How can you motivate teams after facilitation to ensure continued progress?

1 Follow up regularly

One of the most important things you can do as a facilitator is to follow up with the team after the session. This shows that you care about their success and that you are available to support them. You can follow up by sending a summary of the session, highlighting the key outcomes, action items, and responsibilities. You can also schedule regular check-ins, either individually or as a group, to monitor progress, provide feedback, and celebrate achievements. Follow up is not only a way to motivate teams, but also a way to hold them accountable and prevent procrastination.

2 Reinforce the vision and benefits

Another way to motivate teams after facilitation is to remind them of the vision and benefits of their project or goal. Sometimes, teams can lose sight of the bigger picture or get distracted by challenges and obstacles. As a facilitator, you can help them reconnect with their purpose and values, and show them how their work contributes to a positive impact. You can also emphasize the benefits of working as a team, such as learning from each other, sharing ideas, and developing trust. By reinforcing the vision and benefits, you can inspire teams to stay focused and motivated.

3 Address challenges and risks

Facilitation does not guarantee that everything will go smoothly after the session. Teams may face challenges and risks that can affect their motivation and performance. As a facilitator, you can help them anticipate and address these issues before they become serious problems. You can do this by conducting a risk assessment, identifying potential threats and opportunities, and developing contingency plans. You can also coach the team on how to deal with conflict, uncertainty, and change, and how to communicate effectively with stakeholders. By addressing challenges and risks, you can help teams overcome difficulties and maintain momentum.

4 Encourage feedback and learning

One of the benefits of facilitation is that it fosters a culture of feedback and learning among teams. Feedback and learning are essential for motivation, as they help teams improve their skills, knowledge, and confidence. As a facilitator, you can encourage feedback and learning by creating a safe and supportive environment, where team members can share their opinions, experiences, and insights. You can also provide constructive feedback, praise, and recognition, and invite team members to do the same for each other. You can also facilitate learning opportunities, such as workshops, webinars, or mentoring sessions, where team members can acquire new knowledge or skills. By encouraging feedback and learning, you can help teams grow and excel.

5 Foster autonomy and ownership

One of the challenges of facilitation is that it can create a dependency on the facilitator, where teams rely too much on your guidance and direction. This can undermine their motivation and initiative, as they may feel that they are not in control of their own work. As a facilitator, you can foster autonomy and ownership by empowering teams to make their own decisions, set their own goals, and manage their own resources. You can do this by clarifying the roles and expectations of the team, providing them with the tools and resources they need, and trusting them to deliver results. You can also encourage them to experiment, innovate, and take risks, and support them when they make mistakes. By fostering autonomy and ownership, you can help teams feel more engaged and responsible.

Motivating teams after facilitation is not easy, but it is possible. By following up regularly, reinforcing the vision and benefits, addressing challenges and risks, encouraging feedback and learning, and fostering autonomy and ownership, you can help teams sustain their motivation and achieve their goals. What are some of the techniques that you use to motivate teams after facilitation? Share your thoughts and tips with us.

6 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?