Reflection on my ability to facilitate change

Reflecting on today's group project, where an activity and discussion such as the one delivered would be approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes with a group of my first year students, I wonder how I could have clawed back time. I wonder if there was a way to clearly articulate, MORE clearly articulate, the requirement to be efficient with group time. The sharing piece at the end, that exposes the challenges of putting yourself in the position of the individual you are effecting (in this case the superintended trying to think as the teacher, or the teacher trying to be a superintendent when dealing with change), is the capping pice to really bring about the larger aha moments.
The big theme of response/solution from groups was communication. Go back to the policies and use those to guide what you say (for principles because that is what the superintendent would want you to do), or make sure that communications down through the system and quick and transparent (when teachers worry about parents). This is the best advise for me if running this activity again.
In the group work example, the lead communications were lost since heated discussion was taking place, small groups where working it out, and the whole group process slowed as a result. Coming to common ground (by exposing and understanding each others position, and the commonality of solutions when forced to think as that person) takes time but the facilitation of that change in a timely manner is critical for any real gain.