How do you make your facilitation sessions safe for diverse voices?

1 Define the ground rules

Before you start your session, make sure you establish some basic norms and expectations for how the group will interact. You can either propose some ground rules yourself or invite the participants to co-create them with you. Some examples of ground rules are: listen actively, speak from your own experience, avoid assumptions and judgments, respect confidentiality, and seek to understand before responding. You can also ask the participants to share their preferred names, pronouns, and communication styles. Make sure you write down the ground rules and display them visibly throughout the session.

2 Acknowledge and address power dynamics

Power dynamics are the ways that people's identities, roles, and statuses influence their interactions and relationships. They can affect how people feel, speak, and behave in a facilitation session. As a facilitator, you need to be aware of the power dynamics in your group and how they might create barriers or opportunities for diverse voices. You can do this by: checking your own biases and privileges, inviting feedback and input from everyone, challenging dominant or oppressive views, supporting marginalized or silenced voices, and intervening when conflicts or tensions arise.

3 Use inclusive language and methods

The language and methods you use as a facilitator can either include or exclude diverse voices. You want to use language and methods that are clear, respectful, and relevant for your audience. You can do this by: using gender-neutral and culturally sensitive terms, avoiding jargon and acronyms, providing translations or interpretations if needed, using multiple formats and channels to communicate, offering different ways to participate and contribute, and adapting to the needs and preferences of the group.

4 Encourage curiosity and learning

One of the benefits of having diverse voices in a facilitation session is that they can enrich the conversation and the learning outcomes. However, this also requires a willingness and openness to learn from each other and to explore different perspectives. As a facilitator, you can encourage curiosity and learning by: asking open-ended and probing questions, inviting stories and examples, facilitating dialogue and reflection, acknowledging and celebrating diversity, and providing feedback and recognition.

5 Follow up and follow through

Making your facilitation sessions safe for diverse voices is not a one-time event, but an ongoing process. You need to follow up and follow through with your participants to ensure that they feel heard, valued, and supported. You can do this by: soliciting feedback and evaluation, providing resources and referrals, maintaining contact and communication, honoring commitments and agreements, and implementing changes and improvements.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?