How do you get better at facilitating?

By definition, facilitation means to make something easier. As facilitators, our purpose is to make information accessible and to clear obstacles from the participant's experience. This means we go beyond presenting information to having full awareness of the complex needs of our participants, and mastery over our content.

I find it's by accepting it's just one of the trainer's overall skill sets, rather than a nebulous term to describe everything that we do. I only facilitate if I wish to support the learner's need to reflect - for example in a group debrief or discussion. In effect, viewed this way, the facilitator is a learning/future-focused interviewer of the group, avoiding statement-making in favour of what I call 'asking the next right question'. Strategic group interviewing/questioning is literally the facilitator's number one skill and focus in trade. Knowing this allows me to sharpen my listening, empathy and questioning skills accordingly.

Cultivate Empathy as Your North Star Empathy lies at the heart of effective facilitation. The ability to understand and connect with participants on an emotional level creates an environment of trust and collaboration. By stepping into the shoes of your participants, you can tailor your facilitation style to meet their needs and concerns, making the experience more meaningful and impactful.

One thing I’ve found helpful is to fill out a workshop canvas. In it you capture objectives, outcomes, outputs and context - what’s come before and what will happen after? Get everything down to start with - then be ruthless about what you cut. More time spent on ‘big things’ beats skimming across the surface of multiple topics and agenda items. The other thing to focus on early is your casting - who needs to be there? While a broad group of perspectives is critical - try and avoid too many ‘passengers’ who might be there to make up the numbers.

I facilitate open-ended groups with participant-derived goals. Drawing on current events and allowing the participants to drive conversation is critical to maintaining engagement, and creating shared meaning. I send a relevant reading and an agenda prior to meetings. Readings align with the groups' overall purpose (e.g. leadership development) and are pulled from industry and scholarly journals. The agenda includes a theme for the meeting. The first quarter of the meeting is for sharing updates, the middle half for discussing applied experience related to the theme, and the final quarter is dedicated to the reading. I identify connections to previous meetings and overreaching themes throughout the sessions.

La forma que he mejorado mis habilidades: 1) Empatía: Observando y conociendo más a profundidad a los participantes, organización o equipo con el que participaré. 2) Siempre poniendo foco en los objetivos que persigue el grupo y dise?ando la sesión conforme a esos objetivos 3) Solicitando Feedback en cada sesión, usando preguntas sobre lo que fue bien, lo que hay se llevan de aprendizaje y lo que hay que mejorar. 4) Practicando al menos 3 veces por semana, guiando Meetups gratuitos, poniendo en práctica nuevos métodos o herramientas, siguiendo a otros colegas. 5) Leyendo y ejecutando acciones sobre seguridad psicológica, que me permitan primero modelar acciones para mantener la inclusión, la confianza para aprender y colaborar.

Facilitation involves careful calibration of self experience alongside experience of the audience, engaging with relevant and varied questions-invoking multiple perspectives and then arrive at a consensual learning and way forward. While One can only get better with practice while an innate desire to mentor or coach shall be pivotal.

. Embrace the Power of Practice Just as a musician refines their craft through hours of practice, a facilitator hones their skills through practical experience. Each facilitation session is an opportunity to learn, adapt, and refine techniques. With each new challenge comes a chance to experiment with different approaches and develop a toolkit of strategies for various situations. Over time, this accumulation of experience transforms an average facilitator into a seasoned expert.

One thing I've found helpful is reading as much as possible. It's helpful to have a broad range of knowledge to adjust to your group. Facilitation is not teaching. Being a facilitator should be geared towards your participants, not material. This means accepting that preparation may not meet their needs. It's a good idea to have materials and tricks of the trade to fall back on but I've found discussion techniques to be more helpful. A lull in conversation and participants who are unsure how to use a worksheet or follow directions that the facilitator thinks are carefully crafted will kill engagement. Discussion, participant empowerment, and practical application of the material are critical to successfully leading sessions.

Agreed. Allowing different styles of participation from attendees; verbal, nonverbal, written as well as specific responses and general feedback.

Conflict mediation and strategic planning are useful skills when creating an environment conducive to authentic and productive dialogue. For instance, while working with a Board of Directors struggling to reach an agreement, I explained the process we would be following, then outlined a process where the contrasting perspectives would be engaged and involved. The "dreamers" shared their big-picture ideas, followed by the "realists" who presented potential obstacles. Once all ideas were expressed, we collaborated on a vision for the future with a tailored strategy to achieve growth.

