How can you balance facilitation and coaching when working with a group?

I wonder if this is the right question to be asking. Facilitating and coaching are two very different modalities. So, contracting with the group about what “hat” you will be wearing is key. Facilitation of a group is to hold and maintain the process, to “make easy” the route to allow the group to achieve the stated session outcomes. Group coaching is similar, in that we create and hold the space, but we are not guiding. A coach does not lead. A coach remains curious and hopes to generate new thinking and insight amongst the group. What the group then do with this new insight is up to them. Unlike facilitation we may not “arrive” anywhere.

It is very valuable to develop a clear, shared understanding of business, individual and team challenges as a result of competing priorities from diverse stakeholders. Equally, understanding team strengths and aspirations are foundational to co-create a desired future state- what would be different as a result of this investment in our development? How would we know we are progressing? What mechanisms will we establish to have conversations about barriers and actions to accelerate wins? Clarify own intent and approach.

As you clarify your role and set expectations, it’s important to establish boundaries. This ensures that the group recognizes when you are wearing the 'facilitator' hat versus the 'coach' hat. While facilitating, your main goal is to keep the discussion on track and ensure a smooth flow. On the other hand, in a coaching role, your attention pivots to development, probing deeper into reflections or challenges. Explicitly communicating when you switch between these roles can prevent potential misunderstandings. It might even be helpful to use visual cues, like changing your position in the room or using specific phrases to signal transitions.

This question made me think. Facilitation implies achieving some outcome with outputs, mostly. As a coach I can facilitate Big Room Planning (BRP) (or any event) with tangible outcomes and outputs. It may not be the best time for Coaching (there is always a 'coaching moment' lightbulb though which you as a coach can take separately). While Coaching prior BRP may make that BRP more efficient. Making role of a facilitator explicit is a must have. We don't expect the group to know that by default (often the case).

This is a good article, as I wear both hats based upon the engagement. I believe the discussion of my role and clarifying what the client TD/participants desire upfront sets the a good framework to work within. Sometimes the terminology may be slightly different between the facilitator role and coach, but the goals align, which to help the participants to reach their desired outcomes. However, the facilitator may bring more guidance/information into sessions, and the coach will let the participants lead and discover within the coaching model. The desired result of the facilitator and coach is to enable the participants to develop an achievable action plan that they can fully own/embrace as "their" own accomplishment.

These facilitation frameworks and associated methods (ToP, Liberating Structures, Open Space Technology) are especially helpful when the group is large, and small group coaching methods are no longer helping to get everyone’s voice feed in the process in an effective and participatory way.

The tricky part is to have the framework but not let the framework have you. Frameworks are useful scaffold for group purposes, but the facilitator must remain alert and work with their head up as the group may or may not find the framework illuminating. Or worse, the framework is helping the group to avoid the real work they need to do - "Let's build some customer archetypes together rather than talk about the fact that Product and Engineering teams don't get along".

These micro skills are valuable for both coaching and facilitation. Both roles also require deep expertise in creating a space for reflection, learning and generative conversations amongst the team, creating an appetite for ongoing, disciplined reflection and reinforcing learning loops through real world application. Explorative dialogue and unconditional acceptance can help generate powerful insights that neither the coach / facilitator nor the client had prior to the experience

Your sensitivity to group dynamics greatly enhances your ability to seamlessly switch between facilitation and coaching. Observe/ sense for non-verbal cues like body language, energy levels, and overall mood. If the group seems stuck or there's a discernible tension, it might be an indication to switch to coaching mode to address underlying concerns. Conversely, if individuals are deviating off-topic or delving too deep into personal anecdotes, reverting to facilitation can guide the group back. It's important to not only know how to switch between modes but also when it's most effective to do so.

I have found that asking for participants feedback halfway into the programme and at pivot points is invaluable to fine tune design, content and facilitation. I ask participants to rate the value of the time invested on a scale of 1-10 and also suggest what needs to change to take the score to 10. This feedback can really amplify the value of insights and real world application of learning from the program. It is also a very effective way to understand my own impact as well as improve design and facilitation in real time.

As the well-known saying from Field Marshall von Moltke goes: "No plan survives first contact with the enemy". Or, as the (more recent) World Champion boxer Mike Tyson said: "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth". With those thoughts in mind, be prepared to adapt... from the very beginning. In my experience as a Coach, Facilitator, Teacher / Lecturer, you can have all the Facilitation Schedules, Lesson Plans or Course Outlines you could possibly hope for, but as soon as someone asks a question that takes you down the proverbial rabbit hole, everything changes. In my opinion, the *worst* thing you can do (with few exceptions) is ignore the detour and stick to the plan. But maybe try to avoid that punch in the mouth