Facilitation Pro Tips for the Optimal Workshop Experience

Previously on The Complete Guide to Designing Effective Workshops

We went through the final prep before the session. Everything is ready for the session.?

Our facilitator job begins…

What great facilitation feels like

This is how you want participants to feel in a workshop:

• Informed: "I know why we’re all here and what we’re about to do together"
• Prepared: "I feel ready to participate. I know what’s expected of me."
• Confident: “I don’t have to worry about the plan for the session, I can give my full attention to participating. Even when we’re going off path, I trust that we’re not wasting our time and that we’ll get back on track eventually”
• Safe: "I feel safe sharing my opinions and ideas. I’m comfortable enough to engage in honest discussions with other participants."
• Engaged: "I feel focused, energised, and included. I have the space I need to participate."

Here are a few tips that will help you create this experience:

Make a good first impression

The first 10 minutes can significantly influence the trajectory and outcomes of the session. That’s when you’ll set the tone, establish expectations, build rapport, and engage participants’ attention. To achieve this:

• Start by clearly presenting the session objectives and agenda
• Address housekeeping details (e.g. health and safety, breaks, keeping the space tidy)
• Introduce the rules of engagement to outline expected behaviours, collaboration and communication norms
• Engage the group early with a warm-up activity, a check-in question, or by asking about their expectations for the session (this works great for group training)

Trust the plan, but be flexible

You’ve put a lot of work into designing a session that will achieve the desired outcomes. Now, it’s time to guide participants confidently through it. Trust the agenda you’ve created and follow through with your design to see its effectiveness. If you’re unsure about an activity, give it a chance and observe how it plays out, but…

…feel the room! Pay close attention to the group dynamics and use your instinct and expertise to spot when an activity isn’t working or has become less relevant.?

While you should keep time, be open to adjustments. Valuable discussions might require a few more minutes, while some activities might need to be cut short when momentum is lost.?

Knowing when to stick to the plan and when to pivot based on engagement, emerging information or hiccups in the session is key to good facilitation.

Maintain momentum

To keep the session dynamic and productive, it’s important to stay attentive and responsive to the group’s progress and engagement level.?

Are there any signs of confusion? Of distraction, passivity or boredom??

It might be time to step in to clarify the instructions or reframe the problem in front of the group by using metaphors, open questions, or suggesting different angles to approach it. Ask various participants for their thoughts to bring in fresh perspectives and inject energy in the discussion.

Don't be afraid of silence. Sometimes, a quiet moment can give the group the space they need to unblock themselves. Allow for these pauses and trust that the participants will find their way forward.

Manage group dynamics

Effective facilitation means monitoring group dynamics and addressing any issues that arise. Here are a few things to watch for:

Energy Levels ?? If attention is waning, insert a quick energiser activity or a short break.

Blame ?? If blame starts circulating, steer the group back to the rules of engagement. Remind participants of their shared values and focus on solutions rather than assigning fault.

Imbalanced Participation ?? Create more space for quiet voices (e.g. split into groups, take turns to talk around the room, directly prompt quieter participants...) Keep in mind that people have different reasons to be quiet.

Diverging Conversations ?? When discussions veer off-topic, step in, play back the key points you're hearing and suggest to pick them up again after the session. Re-center the group on the current activity.

Conflict ?? Build empathy by inviting participants to share their perspectives and encouraging them to listen actively. Re-focus the discussion from personal differences to the root problem that the group can solve together.

Transform outcomes into action

Time’s up! The session went well and the group reached the outcomes they wanted.

?? See you all lat… Hang on! The facilitator job doesn’t end when the workshop is over. You need to make sure that the ideas and agreements that the participants produced together get turned into action.?

To that end, share a summary of the outcomes with participants and stakeholders. Include decisions, key discussion points, follow-up actions (with their owner!), and next steps with their timeline. Link to the full outputs of the session.

Get feedback

To make the next workshop even better and to make participants feel heard, ask them for feedback about the session format and its facilitation.

Here’s a feedback form you can copy and alternative questions you can ask:

• Did you get what you needed from the workshop??
• How did you feel before, during and after the session? How did the format and facilitation contribute to that feeling??

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I hope that this gave you a good high-level overview of what good looks like for the role. There’s a lot more to say about workshop facilitation that I couldn’t cover in a single article. So keep an eye out for future posts and newsletters from me!

I’ll leave you with five qualities to aspire to as a facilitator:

• Patience: Remaining calm and composed, especially when the group faces challenges
• Empathy: Being sensitive to the feelings and perspectives of participants to create a supportive and inclusive environment
• Authenticity: Being genuine and transparent to build trust with participants and encourage them to participate openly
• Confidence: Guiding the group forward and through moments of uncertainty
• Enthousiasm: Showing a positive attitude to keep the discussions constructive and upbeat

Yes, PEACE.?

Don’t you love a cheesy acronym?

?? Over to you, now!

• What facilitation tips would you add to the list?
• What's your personal trick to facilitating a great session?

Share your tips and experience in the comments!

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