How can you identify a unique niche for your facilitation services?

I love the saying, "Pain, claim, gain." PAIN: When speaking with a prospect, it's essential to understand their pain first and foremost. This demonstrates that you care about them. i.e., they're dealing with too much drama. CLAIM: Once you understand their pain, you claim how you can help solve their pain. The claim is your offering; yes, it can also be your niche. i.e., our 6-week Masterful Communicaton program. GAIN: The gain is what they will get; it's your value proposition. i.e., teams will be unified and self-reliant, and leaders will get their time back to focus on high-level business and strategy. As you get clearer on outcomes per your clients' pains, you can reverse out of it and, over time, clarify your niche.

As a facilitator our role is to enable learning and enable the group to make meaning. The processes , being , presence of the Facilitator help those cause . To my mind if the desired outcomes are clear , the processes are defined, the session is calibrated and the facilitator holds space for the group, the job is done. A facilitator should be able to rise to the occasion in any formal or informal group setting, hence I do not entirely subscribe to the facilitator having a niche . Enabling the group to progress and enable learning is the job of a facilitator. Period.

There are the workshop formats, and then there is the facilitator. Once the pain, problem, or objective has been decided, for example, to decide what the value propositions are, you need to decide how the meeting will flow. Who will be there? And most importantly once you have the "right" people in the room (erring on inclusivity) the facilitator needs to get buy-in on the process and make sure everyone is listened to, and that ideas are captured. Your core offering is your ability to facilitate, be organized, produce results, but NOT come up with the ideas.

Start by reflecting on your unique strengths and what you believe you offer that sets you apart. Consider what skills come naturally or what comes easier to you compared to other facilitators. Here some way for you to be distinguished facilitator: - Approach: differentiate your ability to quickly read group dynamics and adjust approaches appropriately - Engagement: build psychological safety and asking the right questions to draw out insights. - Capacity Building: the way conducting teams alignment and build trust with participants - Collaboration: poise in navigating charged conversations or conflict. - Signature Activity: empower with methodologies or frameworks you might specialize in as part of your approach.

Regardless of your target audience and the end goals, it's important to remember that psychologically, people care more about what they're losing out on versus what they will save. i.e., you will lose $100 by not doing this, versus this will save you $100. This will help you construct your value proposition. Companies choose facilitators in various ways; in today's competitive landscape, relationship-building is the most important thing you can do, and then determine how you can help solve their pains through your services.

Think about the problem from their perspective, and put yourself in a client's shoes. What are the 3 most important things about your offer, so they can share it with leadership for a decision, and communicate with colleagues who'll attend? Why should they want you and not someone else who can do it for the same price? Think about what they will leave the session with - something tangible like a report, or a better understanding of something, or starting a conversation on a new topic. Speak to as many of the potential attendees as possible - or research them. Make the 'pitch' as tailored as possible so they know you care about doing it well, to meet their needs.

Consider the audience that may engage with your facilitation activity by conducting segmentation, run test and adjustment for iteration. It can be done by conducting: 1. Interviews to reach out to potential clients to better understand their needs or even nurturing facilitation idea they may expect. 2. Always throw pulse survey to get insight from starting the workshop also gather feedback from post session to understand level of expectation and what can be improve. 3. Conduct competitor research to overcome the challenge by offering different experience. Use these ongoing research habits to refine your niche focus and tailor your value prop and services to drive real resonance and fit with your ideal target clients.

My entry point into the world of facilitation was as a learning facilitation (also known as trainer). This is where I focused on the delivery of subject matter content related to Monitoring and Evaluation. This niche, though specific, was not broad enough for serious growth potential. So I also became a group facilitator.

I focused on subject matter and topics and then created a program called The Art Of Masterful Communication. I got clear on the company pains my program can help solve and, over time, determined our target audience. I encourage anyone starting a program to get it going with anyone willing to give it a shot, get some reps and feedback, and then determine your target audience. Undoubtedly, it will change and evolve.

When figuring out your niche, think about why you want to facilitate, and what the problem you're hoping to solve looks like. Think about what exists right now, how you can add to others' work, or take it in a new direction. Get specific about topic, client, audience, media, language, format, and walk yourself through the steps. I work with nonprofits and social businesses interested in participatory, decolonised, intersectional, and inclusive approaches. My sessions are bespoke and work within a client's reality (eg many are pressed for time so I can't ask them to reflect on community inclusion weekly. What can we do instead? etc) I use online platforms, and creative, arts-based methods to bring some fun back into our work.

Find a focused niche that taps into your strengths and passions while serving a target client profile with a real need only you can most effectively fulfill as a facilitator. Here's some way to do it: 1. Specialize deeply in an industry or issue area where you have expertise. 2. Focus on facilitating specific goals like innovation, strategic planning, leadership alignment. 3. Target a defined audience segment based on company size, role seniority, demographics. 4. Consider a niche method or format that complements your unique style. 5. Ensure your niche has underlying client demand and growth potential. Then refine over time through ongoing research and client feedback.

Dreams Vs Reality. I thought teachers were doing it wrong, they were not all as passionate as I was to walk into the class and inspire brilliant minds until I volunteered twice a week to teach my favorite subject History, to 100 13-year-olds twice a week for 120 minutes in two classes. That changed my perspective altogether. I finally tried my tricks and realized some worked, some did not and some were simply system failures that I can never change and it is for me to adjust. So, before you commit to your niche, test it.

Test your ideas with trusted friends and family who don't mince their words - you need honest feedback! Also speak to others in your niche (both to get to know them and to build a network) and see if they can help you test it out.

Use small experiments to validate assumptions and refine your focus. Continually capture client feedback, especially early on, to determine if you need to pivot your niche over time. Here's some example what can be done to test your niche: 1. Create a landing page and drive targeted traffic to gauge interest. 2. Conduct informational interviews with those in your target client profile. 3. Offer a discounted pilot session in exchange for feedback. 4. Partner with an established organization on a small gig. 5. Attend a niche industry event and introduce your services.

Stay on pulse of emerging methods/tech to continue bringing innovation. Continually realign with target values amid industry change. Optimization is key - keep homing in on highest value intersections between distinct client needs and your capabilities. - Widen parameters if client inquiries are low to expand accessible market. - Rework messaging if conversion rates are poor to better convey differentiation and expertise. - Specialize further around specific problems/goals if competition is high around current focus. - Double down on service offers that gain clearest traction and interest. - Identify key metrics tied to client goals to better quantify and communicate value and ROI.

Focus on nurturing relationships where you provide the most value. Here's some ways to promote your niche in facilitation: - Build a portfolio website showcasing expertise, results, and social proof in your specialty. - Establish thought leadership with a niche blog, guest posts, and industry content. - Network actively on LinkedIn and in relevant industry groups to find partners. - Create videos and podcast episodes highlighting methods and workshop insights. - Speak and run niche webinars at events aligned to your target client profile.