My Facilitator Tips for Your Learning Culture

I coach and facilitate programs in organisations almost daily and sometimes part of that is coaching leaders on how to train their staff and implement the important messages they need to get across. Here are some of my top facilitator tips.

My Top Facilitator Tips

1. Meet Expectations with a Checklist  

People like to know what’s happening, so emailing your contacts and participants a checklist before and after the session can really help them get and stay on track.

I also have a “Trainer’s Checklist” of my own. It includes every detail that I may need to organise, pack, arrange, request, for any session, before and after. It accounts for all eventualities and if it’s not relevant that’s okay, at least it’s on the list. My checklist starts from the moment the training is booked which could be weeks and months in advance, to months after the workshop through our Make It Stick series.

2. Calming My Nerves and Controlling the Room  

I've used this technique for all my 20 years of training, facilitation and speaking.

I always arrive at least 30 minutes early to set up the room, technology, my ‘tools’ and props. Sometimes I even change the room around as I like the layout to be good for interaction.

But the best thing about being early is that I get to welcome the participants on arrival. I shake their hands, introduce myself and ask their names. It’s a great way to start building rapport. If it’s a big group then I have 3-4 people that I can make eye contact with. This helps calm those initial adrenalin nerves. In small groups, it’s great to have a connection with the participants. It breaks the ice, keeps them engaged and they are more likely to give you the nods and eye contact you need to get things rolling.

Encouraging interaction early is so valuable and adding a fun icebreaker is my favourite way to do that. I always have an icebreaker, even if it is only a short 20-minute presentation.

3. What to Do When You Don’t Know the Answer

I’ve been working in my areas of expertise for two decades and still don’t know everything which I'm perfectly ok with because I’m a firm believer that life is an ongoing learning process. Here’s a little trick I use when I don’t have the answer to a question. I call it my secret weapon.

When someone asks a question that I don’t immediately know the answer to, to buy some time to think or to get some inspiration from others in the room I say and ask:

“That’s a great question <Name>, what does everyone else think?”

I ask the rest of the group their thoughts and usually the discussion from there can help bring the answer to light. If not and you still don’t know the answer, say so and let the participants know you’ll find out and get back to them.

Over the years I use this question as a technique to get others to participate, so even if I do know the answer I still say:

“That’s a great question <Name>, what does everyone else think?”

It really is the best conversation starter and the participant feels rewarded for thinking of a great question.

Final Facilitation Tip

Practice! Practice! Practice! The more time you get experience in front of people the better you will get. And practice doesn’t have to look exactly like a group at a training session. It could be you offering advice over a coffee or sharing an insight in a meeting. Small steps count.

As Jeff Olson of The Slight Edge says, “Any time you see what looks like a breakthrough, it is always the end result of a long series of little things, done consistently over time.”

What’s one thing you can practice today toward being a great facilitator? Would you like to book in a chat with me for a quick brainstorm?