A good facilitator is content neutral. Their role is to design and guide the people and the process, not to contribute to the content. Yet their presence shapes everything.
Two short stories
I once watched a novice facilitator become frustrated with his group. He almost looked angry. The group's body language turned defensive, and it seemed to close.
I watched another facilitator at a conference grow unhappy as time ran faster than planned. His urges to 'speed up' and 'move on' became ever more forceful, and the group began to feel rushed and uneasy.
Neither facilitator meant to take participants away from the content. Their presence simply got in the way.
When a big presence helps
- Beginnings: getting the group's attention and gathering it at the start.
- Setting or clarifying tasks and instructions.
- Helping the group communicate with each other.
All three serve the group's process, not the facilitator's ego.
When a small or invisible presence helps
- When the work is happening. If the conversation is making progress, step back.
- When people need time to assimilate or process.
- When breakthroughs or heart-to-heart communication arise.
Knowing when to be small requires awareness of the group's shifting energy, and awareness of yourself and your likely impact. A mantra we love: facilitate the people, not the process. Facilitation is as much about knowing when not to intervene as it is about commanding presence.
Sean Blair is the founder of ProMeet and Serious Outcomes, an IAF Certified Professional Facilitator and a LEGO® Serious Play® Master Trainer. About Sean.