Facilitating a large group can be challenging, especially if you want to engage everyone, generate meaningful insights, and achieve your goals. You need to plan well, communicate clearly, and use the right tools to support your process. In this article, we'll explore some of the tools that can help you facilitate a large group effectively and efficiently.
One of the first things you need to consider is how you will host your large group session. Depending on your objectives, audience, and budget, you may choose to use an online platform that offers features such as video conferencing, breakout rooms, polling, chat, whiteboards, and collaboration tools. Some examples of online platforms that are designed for large group facilitation are Zoom, Mural, Miro, and Kahoot. These platforms can help you create a dynamic and interactive experience for your participants, as well as capture and organize their inputs.
Online platforms are great especially that it saves time, money, and effort. But the downside on this is that not all who are joining are actively listening to the discussion. I had a fair experience on this issue. Some of those who joined were not even listening but are doing their jobs. They just act as if they are actively participating. Hence, it is very important to discuss with the participants the importance of such activity. It is also essential to discuss to them that the activity would help improve the organization.
Another thing you need to think about is what facilitation methods you will use to guide your large group through your agenda. There are many facilitation methods that can help you structure your session, stimulate dialogue, generate ideas, prioritize options, and reach consensus. Some examples of facilitation methods that are suitable for large groups are World Cafe, Open Space Technology, Appreciative Inquiry, Future Search, and Nominal Group Technique. These methods can help you create a participatory and inclusive environment, as well as harness the collective wisdom and creativity of your group.
As a graphic recorder, I believe in the power of visual note taking and facilitation. I capture the verbatim words from participants, leave behind an artifact for future reference and storytelling, and use visual notes to spotlight new insights, breakthroughs, or frameworks. Two ways I use this is to look back in time, or facilitate a "History Walk," or, ideate forward in an "Entity Visioning." Both capture the essence of the stories an organization may hold, whether accurate, misconstrued, or ready to be revisited. When we look more closely at truth, and can discuss truth together, we create the conditions for moving forward together.
A third thing you need to pay attention to is how you will use visual aids to support your large group facilitation. Visual aids can help you clarify your purpose, outline your process, present your information, and summarize your outcomes. They can also help you engage your participants, enhance their understanding, and stimulate their thinking. Some examples of visual aids that can enhance your large group facilitation are slides, flipcharts, posters, diagrams, and graphs. These visual aids can help you communicate effectively and efficiently, as well as make your session more memorable and impactful.
A fourth thing you need to consider is how you will collect and use feedback from your large group. Feedback can help you evaluate your facilitation, measure your results, and identify areas for improvement. It can also help you acknowledge your participants, appreciate their contributions, and follow up on their actions. Some examples of feedback mechanisms that can help you gather and use feedback from your large group are surveys, evaluations, testimonials, and reports. These feedback mechanisms can help you demonstrate your value and impact, as well as build trust and relationships with your group.
A fifth thing you need to remember is that you also need to have the right facilitation skills to facilitate a large group effectively and efficiently. Facilitation skills are the abilities and techniques that enable you to design, deliver, and manage your large group session. Some examples of facilitation skills that are essential for large group facilitation are active listening, questioning, summarizing, synthesizing, and managing time, energy, and conflict. These facilitation skills can help you create a positive and productive atmosphere, as well as adapt to the needs and dynamics of your group.
A sixth thing you need to realize is that you may not be able to facilitate a large group alone, and that you may need some facilitation support to help you with your session. Facilitation support is the assistance and collaboration that you can get from other facilitators, co-facilitators, or facilitation assistants. Some examples of facilitation support that can help you with your large group facilitation are co-designing, co-delivering, co-managing, and co-evaluating your session. These facilitation support can help you share the workload and responsibility, as well as enhance the quality and diversity of your facilitation.
Know your audience. The best tool you can use is to make your content relevant to your audience. Speak with stakeholders and include examples that the audience will connect with and recognize themselves in. It unbelievable how many facilitators use a cookie cutter training that does not engage or speak to the audience they are presenting to.