What are the best methods for remaining neutral and unbiased when facilitating a group?

Use humour to create psychological safety. I don't believe we can be neutral (or ever be seen to be neutral no matter how hard we try). People cannot help but read motives into even the smallest moments. So allow humour, which creates the chance to allow perspective and acknowledging bias...

Learning to manage oneself is just as important as learning techniques for managing groups. A fatal mistake of inexperienced facilitators is the tendency to assume responsibility for whipping the group into shape, rather than helping the group to take ownership of both the interpersonal process and outcomes. The facilitator’s work is to enable; doing the work is the role of the group.

Be consistent. Meaning, doing things like thanking every person for their input—no matter what. And avoid doing/saying things like: “that’s a good/great question”. Don’t do it. Raises red flags in attendees when “theirs” isn’t acknowledged this way. (Do it for one means doing it for all. Let’s face it: they aren’t all great questions) Use please & thank you to the point of feeling that it is too much. (It isn’t) Do your homework ahead of time to know as much about your attendees as possible.

Facilitators perceive themselves as experts. That is entirely wrong. Their role is to create a psychologically safe atmosphere to facilitate the creative ideas of experts and non-experts from various background, capture all ideas in rational manner and help the team to reach a common understanding. Rule number one is to present yourself as a human who makes mistakes. It allows team members to relax, contribute with their ideas and pursue for a consolidated outcome as opposed to individual thoughts.

Build rapport with the group. Demonstrate that you 'get' them. Be open, honest and vulnerable to build Psychological Safety. Enjoy it!

By nature we are biased and not neutral; we are alive, real, human and imperfect. Can we be unbiased and neutral? Within the Organisational Development discipline, we pay attention to our own processes. Who we are is what people learn. What is our relationship with power? Do we need to be seen in some way in some way to be validated? We might enjoy combatitive arguments that reinforce our sense of self so might encourage that. Messy glorious humans. All of these needs exist within us and if we don't pay attention, then they can act out in our facilitation/interactions. Before I open my mouth; I ask myself what my interjection is in service of (being seen? hurrying things along?). Bring ease, openness and focus on creating connection.

I see the role of open questions as a way to increase awareness of different perspectives within the group. And whilst I also recommend using open questions, a good closed question to ask is "Does anyone have a different perspective?" or "Anything else?" And use this as an access point to more dialogue.

Questions are among our most powerful tools that we can use. I think with questions and keep my curiosity high. Asking questions can help us gain clarity, allowing us to empathize fully by removing judgment and assumptions, seeking first to understand where people are coming from with their perspective. We don’t have to agree, but we need to realize that each person’s perspective is valid to them.

One of the most powerful questions you can ask is "And what else?" as a follow-up to your original question. Most of the questions we ask are not binary - as in having a right and a wrong answer. "And what else?" allows the group to go deeper collectively and more people to be heard.

To supercharge your facilitation skills and elevate your communication game, two potent tools are at your disposal: the art of active listening and the precision of open questions. Active listening involves giving your full attention, using body language to show engagement, and refraining from interruptions, fostering empathy and understanding. Open questions, on the other hand, encourage deeper conversations and diverse viewpoints. By inviting participants to express themselves fully and explore ideas openly, these techniques play a vital role in effective facilitation and coaching, enriching discussions and ultimately leading to more meaningful and productive outcomes.

Whenever setting ground rules inevitably, someone says "non-judgmental". I offer an alternative: "be aware of our judgments" A point I make is that as humans we are "meaning-making machines" and full of judgement. Everyone instantly gets this. Of course, we then have to discuss what do the behaviours of "being aware of our judgments" looks like :-)

For me, recognising biases as living data to work with as a facilitator has helped me embrace differences, stucknesss and healthy conflicts in groups. This is why I love the work - warm data work of Nora Bateson and Arawana Hayashi, Theory U. Recognising my own biases as a facilitator means the capacity to show vulnerability and the willingness to be challenged, to learn, to grow, to evolve...

I agree we should define roles and boundaries but we also need to allow for our experiences and roles to possibly reflect associated biases that come with us. By opening the conversation with “desired results” is a winner for focus and goals l, try adding “what biases” might come up in this discussion based on our own experiences and personal history in this “context”. By setting the tone for others to recognize how biases will play into their perspectives it’s a great opportunity to make them visible. We can follow up with a commitment to be respectful and constructive in our observations with the objective of making everyone comfortable sharing while we also provide feedback in an effort to achieve a winning outcome together.

Biases are our own mental shortcuts that can impact our perception so we should start by recognising your own biases as a facilitator. By encouraging participants to do the same and challenge their biases by asking questions, providing diverse information, and setting ground rules for respectful discussions, you can create an open and balanced environment where diverse viewpoints can be valued.

"Neutral" is impossible precisely because it is also impossible to be completely "unbiased". Moreover, I don't even think "neutral" is a desirable attribute. It risks seeming too passive, too uninvolved. The participants don't want you to be flying at 29,000 ft above the problem, they want you in the midst of it with your sleeves rolled up, actively assisting. Instead of describing myself as "impartial", I like to describe myself as "omni-partial" because I am looking out for everyone's interests. If you bring energy, enthusiasm, optimism, empathy, active listening, curious-questioning and all your emotional intelligence to the party, you shouldn't need to worry too much about the risk of not being neutral or affected by bias.

