Facilitator

As a group facilitator I have house rules that are set out ahead of time, they do not need to be elaborate but things like this can be brought up at the beginning of the meeting on how they will be handled.

Posted by Michele King

Very helpful comments

Great comments for me as I prepare to facilitate a Death Café. Thank you!

Posted by John Painter

Defuse with humour?

I had this situation in a safety course I facilitated. I made sure to let the person sharing the story know that it might not be for everyone.
I typically defuse these difficult situations with humour. Maybe say something like "Whoa, this is a G-Rated event, not a PG-13!"
Or more direct, "Please stop right there! That example is a bit graphic. Let's be sensitive to people's (my!) tolerance for blood and guts/disturbing/grisly details."

Posted by Gina Vliet

re-ditect

I agree with the above. Also, some people get into gory details that are not essential to their point, so perhaps asking if they can make their point without the detailed description as not all people appreciate visualizing the details or "Can you summarize your point?"

Posted by Marie Stycos