How do you plan and deliver engaging sessions with co-facilitators?

Very carefully! I have had some great, not so great and disastrous co-facilitations. I am happy to say that the less than great interactions happened in the "early days" before I knew how to arrange and develop a collaboration. Now, when asked, I am very intentional about finding out about goals and finding out about styles. I like to be deeply engaged and I use a variety of techniques to keep the energy in the room. If my co-facilitator prefers a different approach we work together to see if we can make it work. I love developing systems where we each get what we need as facilitators and the participants are more than pleased about what they experienced. And, I always arrange for a trial run(s) with someone new to get the rhythm worked out

Agreeing "who does what" is extremely useful before the meeting. Doing this will help you to play to each other's strengths and learning needs as facilitators. Co-facilitating is a gift when trying things that sit outside our usual comfort zone, as co-facilitators can play a supporting role. Even if you have agreed roles and responsibilities beforehand be ready to help each other "in the moment". Developing a facilitation "shorthand" with others you work well with is like gold dust, as you will start to anticipate each other's needs whilst creating a seamless experience for the group.

BEFORE defining your goals and roles, you must decide if you and your co-facilitator are a good fit for each other. Don't skimp on this step; put some time into discovering the "why" of each other's work, what are non-negotiables, facilitation methods utilized, areas of comfort and stress, and where learning opportunities are present. If there isn't a good working relationship between you and your co-facilitator, your audience will see it and likely respond negatively to it...jeopardizing the outcomes of the facilitation.

Rule numero uno—define what you're doing and why you're doing it. It’s not just about what you aim to achieve; it’s how you’re going to measure if you actually achieved it. You want to sidestep any mid-session, “Wait, what are we doing?” moments, believe me.

Two more two cents from my side: 1. Yes, having a shared understanding of your purpose and objectives is very important for me too. The question then is how to get there. We try if possible to have deep conversations with all stakeholders inclunding ourselves to understand all needs and then come up with purpose, aims, methods and only then with designs. 2. For us, it is extremely important to share openly all out concerns, emotions, triggers, observations of mood, defensivnesses, energies, resistance in order to stay in the flow. Therefore, as co-facilitator we are aiming at collaboration radically.

Remember that different facilitators will bring different knowledge, expertise and confidence of techniques and processes. Think of these as your collective toolbox of facilitation processes - the whole is always greater than the sum of the parts!

Keep an eye towards balancing the workload fairly. Nobody wants to work with a partner who's not contributing fairly. If you've taken the step of getting to know your co-facilitator seriously, you will likely have identified likes/dislikes, skills and gaps, which can result in some great synergies. And don't be afraid to hold each other accountable; in a respectful fashion, of course.

Don’t just slice up the agenda and dole it out—that's rookie stuff. You're crafting a user story here, not a shopping list. So co-design it. If you’re using SCRUM, think of this as your Sprint Planning. If you’re into Kanban, think of it as continually refining your workflow.

Try utilizing some technology with this step. There are some great solutions out there to allow you and your co-facilitator to get stuff done independently and coordinated. Consider using cues into your facilitation and materials to give a queue to your co-facilitator that your stuck or if you would like for them to take the lead on a topic. Taking time to knowing your co-facilitator will help with communication, knowing their style, preference, and areas of expertise.

You wouldn't deploy a feature without checking the code, so why go live without syncing up? Pre-session alignment is your pre-deployment stage. And during the session? It’s all about micro-communications. A wink, a nod, a discreet hand signal—it’s your real-time CI/CD pipeline.

Building rapport isn't soft skills; it’s hardcore necessity. If you don’t trust each other, how can you expect your participants to trust you? This is your social contract, laid bare for everyone to see and buy into.

Show up vulnerably to your co-facilitator. Try humbleness. Even when facilitating you will have at least two different places where your facilitation can come from: - from your strengths - and from your vulnerable seemingly weak traits The second approach can be very powerful, a strength itself and can create a lot of trust and bonding. Try out to be a role model of openness.

