How can you establish credibility as a new facilitator?

1 Know your purpose

Before you start facilitating, you need to have a clear idea of why you are there and what you want to achieve. What are the goals and expectations of the group? What are the main challenges or opportunities they face? How can you help them reach a consensus, solve a problem, or generate new ideas? Having a clear purpose will help you design and deliver a facilitation process that is relevant, engaging, and effective. It will also help you communicate your role and value to the participants.

2 Know your audience

Another way to establish credibility as a new facilitator is to know your audience. Who are the participants? What are their backgrounds, interests, and perspectives? What are their needs, concerns, and motivations? How do they prefer to learn, interact, and communicate? Knowing your audience will help you tailor your facilitation style, methods, and tools to suit their preferences and expectations. It will also help you build rapport, trust, and respect with the participants.

3 Know your content

As a facilitator, you don't need to be an expert on the topic or issue that the group is discussing, but you do need to have some basic knowledge and understanding of it. You need to be able to ask relevant and insightful questions, provide useful information or resources, and guide the group through the facilitation process. Knowing your content will help you avoid confusion, misinformation, or embarrassment. It will also help you demonstrate your competence and professionalism as a facilitator.

4 Know your limits

While it is important to be confident and prepared as a new facilitator, it is also important to be humble and realistic. You don't need to have all the answers, solve all the problems, or control all the situations. You need to be able to admit when you don't know something, ask for help or feedback, and learn from your mistakes. Knowing your limits will help you avoid overpromising, underdelivering, or compromising your credibility. It will also help you show your authenticity and vulnerability as a facilitator.

5 Know your strengths

Finally, as a new facilitator, you need to know your strengths. What are the skills, qualities, or experiences that make you a good facilitator? What are the aspects of facilitation that you enjoy or excel at? How can you leverage your strengths to create value and impact for the group? Knowing your strengths will help you focus on your potential, not your limitations. It will also help you showcase your uniqueness and personality as a facilitator.