Reflections from the Facilitator's Unconference

On Wednesday last week, James Cattell and I hosted an unconference. Both of us have experience running community events, attending and hosting unconferences, but neither of us had held an unconference specifically for facilitators. So the Facilitator’s Unconference was born!

We were amazed at the response the event received. We sold all the tickets, even added a few extra!?

To make it as accessible as possible for people to attend, we decided we’d run this event as a not-for-profit. Both of us gave our time for free, as did our supporting team Mark Gilroy, Thembi Watt, Ben Waldman and Georgina Kelly. A huge thank you goes out to them.?

I’ve always thought the beauty of an unconference is that its success depends on the effort and energy of the people who attend. And, that is exactly what happened at our event last week. Everyone who showed up, really showed up.?

An unconference is quite different from a traditional conference, so the fact that people trusted, went with the flow, got involved, shared thinking, ideas, experience and supported each other… was an awesome thing to see.?

All of us co-created the agenda for the day, and as a result, we saw a vast range of topics suggested. Here are just a few of them:

• Facilitating as an introvert;
• Facilitation 101;
• How do we practice inclusion as facilitators;
• CPD for facilitators;
• Creativity in facilitation;
• Finding balance as a facilitator.

Many people commented on how powerful it was to be in a space with others who do similar work to them. Although we had a mix of freelancers, in-house L&D professionals from a wide range of industries, everyone connected and found common ground. ?

Those new to facilitating found support and ideas from others in the room, as well as seeing firsthand a variety of facilitation techniques being demonstrated. It was an opportunity to question, reflect, plan and test.?

The same could be said for more experienced facilitators, who were also able to check-in, reflect and review current ways-of-working and ask for feedback and support.?

The unconference provided opportunity to connect with like-minded people, potentially leading to new collaborations and partnerships.?

We received lots of great feedback including:?

“Kind, safe space with perfect balance of structure and spontaneity.”

“As someone new to working in the world of L&D - this was a phenomenal experience.”

“I met some amazing people and have learned a lot to now take away and experiment with… watch out!”

Whether hosting these kind of events in-house for clients, or in a voluntary capacity for my network, I am always delighted every time by the energy and enthusiasm the unconference approach brings out in people.?

There is so much in this approach that works. Unconferences allow people the freedom to take conversations where they need them to go. They provide a supportive and trusting atmosphere where people feel able to move around and find the discussion that is of most value to them. ?

It’s just good learning. Everytime.?

If you’ve never attended one, give it a go. If you’d like to find out more about how they work, get in touch! I have previously written about unconferences. You can read more here.

#FacUnConf #Learning #PLN #Connections #Networking