agent is usually the better choice.


## Frequently asked questions

**Does the facilitator replace a human facilitator?**

No. It takes the mechanical work off the facilitator: the clock, gathering input, playing back themes and writing down what was decided. The human still reads the room and makes the calls.

**How does anonymous input work?**

Ask the agent to open an intake. It posts a link in the meeting chat; people answer on their phones or laptops without signing in, the agent shows a live count, and on request it synthesizes the responses into themes on the shared screen.

**Can it keep time without interrupting?**

Yes. Its manners are yours to write. The default is to speak only when addressed or when a timebox is over, and to stop the moment a person talks over it.