SOUTHEAST ASSOCIATION OF FACILITATORS

Monday Musing! This quote speaks to the power of collaboration - teamwork is about coming up with the very best solution and having alignment as a result. What do you think is the best part of teamwork?

Over the years, engaging with fellow facilitators, consultants, and coaches has revealed common threads: - We prioritize making a lasting impact on clients over profitability, driven by our inherent desire to help. - Our love for creativity leads us to uncover unique solutions for clients' challenges. - A diverse toolkit empowers us to deliver tailored, results-driven services. Integrating play into our practices offers endless possibilities to craft immersive learning experiences. With just a few games, the potential for customization is limitless. Excited to introduce Barometer XP's Play Facilitator Certification! This program equips you with the skills to design play experiences that enhance your services. Join us for a special one-day certification on October 16 in Decatur, GA. More details in the link below. Looking forward to connecting with you there!

Last Friday I have a great time facilitating the SOUTHEAST ASSOCIATION OF FACILITATORS Friday Forum on using AI within the 5 Es framework. The image below represents just some of the fantastic ideas developed and discussed by our members and guests in attendance. Many thanks to contributing experts: Jenny Trautman, Leigh Ann Rodgers, Claudia Góngora, Martha McGinnis, Folami Prescott-Adams, Ph.D., Cindy Getty, Monique Childress, Monica Moody, Jayne Wallace, and all of the other attendees who made the meeting great with wonderful questions and ideas! Interested in joining our SEAF mastermind or our next signature event? check out seaf.org for a complete schedule! We would love to have you in our community!

THE POWER OF FACILITATION – PART II WHY DOES FACILITATION WORK AND WHY DON’T MORE LEADERS WORK IT? In an earlier post I described how, as a big-8 consultant, we found that when WE created a solution, a year later maybe the client would have implemented 15%. But when we facilitated a client team in creating the solutions, when we would come back a year later 80% would be implemented! The big question is why? Dr. Robert Zawacki from the University of Colorado put it this way: ? ED = RD × CD The D throughout the equation is the same word: decision. He said that an Effective Decision = the Right Decision times Commitment to the Decision. What does this mean? This means that you may know the right decision for your client, but if your client has zero commitment to it, how effective is it? Zero. Anything times zero is zero. Likewise, if as a leader you know the right decision for your team, but your team has zero commitment to it, how effective is it? Zero. Unfortunately, when it comes to solving a problem, or setting a direction, or making a decision, many leaders go behind closed doors to figure out what the right decision is and then try to build commitment to it after they come out. Wrong answer. The key is to do these two things (right decision and commitment to the decision) at the same time. How? You get the people impacted by the decision in the room helping to create the decision, this automatically builds buy-in and commitment to it. This is called facilitation. And facilitation works.?If you work it. Why does it work? Because through facilitation you can get better decisions, often faster, and here’s the kicker, with higher levels of buy-in and commitment. So, you may be wondering why don’t most leaders do this? Why don’t most leaders use facilitation? Because most of them don’t know how. They don’t know how to be a facilitative leader. News Flash: There’s a book on how to do it! The 8 Core Practices of Facilitative Leaders. The book talks about the eight key things facilitative leaders do that help them achieve higher performance by inspiring their people to greatness and engaging them in in problem solving and decision making. The eight core practices make up what is called the SUCCEEDS model. ·??????Start with the why; engage with the how ·??????Understand and empower; don’t command and control ·??????Communicate in their language, not yours ·??????Connect first; correct second ·??????Equip for success, monitor for results ·??????Engage conflict; encourage disagreement ·??????Drive strategic thinking throughout the organization ·??????Start, execute, and close every meeting masterfully So, I believe more leaders don’t use facilitation because they don’t know how. What about you? From your experience, IF FACILITATION WORKS, WHY DON’T MORE LEADERS WORK IT? #Facilitation

Wonder what AI has to offer you as a Facilitator? Join us on Friday (the 10th) to explore the possibilities! https://lnkd.in/gYJ6Th2F #facilitation #meetingfacilitation