Asked to run a masterclass for a facilitation academy in Helsinki, I reflected on what facilitation is, and what I would teach my younger self. