You're considering a career in facilitation. How can you know if it's the right fit for you?

Benefits: * Professional development: Facilitators gain valuable skills in communication, leadership, and problem-solving, which can enhance their careers in various fields. * Personal satisfaction: Helping groups achieve their goals and witness positive outcomes, leads to a sense of accomplishment and purpose. * Variety and flexibility: By working in diverse settings, with different industries and challenges. * Intellectual stimulation: Constantly learning new things from the groups they work with, keeping their minds sharp and engaged. * Positive impact: Facilitators play a crucial role in enabling collaboration, communication, and decision-making, contributing to positive change in organizations and communities.

To determine if facilitation is the right fit, start by assessing your communication and interpersonal skills. Are you adept at guiding group discussions and fostering collaboration? Consider your comfort level with public speaking and managing diverse personalities. Reflect on whether you enjoy helping others reach consensus and achieve common goals. Shadow experienced facilitators, attend workshops, or take online courses to gain insight into the role. Seek feedback from peers or mentors to evaluate your potential in this field. Ultimately, your passion for empowering others and facilitating positive change will indicate if facilitation aligns with your career aspirations.

You just need to experience facilitation. A guide or assistance from a more senior facilitator will be super helpful, especially when reflecting on the experience. One helpful question to identify whether or not a facilitator is a good career is: "Are you happy just by observing the facilitated groups celebrate their success from afar?" If you are, and can explain why, facilitation might be a career for you.

Don't get caught up in the "rules" of what it means to be a good facilitator. Instead, consider: ? Facilitation is about channeling who YOU are — you can be a great facilitator as an introvert (yes, really.) ? Think about what you do best; align that with a facilitation mindset (for me it's about bringing wonder and joy to immersive experiences) ? You don't HAVE to be an expert in what you're facilitating. That doesn't mean you can't be — there's a harmony for balancing expertise and guidance. ? Know the *rules* to break them; brush up on frameworks but always be open to flipping the script, you and your participants will be better for it. ? You don't have to be only a facilitator, the skill can fit into your current career path.

For me, it started with the opportunities I received for public speaking like hosting an internal corporate event to organise a show at school level. It gave me chills but I enjoyed the space. In search of Ikigai, I realised I loved to connect with people. Also, my stronger senses are visual & auditory. I learn more by listening so that's what I offer in the facilitation space. Gist is the more you know yourself plus the skills of public speaking (if you are addressing more than 2 people, it's public speaking as defined by Ankur Warikoo) will help you realise if this is right for you. Like I always say 'how will you know unless you try?' Good luck!

Consider your energy level and level of extroversion. Facilitation is a role that requires you to be “always on” for hours, days, and even weeks at a stretch. If you are not fully extroverted and high-energy, and if you are not utterly fascinated with all kinds of people, this may not be a sustainable career path for you.