How can you identify and overcome obstacles during a facilitated session?

1 Assess the situation

Before you start your session, it's important to assess the situation and identify any potential obstacles. Ask yourself what the goals and expectations of the session are, who the participants are, what the challenges and opportunities for the group are, and what resources and constraints you have to work with. Answering these questions will help you prepare yourself and your participants for the session, as well as anticipate any issues that may arise.

2 Establish the ground rules

Establishing ground rules with your participants is a great way to prevent or minimize obstacles during your session. Ground rules are the norms and expectations that you and the group agree to follow to create a safe, respectful, and productive environment. Examples of common ground rules include arriving on time and staying until the end, listening actively and respectfully to others, sharing ideas and opinions honestly and constructively, avoiding interruptions and distractions, seeking clarification and feedback when needed, and following the agenda and time limits. Introduce the ground rules at the beginning of your session and ask your participants to commit to them. Additionally, remind them of the ground rules throughout the session if necessary.

3 Adapt to the dynamics

Even with careful planning and clear ground rules, you may still encounter obstacles during your session that require you to adapt to the changing dynamics of the group. For example, resistance from some participants, confusion from others, conflict between individuals or with you, or distraction from external factors. To overcome these obstacles, it is important to be flexible and responsive to the needs and emotions of your participants. You can use various techniques such as asking open-ended questions to understand root causes, acknowledging and validating feelings and concerns, reframing and redirecting the discussion to focus on the positive aspects and common goals, using humor or stories to lighten the mood, providing guidance or feedback to clarify learning points, or adjusting the pace, format, or content of your session.

4 Evaluate and improve

After your session, it is important to evaluate the results and process of your facilitation in order to identify your strengths and weaknesses. You can do this by asking for feedback from participants, clients, or colleagues; reviewing the outputs and outcomes of your session; reflecting on your own observations and experiences; and comparing your actual performance with your planned performance. Through this evaluation, you can learn from successes and failures, improve skills and techniques for future sessions, celebrate achievements, and appreciate efforts.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?