You’re working with stakeholders in team facilitation. What are the most important things to consider?

1 Know your stakeholders

Before you start facilitating, you need to identify and understand your stakeholders. Who are they? What are their roles, interests, expectations, and concerns? How do they relate to each other and to the topic or goal of the facilitation? You can use tools such as stakeholder mapping, interviews, surveys, or personas to gather this information. Knowing your stakeholders will help you tailor your facilitation approach, methods, and tools to their needs and preferences.

2 Define the purpose and scope

Another essential thing to consider is the purpose and scope of the facilitation. Why are you facilitating? What are the objectives and outcomes you want to achieve? How will you measure and communicate them? How long will the facilitation last? What are the boundaries and constraints of the facilitation? You can use tools such as SMART goals, problem statements, or vision statements to define the purpose and scope of the facilitation. Defining the purpose and scope will help you align your stakeholders, plan your agenda, and manage expectations.

3 Choose the right format and tools

Depending on the purpose and scope of the facilitation, you need to choose the right format and tools for your facilitation. How will you structure and sequence the facilitation? Will it be online, offline, or hybrid? What kind of activities, techniques, or methods will you use to engage your stakeholders, generate ideas, make decisions, or resolve conflicts? How will you document and share the results of the facilitation? You can use tools such as facilitation frameworks, templates, or platforms to choose the right format and tools for your facilitation. Choosing the right format and tools will help you create a positive and productive facilitation experience.

4 Prepare and communicate

Once you have chosen the right format and tools for your facilitation, you need to prepare and communicate with your stakeholders. How will you inform and invite your stakeholders to the facilitation? What information and materials do they need to participate effectively? How will you set the tone, expectations, and ground rules for the facilitation? How will you deal with potential challenges, risks, or changes during the facilitation? You can use tools such as invitation emails, agendas, checklists, or FAQs to prepare and communicate with your stakeholders. Preparing and communicating will help you build trust, rapport, and commitment among your stakeholders.

5 Facilitate and adapt

Finally, you need to facilitate and adapt to the situation and the feedback of your stakeholders. How will you introduce yourself, the topic, and the agenda of the facilitation? How will you facilitate the interaction, participation, and collaboration of your stakeholders? How will you monitor and adjust the pace, energy, and mood of the facilitation? How will you collect and incorporate the feedback of your stakeholders? How will you close and thank your stakeholders for their contribution? You can use tools such as icebreakers, energizers, questions, or polls to facilitate and adapt to your stakeholders. Facilitating and adapting will help you achieve the desired outcomes and create value for your stakeholders.

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?