Dealing with resistance to feedback in your facilitation group: How can you effectively engage a team member?

1. Understand the person: there are variations among individuals when it comes to accepting feedback. It is important to establish rapport with the person to see how s/he takes feedback. Remember that some people can take even constructive feedback as an attack. 2. Watch your language: How you use your language (verbal and non-verbal) can affect how the recipient takes up your feedback. The culture, age, sex, socio-economic status, etc. are factors that your need to take into consideration in how you use your language. 3. Role reversal: In your communication with the person resisting feedback, encourage the person to give you feedback based on agreed parameters. This will help to appreciate the value of feedback.

One thing I've found helpful, instead of diving into defense, try to understand why they might be resistant. Is the feedback unclear? Does it feel personal? Ask open-ended questions to get to the root of the issue. Also, always frame the feedback as an opportunity for growth, not criticism. Highlight their strengths and then connect the feedback to how it can help them improve a specific skill.

It helps to find something in the feedback that I agree with. I might not like how it was delivered or agree with the interpretation, but I also want to acknowledge that the person took the risk to share their feedback. Once I can find something in their feedback that I agree with, whether the topic or the feeling behind it, this gives me a chance to catch a breath and often defers defensiveness. I can then attempt to clarify any confusion, request elaboration, or move on.

Name it to tame it: Emotions have many faces. In facilitation, resistance can often arise from unresolved emotions that are like the elephant in the room. For example, frustration can manifest itself as reluctance, or more directly by blocking discussions or initiating meta-discussions because a term is not well defined. These disruptions can easily take half a day out of a two-day workshop. It's important to address them early. Sometimes it can be very effective to simply ask, before we start, "If there were an invisible elephant in the room, what would it look like? And what should we definitely discuss before we start the workshop?”

The biggest realization for me came when I realized that feedback sessions are not just about me talking and giving feedback - it's about the feedback of the person who receives the feedback as well. This feedback loops allows us to learn why issues happened in the first place, which makes resolutions much easier and a collaborative process.

Let’s try and understand what the reason for the resistance is. Often the unsaid problem is the perception that feedback is always negative. Throw the floor open for dialogue and discussion. Let everyone voice their opinion freely. As a facilitator don’t take things personally. Once you have understood the real issue, address it with kindness and respect. If you feel it right, introduce some tools such as SBI method, Feedforward so that people can experiment and learn.

Uma vez que as emo??es sejam reconhecidas, é crucial promover um diálogo aberto e empático. Por exemplo, em uma situa??o onde um membro da equipe está resistente a mudan?as no processo de produ??o, iniciar uma conversa aberta com perguntas que buscam entender suas preocupa??es pode ser muito eficaz. Ouvir ativamente e demonstrar valoriza??o pela perspectiva deles n?o apenas valida suas preocupa??es, mas também pode revelar quest?es subjacentes que est?o afetando sua resistência. Abordar essas preocupa??es de maneira construtiva pode abrir caminho para discuss?es mais produtivas e colaborativas, onde todos na equipe podem aprender uns com os outros e trabalhar juntos para alcan?ar solu??es que beneficiem a todos.

Pour encourager le dialogue plusieurs fa?on. Que ce soit collectif avec des outils visuel pour mieux ce situer ou en bin?me pour gagner du temps et de la qualité d'écoute. L'objectifs est de sortir ce que l'on a sur le c?urs pour interpréter nos émotions et nous mettre en actions. Une écoute active et bienveillante permet à chacun de se sentir en confiance et écouter. De ce faite en étant valoriser tout le monde participer a la suite de l'intervention

Open dialogue and active listening are essential, but even before that, it is important to identify the most effective ways to transmit, receive, and benefit from feedback and to put people in the right position to receive and make the most of it.

I think there is a bias in this part of the text: the assumption that feedback is something negative that highlights something that went wrong. Beware because this is a dangerous trap, even for those who must facilitate. Feedback is NOT positive or negative in nature; it's up to us to shape its emphasis

Feedback per se is nothing negative. That’s why the facilitator or moderator should stay as exactly as possible on the words of a participant. The concept of "clean language" can help: It minimizes the facilitator’s influence by using the participant’s exact words in questions, such as "What kind of [participant's word] is that?" or "Where is [participant's word]?" This technique respects the participant’s perspective, fostering trust and openness. It ensures that dialogue remains an authentic exchange, where meaning is collaboratively created.

Tout le monde à le droit de s'exprimer tant qu'il ne fait pas de tort a autrui. De ce faite si quelqu'un a une opinion forte durant mon atelier je prend quelque minute pour le questionner. Je prend compte de ?a remarque et j'essaie de l'utiliser comme une force. Par exemple "de toute fa?on on n'a pas de pouvoir de décision, on ne peut rien faire", j'écoute leur argumentation et leur proposer de passer à l'action en trouvant des actions qui peuvent mettre en place et qui affecterons leur quotidien de fa?on positive.

O follow up é t?o importante como o momento do feedback, ele vai transmitir a sensa??o de seguran?a e vai dar o subsídio para as mudan?as.

I think it’s important to acknowledge that your team wont always agree with your perspective. Creating a team dynamic that allows for a difference of opinion respectfully and being able to navigate that resistance together without negative repercussions is the target to aim for.

Deciding on the process for feedback is highly dependent on the relationships and culture of your facilitation team. This foundation is crucial for building trust and effective communication. Begin by creating a culture that values open dialogue and respect. This doesn't mean that everyone on your team needs to be best friends, but the culture will create space for relationships that foster constructive feedback.

I have facilitated many very resistant and difficult groups and individuals in my previous role giving violence prevention programming in federal penitentiaries. I have learned that creating a relationship prior to attempting any feedback is crucial- there is a time in group development and personal readiness of each participant to consider as well. I prefer to hold my feedback for longer. Respect is earned. I feel like we are in a rush to give feedback, when we really just need to learn to roll with the punches, allow participants to get to know us and decide for themselves if they want to invest or not. A facilitators job is to create the climate and possibilities, the individuals and group decide what they want to make of them...