(Or "Facilitator “On” mode… when to flick the switch")
I think there’s truth in the idea that, if you’ve done great prep work, if you’ve structured the slide show and exercises neatly via a savvy advance read of the group, their needs and the moment (and you managed to start things off on the front foot), then the “work” of facilitating a workshop can look and feel pretty smooth. ?
Anyone that can use a texta and a clicker can do it?
Well, it IS learnable, and it doesn’t have to be rocket science.
But there are moments in most sessions that require deft decisions and change catalysing actions from the one charged with conveying the crowd from A to B.? They’re sometimes easy to miss until it’s too late and the box cars have disengaged from the engine.
Here are ten decision intersections you want to be pretty perceptive about as you conduct proceedings.
- When they’re late – the best laid plans for a smooth downhill run through the agenda stage gates can be scuppered even before you’ve said "Welcome!”. A cohort of the group stuck in traffic, a tardy few still waiting for their Almond Macchiatos at the better coffee place down the road, a previous session that’s running over down the corridor. Do you wait? The agenda hourglass is emptying. What of those in their seats that made the effort to be there on time? Sometimes the best strategy is to ask the boss what they want to do. Sometimes it’s kicking off on time, starting with some introductions and general discussion around the topic while you wait for the remainder. Sometimes it’s a case of waiting and shortening the section you’d pre-planned to shorten (‘cause this is pretty predictable). And sometimes you just go and fold the latecomers in quietly after they’ve sheepishly taken their seats. You might be feeling miffed at this disruption, but this is when facilitator game face is even more important – putting out the optimistic can-do energy you want to permeate the discussion with the rest of the day, will help the stalled start get back on track faster.
- When the boss is late – everyone else is there, but the one paying the bill or driving the agenda is no-where to be seen. Happens. A go-to here is to get your intro out of the way (the boss probably knows you, and they were often only going to pad the intro out for you anyway), and start with a more general, open conversation forum that sets the scene and garners a few early perspectives about the topic of the day. Have a couple of questions up your sleeve that will open things up broadly, lightly, and help people establish some context for the conversation that will follow. It often relaxes the group, gets some early engagement and even unearths things they won’t offer in front of the chief. You don’t necessarily want to go too far down any rabbit holes without the big cheese present (need to read the tea leaves on their personality / style on that one), but don’t fritter the time just because they’re not yet there. It's their cash or budget that's burning, so show you respect it.
- When the group is quiet – you’ve done your best to build the energy, fertilise their thinking for the question you’re posing to them, and articulated it as clearly as you can (in a language they’ll most likely connect with)… and they’re just not biting. First, check your assumptions – do they actually understand what you’re asking (ask them). Rephrase, and remind them of why you’re seeking their input on this. If still crickets, pick on someone (be gentle and kind to them, but ask directly). Then take their response, and ask another if that gels with them, or if they have a different perspective. Pump the sharers tyres up – show that contributions aren’t scary and are rewarded with warmth and gratitude, and see if things open up. If they do, great! If they don’t, you might have to take the hard route around the dartboard today, asking one by one by one. Tease them (gently and good naturedly) about their quiet-ness, and lead the witness if you need to. But don't turn it into a lecture - it needs their work, so work a bit harder to get it from them.
- When they’re raucous – wonderful, you’ve got a chatty group to work with! You’ve also got a timeframe, an agenda and a remit. Letting banter play out a little can be wonderful to support a collaborative, participative and fun session, but when you sense things are drifting too far from shore, or discussion is starting to feel like front bar chat, time to pull them back. Short of tapping the glass with a knife or yelling, first use your body language – physically walk into the discussion space. Slowly put your arms in the air, palms outwards, smile, eyeball the worst offenders, open your eyes wide and say as loudly as you can without yelling “OK, thank you everyone, fantastic! Let’s move it forward!" There are variations. You can sit down on the floor (that generally stops proceedings). You can move the slide on. Regardless, move it forward. You’ll likely need to repeat your version of this performance a couple of times at least, so keep reminding them of the priorities of the day and use the clock smartly, but don’t squash their energy – it’s much better than the alternative!
- When they can’t agree – for the strat planning facilitator, one of the most common presentations of this junction is when you’re helping a group shape a Purpose, Vision or Mission Statement, or a set of Core Values.? You’ll get 85% plus agreement from all, and then people love to tease the edges of a word or sentence, or battle over a single choice, and two camps form. ?“I don’t know what it is, but that – as you’ve written it – is not quite right. It’s not far off, but it’s not right.”? Start by asking if you’re in the ball park, or if the underlying principle or premise is broadly correct. If it is, suggest you park it, and you’ll come back to it after morning tea / lunch, and have the group re-reflect on it (you might massage a couple of variations of it while they eat their scones, so when they return, you can put them up on the screen and give them something clear that they can compare and contrast). If you’re not in the ballpark, you need to go deeper, until it’s clear what the underlying reason for differences of opinion are, or you need to quarantine it if you see it’s going to derail the day. Give them permission to disagree – forcing anyone down the sheep race just so you can say “Woohoo! We have consensus!” is artificial and ultimately useless. But it might need you to shift it to an offline conversation, and then turn your eyes (and theirs) to the next part of the session. Not perfect, but practical.
