How do you encourage risk-taking in participants during facilitation?

Encouraging risk-taking during facilitation involves creating a safe and supportive environment where participants feel empowered to share their ideas without fear of judgment. Start by fostering trust through icebreakers and team-building exercises. Encourage open communication by actively listening and validating contributions. Emphasize that failure is a natural part of the learning process and highlight the potential benefits of taking calculated risks. Provide opportunities for small, low-stakes risks initially and gradually increase the level of challenge. Celebrate and learn from both successes and setbacks, reinforcing the idea that taking risks leads to growth and innovation.

Interesting question. I think one approach lies in the facilitator understanding their thinking around risk-taking. To what degree are they prepared to let go or feel uncomfortable, to create an environment that may be uncertain and disruptive for them, but in doing so, create an environment that enables the participants to truly embrace 'risk'. Key to this is understanding how the participants define 'risk' and 'risk-taking'. This may be very different for each person attending the event. There also has to be a reason for 'why' the participants need this element of 'risk-taking' to be part of the event. They need to see that there is some kind of 'benefit' to them in adopting this type of approach.

When I am facilitating, I aim to create an environment where risk-taking is normalised and valued - and for me this means getting people's brains away from their ingrained neural pathways. This sets the stage for open, non-judgmental discussions where every idea, regardless of the outcome, contributes to the group's learning. When I can get participants to risk sharing their thoughts by focusing on the insights gained rather than success or failure, it not only demystifies risk but also highlights its role as a catalyst for innovation and personal growth within the group dynamic.

'Priming' can be a great way of helping guide people towards involvement, including taking risks. Priming is all about subconsciously setting the scene before introducing the topic of discussion. A simple example might be to flip a coin and tell an audience member that if they guess correctly they win a prize (say 10 pence). If they guess correctly, congratulate them, give them the prize and move on to the next person. Continue until someone gets it wrong, then tell them that you never mentioned that getting it wrong still gets them a prize, only this time it's 5 pence. Get the team to reflect on the experience, focusing on their assumptions (e.g. 'losing' is always bad)

é muito importante criar um espa?o seguro para os participantes das reuni?es, eu diria que esse espa?o seguro come?a muito antes, come?a nos 1:1 com o time, entendendo as dores, conhecendo a pessoa e se mostrando empático. A partir dessa conex?o é possível criar espa?os seguros.

I think it is finding a balance between comfort and discomfort, certainty and uncertainty, safety and risk. It is in the tension that exists between the two, that great things might happen.

Design collaborative activities and exercises that encourage participants to work together, brainstorm ideas, and co-create solutions. Foster a spirit of collaboration and cooperation by emphasizing shared goals and collective success.

Demonstrate risk-taking behavior yourself by sharing personal experiences, admitting mistakes, and being open to feedback. Model vulnerability and authenticity to encourage participants to do the same.

?A Note About Neutrality: as a facilitator, you should ??avoid praising comments made?? from the group, as this can unintentionally deter someone from speaking up in disagreement, a form of risk-taking. Neutral Swaps: ?"I love that idea!"?"Thank you for sharing!" ?"*I* think..."?"*We* can benefit from that new perspective." ?"That's great/awesome." ?"That's insightful/ really honest/takes courage to share." ?"I can see how that idea would help solve the problem."? "Would someone like to build on that idea?" Risk-taking in groups is sometimes as simple as being brave enough to disagree. As a facilitator, you have a huge influence on the safety, openness, bias level, and suspension of judgement in the group- ensure you speak like it.

One additional thing to consider is to foster a sense of community and camaraderie among participants by facilitating opportunities for networking, peer support, and relationship-building. Encourage collaboration beyond the facilitation session to sustain momentum and engagement.

My favorite way to prepare a Leader for Risk Taking is: 1] Discuss the real-life examples of People & organizations that have benefitted from taking Risks and those that went down due to not taking Risks. This is for psychological preparation 2] Then I ask them to write that 1 challenge/development that involves major risk-taking. 3] Now I ask them to make 2 lists of Consequences, side by side, thinking about the Best-Case and worst-case Scenarios, if the Risk is taken. 4] Now they do a comparative study between both lists and calculate, which one has more weightage. This way they learn to take Calculated Risks. 5] Finally I also encourage them to use their Gut feeling as well and then make a final decision.

Intelligence. Cognitive and emotional. Study people. Study personality. Study group dynamics. Use this knowledge to create the environment for risk taking and use your emotional intelligence to make that environment FEEL authentic. Here are 2 ways to start: 1. Truly understand Tuckman’s group development model. This is foundational for creating a safe space. Different stages have different needs and capacity for risk taking. 2. Understand that “risk” is different for everyone and differs depending on the situation. Choose your opening activities and tactics wisely. They set up how people choose to trust you, which directly affects their ability to take risks.