I always create a set of ‘principles’ to set the tone for how you’d like participants to engage with the subject matter - and each other. I introduce them at the start and often have them printed out up on the wall and draw attention back to them from time to time during the session.

Checking in with participants at the beginning of a meeting or during a break develops rapport. Listen and pick up on interests, curiosities, skills, and knowledge. Then connect this information during the working part of the session. I've found that people are less caught off guard if the ask is specific to them. It is unnecessary to shy away from differences of opinion or challenges. Steer the conversation back towards the topic, and address the individual separately if their contribution is detrimental to the conversation. Alternatively, direct their statement back to the topic being discussed and ask them to respond with an applicable answer. It is possible to respectfully disagree and disengage from harmful behavior.

Visual Thinking is a core technique to make a facilitation session more productive. Visual aids help participants better understand complex concepts, generate ideas and stay on the same page. You don't have to be a designer. Books "Blah Blah Blah" by Dan Ram and "Gamestorming" by Dave Gray will teach you all you need to become a visual facilitator.

Dare to Take Calculated Risks Innovation often emerges from the willingness to step out of your comfort zone. As a facilitator, experimenting with new techniques or approaches can yield unexpected successes. While the fear of failure may loom, remember that each risk is an opportunity for growth. Even if a new method doesn't yield the desired results, the lessons learned are invaluable for refining your future facilitation endeavors.

Yes! In any live event involving many people you will always have to Adapt and Improvise - so, prepare for that occurrence. When planning the event, look at your agenda and decide which items can be shortened or skipped. Having a plan makes it much easier when, during the event, you notice that you are going to run past the allotted time and need to Adapt and Improvise.

Managing time is a critical skill. I tend not to share a detailed agenda with the group (but make an exception for the sponsor / who ever the lead client is). Sign post your breaks (coffee/lunch etc) and stick to those. But if the conversation is rich it’s fine to let something run a little over knowing you can make that time up later. I often use a count down timer on my watch / phone. Easy way to know how much time you have left and manage accordingly. Eg start a 3 hr countdown if you’re starting at 9 and have lunch at 12.

Facilitation is like diving into deep waters where each session offers an opportunity to improve and learn. When I began as a facilitator at the Seattle Police Department right after college, I was insecure, and my behavior seemed arrogant to others. I had to learn a lot, and the process was painful, but it helped me let go of my rigidity and embrace the vulnerability of being myself. This made me a better strategist and allowed me to connect with my clients in a genuine way. Fast forward 25 years...Acknowledging mistakes takes confidence, and recognizing what you don't know is wise. In the humility of being human, I have found the greatest joy in my work.

Learning from, and adjusting to, feedback can happen while the program is happening. It's not always necessary to wait until the end-of-program level 1 evaluations have been completed to start your process of improving. Pass out feedback forms halfway through the program, after every session, or ask for feedback on break. The more you develop this habit, the easier it will be for you to recognize opportunities to adapt while sessions are in progress.

Reflect, Adapt, Elevate Reflection is the compass that guides your journey as a facilitator. Regularly take the time to evaluate your sessions – what worked, what didn't, and why. Incorporate feedback from participants, mentors, and your own observations to fine-tune your approach. The ability to adapt based on these insights is key to constantly elevating your facilitation skills.

Conducting a short debrief immediately after the meeting is helpful for participants and the facilitator to assess what went well and what needs improvement. In some cases it can also be appropriate to report your reflections, for example, to a nominations committee so that they can learn and prepare accordingly for an Annual General Meeting.

Ask for Feedback Take a few months after a facilitated conversation and ask for feedback. Here are a few sample questions: What did I do well as your facilitator? What could I have done differently? How was I confusing as your facilitator? How did I help you achieve your goal today? How did you feel in this facilitated conversation?

Create a visual explainer or an infographic after the session with key outcomes. Start by drawing a mockup during the session and re-confirm it with the participants, and convert it into a rich graphic afterwards. Visuals encourage to distill complex information into its most essential elements – it promotes clarity and conciseness. Such visual summary act as documentation of the meeting's discussions, outcomes, and action items. It can be shared with stakeholders, archived for future reference.