- When they agree too quickly – “Yep, that sounds right, that’s great! Next!” With nearly no discussion, debate, consideration of alternatives or what-if-ing. Either they’re hungry and want to get to lunch (and then out of Dodge) as quick as they can, or they’re not invested in the idea of them needing to shape the topic / output - not bought-in. Or they’re just drunk on old Koolaid. But it’s almost certainly not because you got the output perfect the first time. Here you have to hold them in slightly uncomfortable place and pressure test things. Ask them to put the concept into a practical real-life scenario. Pose an alternative that they haven’t considered and ask them to compare and contrast. Actually ask for the Devil’s Advocate in the room to speak up (they are always there). Just don’t let them tick-box every item too quickly or without a measure of rigour and argument, because you’re not doing them any favours if you do.
- When they’re in the weeds – the conversation has somehow gone heavy on tactics, specifics, who, what and whens (when you need them to be thinking higher, looking farther and considering widely). If you’ve prefaced at the start of the session that a. this almost always happens (and that's normal), and b. you’ve asked them for a licence to pull them up when you see it, then present that licence back to them like a 16 year old that just got their learners. “This is that moment everyone! Can you feel it? It’s really important that you’ve tested this topic at a granular level – thank you - but let’s now take it up a level and consider how this fits with the important bigger picture….”? If you’re attuned to it, it's not the trickiest junction to navigate, but don’t let it dwell too long there, because they’re undoubtedly very adept at weed-level discussions without needing you in the room.
- When they’re too high / theoretical – particularly at strategy level, considering really big, long term concepts, ambitions, opportunities, threats or priority areas, it’s easy to get too generic, blanket-statement or grandiose in how you frame the important perspectives and positions. Really not a fan of the term “motherhood statements”, but I’m sure you know what I mean. When you’re feeling like things are sounding too nebulous (therefore not likely to translate to reality), dig a bit. “Give me a specific example of what that would look like or mean in practice.” “Explain how that might work or manifest at the front counter.”? “Consider the opposite, or alternative to that idea – why practically is that the better or right path for you?” This piece of translation work really helps them understand and “own” those bigger picture words (or refine them), and if they are indeed right, the words stand a much greater chance of being communicated and used more effectively.
- When they’re flagging – it’s 4pm, they’ve been going since 8:30am, the mint bowls are empty, they’re experiencing the weird combo of having scoffed too much sugar and caffeine while also feeling exhausted… and you’re asking them to put their brain to just one more topic before you call time. Let’s assume you’ve done plenty of breaks, leg stretches, stand-up-and-shake-it-out breathing exercises, and you need just a tiny bit more of their input. There’s often a funny line between being the role model of tapping into any remaining energy and enthusiasm wells (for chances are, you as the facilitator are also pretty cooked), and almost using a gentle form of passive aggression to “guilt” them to commenting on this important topic ("Do we not need to have this conversation? Is this not important?"). Keep it quick, clean and clear, write stuff up on the board quickly (don’t let conversations eddy), and give them permission to label this last stuff “draft” thinking (because their best thinking is done, and the committee of sleep can possibly improve this last stuff). Have a mechanism for refining it post-workshop, but get them to put a little in and praise them profusely for their endeavour and grit, reminding them once more of just why it’s so important they did so. (And shorten your agenda next time…)
- When it feels like it’s bursting at the seams and just loads of disparate stuff they’ve done today…. Now is when you earn your money and your reputation. Breathe really deep, because this is the moment you pull it all together via an articulate, aggregated, sequenced and summarised monologue, cobbled together in real time as your lips move. You let them sit back and take it all in as you remind them why they were here, what you worked them through this day, the key insights they unearthed, the key perspectives they unpacked, and the priorities or actions that they’ve created. You verbally tie the products of their labours back to the reason they invested time in this space today, and when you've wrapped up the précis of the day and got some admiring nods, you ask them the question – “have you gotten what you needed from this session, or landed where you needed to arrive? Has this been the right conversation to the right ends, and are you satisfied with what’s been achieved today?”? This is where you need a bunch of folk looking around the room at each other saying “WOW! We did that! We’ve done some great work here today – bloody good on US!” (Hopefully…. if not, there’s some good learnings for you to unearth later!). This final bit needs you to really understand the sequence and rationale of everything you’ve shepherded them through across the workshop, so you can pull an occie strap around it and go “tada!”?And that? That takes pre-work, practice and attentiveness like a cat watching a bird. It makes a difference.
As each of those decision junctions, and dozens of others like them, present in the workshop you’re facilitating, there are 3 questions you can have playing on loop in the back of your head (or write them on your hand if that works).
"Why are they here today?”
"What is it possible for them to achieve with my help today?” (As the session unfurls, this shifts). And,
"What is MOST important to get them on top of?”
Facilitated sessions are so iterative and imperfectable, even the most tightly planned ones, because they rely on real-time human interplay. Ready yourself for the intersection moments, the drifting crowds, dissonant voices and din of the boisterous, and if you've thought through the Zebra crossing lollypop holder role you have, you’re likely to get them to a good place that’s a little closer to the “perfect” asymptote than they were at 8am.
If you have a strategic planning workshop you need an experienced and fairly perceptive facilitator to help you with, sing out.