Another method for building rapport, that is not frequently mentioned, is shadowing your co-facilitator. This is a bit different in that you will observe your co-facilitator while they are preparing for the facilitation and conducting the facilitation, without your own participation. Becoming a "fly on the wall", as the saying goes. Then, trade! Where your co-facilitator will do the same. Ask each other for feedback and their observations afterwards.

Yes start with the people - the co-facilitators and the participants. Facilitating an engaging session involves engaging with each other before and during the program. It helps to get to know each other without and before the agenda.

Practicing improv games is part of my prep work with co-facilitators. The debrief of the games allows for discussion about how we might respond to unexpected twists and turns in the program as well as within own expectations.

Allowing the participants to have space to engage in "Random Dialogues" is beneficial. Too much content, structure and talking from the facilitators can lead to a dry, dull and disengaged experience.

Look, Agile is all about adaptability. If your session isn’t flexible, then you’re about as Agile as a waterfall project stuck in an eternal requirements gathering phase. It’s about retrospecting in real-time, folks!

Planning for places where you and your co-facilitator can touch base and re-visit timing can help adapt on the fly. Knowing ahead of time in the content what can be shortened or condensed to make more room, and what adaptations you are prepared to make can help you be on the same page when you connect throughout the facilitation engagement. As the co-facilitator, also keeping an eye on other aspects of the group to share with the lead facilitator - what are participants saying, what movement or adjustment might be needed based on their engagement?

Use the breaks or group activities to get together and discuss next steps, changes etc. Using the lunch break is also a good opportunity to quickly reflect and decide if anything needs adjustments after the break.

Absolutely! Always review the meeting with your co-facilitators to share the experience of what worked and what could have been different. Do this as soon as possible whilst memories are fresh. Reviewing together will enable all facilitators to enhance their practice, learning and, especially if you are facilitating a series of meetings, be more fully prepared for the next meeting.

Feedback from each other is vital to nurture the professional relationship and continue improving. But, what about the other facilitation participants? Should they have a voice too? I suggest: Yes! If you do a survey after the conclusion of the facilitation, consider these pointers: Tell your participants about the survey at the beginning of the session, allow for anonymous feedback to be given - whether by paper or an emailed link, take the feedback seriously...what does it say both at the individual level and as a group? Discuss the data with your co-facilitator and incorporate intentional changes for the next session.

Co-facilitation isn't just a one-off; it’s a levelling-up opportunity. The stand-up meeting doesn't end when the session does. So take the time to do a retro, glean those learnings, and hey, don't forget to pat yourselves on the back. The truth is, co-facilitation can be your secret weapon or your Achilles' heel. It’s a litmus test for your Agile values—communication, collaboration, adaptation, and feedback. So the next time you co-facilitate, remember—this is Agile in its purest form, and it's up to you to make it rock.

Consider taking a part you are not comfortable with or experienced enough while your partner feels safe with it. This way you can step out of your comfort zone and at the same time you have the safety knowing that someone might jump in in case you are struggling. This helped me a lot in taking on techniques which I would have otherwise skipped.

Be clear on what you mean by co-facilitator, as there can be two possible lenses here. The first co-facilitator is someone (or more than one) who is playing a comparable process facilitator role alongside you, enabling the group to achieve their outcomes. The second lens could include people who are supporting the facilitation process, such as small group/table facilitators or those who are undertaking specific roles such as capturing key points on the flipchart etc. The former group need to be completely aligned with you in the facilitation of the meeting, whereas the latter are likely to take direction from you regarding what's needed to make the meeting as smooth and productive as possible.

Co-facilitation is one form of a relationship. I've found it help in both the planning and implementation of the program to be aware of when my habits, biases, expectations etc are being highlighted. I try to use lessons I've learned from personal relationship development in my co-facilitator relationships.

Be transparent about your needs and also your energy levels. Check on with your co-facilitator in case you feel your energy is running low during a workshop to see if your co-facilitator could take over the next part and give you time to re-energize.