We are Human, therefore we are emotional beings - if the group holds respect within it, some form of trust or level of it agreed, then emotions will deepen the learning, reflection and ability to apply to all in the room - a good friend recently reminded me: "It's not what we do for others that they remember, it's the way we make them feel that they remember."

It can sometimes be very tempting as a facilitator to try to shut down conflict when it arises or when you perceive it to be raising its ugly head. However, conflict can be a very positive thing and empowering people to have the courage to express their disagreement with something can bring many benefits. Managing conflict well and helping the participants to explore the areas of disagreement constructively can lead to very positive and creative outcomes which nobody anticipated. An atmosphere in which people do not feel psychologically safe to voice disagreement or disapproval or to debate differences, can stifle innovation and good decision-making.

3 quick signals group members can use to navigate conflict: - "Ouch": If someone says something that is hurtful, you say “ouch.” - "Oops": If you say something that comes out wrong, you say "oops!" - "Whoa": When conversations are becoming too fast and you're losing track, say "Whoa" to slow down. As a facilitator, I find these helpful as they're easy to introduce and can be used as a shared language for everyone involved. And having a shared language is key to managing conflict and emotions.

Navigating the tempestuous waters of conflict and emotions is a cornerstone of effective facilitation. Like a skilled captain steering a ship through a storm, a facilitator must possess the tools to manage these tumultuous elements. Conflict, when harnessed constructively, can lead to innovation and growth, while emotions, if acknowledged and channeled, can fuel meaningful discussions. The art lies in creating an atmosphere where conflicts are addressed openly and emotions are expressed without judgment. By fostering such an environment, facilitators ensure that tensions are defused, and team dynamics are enhanced, ultimately charting a course toward more productive and harmonious outcomes.

Take the Aikido way: use the energy created by emotions, redirect this energy to serve the intent. This is the job of the facilitator. It requires full presence, and the focus on "reading the air", meaning understanding the dynamics that are going on.

A way to be vulnerability and create psychological safety is to share at the beginning of your group on what you are personally working on to improve your facilitation skills (e.g. speaker slower or faster, eye contact, body language, allowing for silence, etc.) and inviting everyone to share feedback on this specific element (and others as they want) at the end of the programme.

Make unwavering commitment to seeking feedback and embracing improvement your North Star. Just as a compass points the way, feedback illuminates our blind spots and paves the path to growth. A skilled facilitator actively seeks input from participants, valuing their insights as a compass for course correction. This continuous feedback loop isn't just a means to an end; it's a cornerstone of our facilitation philosophy, driving us to refine our methods, enhance our skills, and embark on a perpetual quest for excellence.

Explore facilitating with another person too. Co-facilitation can bring many benefits, not just in terms of feeding back to each other and reflecting upon performance, it can also bring a positive and different dynamic to the whole facilitation process which will benefit everyone involved.

Participants can contribute or share experiences to the topic in a random manner when they can. Once you have mapped out the participants into strata then you may be as inclusive as possible in engaging them from each stratum.

By seeking feedback, and more importantly openly ACCEPTING that feedback you take those barriers down. When people observe the vulnerability and accountability it makes them feel less "threatened" and therefore more likely to participate effectively.

A facilitator is not neutral. As soon as you create a workshop, you're injecting your own bias into the process, you've got a strong, informed opinion about the correct steps that need to be taken in order to achieve the desired outcome from the workshop. That experience is why you're there in the first place. As a facilitator, you're more like Gandalf/Obi-Wan/Dumbledore, there to guide the hero of the story (the team) to reaching their potential. The wise old wizard steers the hero in the right direction, supports them, lets them make their own mistakes, but still jumps in to save them when really needed. It's not about being neutral, it's about sharing your wisdom and experience in a way that doesn't dictate an outcome.

If what we are facilitating is complex, consider having more than one naturally biased human in the facilitation team! Invite someone who would likely have other biases; who will not be triggered by the same things you will; who represent other identities that you are not a member of. And it’s more fun when it’s shared. ??

Facilitator helps participants to unlock their potential (what they don’t know they know) and through this allow them to build new knowledge. So facilitator have not an opinion about the matter of the workshop. He knows the answer is in the system , he has no answer. He holds the space and protect each participant space to let knowledge emerges. He leads by listening and tries to be invisible. He needs “to turn the camera” on him since he’s anyway part of the system.

Facilitation requires prep. And a lot of it. This is counterintuitive, but it is only when you have a full script in your hand (and head) that you can be in full presence and derive from it depending on the dynamics going on. Reason is, you will also have in your mind the impact of the change on your overall objective

Self-awareness is the most important competence of the facilitator - know your own biases and have an accountability partner in the group who can call you out on your biases if they get triggered - know your own emotional triggers and have a couple of strategies to come back to neutral when emotionally triggered