To Facilitate or Participate. Is it binary?

Health warning! This article is not backed by stats, facts, or boffin-laced quotes. It is pure observation and reflection. I believe this will be of value to teams that are either inflight of project development or the undefinable early stages of the creative process.

This article is backed by bias. Bias framed from a fair bit of facilitation experience. Please leave comments and feedback as it is my intention to be provocative to spark a debate.

Our philosophy

At More Space, either at the start of a new engagement or during a sales meeting we speak of the power of bringing in an external facilitator to help guide a team through a design program. This isn’t with the intention to discredit organisations that already have internal facilitation capabilities. More to stress the value of having someone so far removed from the politics and legacy of the subject matter that they don’t lead conversations.

The value of a competent and confident Facilitator cannot be stressed enough. Having someone assume both roles is like going to watch a symphony that is led by a conductor with a trumpet tucked under her arm, who then switches her baton to contribute to the tricky bits!

Why is this top of mind?

I felt compelled to write a piece as it was something that was top of mind towards the end of the week when I broke the first rule of Fight Club - 

"Thou shalt only yield the whiteboard marker with an open mind and a keen ear!"

I was in the unusual position of having to play the dual role of Facilitator and Participator. My agency More Space For Light is part of an elusive team of superstars that are working on a very exciting startup. We have the position of Experience Design. You could say we have ‘skin in the game!’

Aside from the usual stress that comes with planning a workshop, I approached the day with curiosity. I was looking forward to seeing if I could balance multiple hats and manage to keep schtum when needed. As well as manage a tight agenda that was designed to reach actionable outcomes.

So what happened?

For those that are familiar with design-related programs, you’ll know that things get loose. Loose is good, chaos is good. The design process is messy and that is ok. It is your role as the Facilitator to guide your group through this and instil the confidence that there is a purpose to discussions. 

As often happens in workshops there was a sharp left-hand turn. Except this occurred a bit earlier than expected. So with the added complexity of re-contextualising activities, I had to become actively involved in the conversation, tightening my grip on my green whiteboard marker.

It was clear at this point that I was no longer a Facilitator and instead of controlling the ebb and flow of conversation I was in danger of becoming the moon that dictated the tide! I am being extremely harsh and self-critical. However, I want to stress to budding Facilitators that once you zip up the entrance to your logic bubble you won’t be able to hear the muffles of other people over the sound of your voice.

Resuming self-control?

Drop the pen. It is a simple trick. This physical indicator of switching positions provided a cue for other people to step up assume the role of Facilitator.

It is important as a Facilitator/Participator that the group know when you are or aren’t involved. Your role as a Facilitator is to listen, learn, encourage participation and importantly ensure that things stay on track and don’t meander.

Another indicator of knowing that I’d switch positions was when I found myself using the word ‘I’ or ‘my’, eg.

• ‘I feel that ...’
• ‘From my perspective ...’
• ‘I believe ...’
• Or the ultimate sin of someone attempting to convince in a discussion is leading with ‘I think ...’ 

Closing thoughts

Reflecting on the day, we did achieve a hell of a lot and all of our objectives were met. Even if was a case of 2-steps forward and 1 back. We clarified our unique value proposition. Critical for the start of a product strategy. We also outlined the problem we’re trying to solve and an intended roadmap. The left-turn was a blessing more than a hazardous drop. However, it is mentally draining to compartmentalise roles of Facilitator and Participator while being actively present in both.

Key learnings

Ideally, engage an external facilitator, it will make a difference. If you can’t or don’t have budget consider these tips: 

• Don’t involve people that have baggage to the project or workshop participants, they will influence with bias.
• Preferably don’t involve someone in a leadership position to facilitate, eg. the program sponsor. They may prevent people from voicing their opinions, and/or not have the trust of the team.
• Pick someone that can competently communicate and listen, preferably not attached to the project.
• Ideally, the person should have facilitation experience and can think on their feet.
• Plan as a team, work as a team, collectively know the agenda, and expected outcomes. 

If all else fails, and you become too active while facilitating/participating, grab a handful of the delicious snacks from the middle of the table and ask a question, eg. ‘can you expand on that, provide an example etc’. Then hand over the marker and sit down. By having a mouthful of whatever you’ll have to remain silent to listen. Just please eat with your mouth closed!

I hope my thoughts are of value and please share your experience as well as feedback in the comments.

Party on!

On August 14th we running our Intro to Design Sprints workshop at SPACES Works in the Rialto building, Melbourne. This event is FREE and has limited spaces!

The 90-minute session is not for the faint of heart! You’ll experience some of the tools & techniques of the same proven, structured framework that is endorsed by some of the biggest companies in the world such as Google, Microsoft, Lego and even Nasa!

For more info and to RSVP click here.

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More Space for Light is a Corporate Innovation and Strategy Consultancy that specialises Design Thinking, Human-Centered Design and User Experience to unlock business problems to inform product and service strategy and delivery. They are the APAC partner of the Design Sprint Academy. 

For more information get in touch, [email protected].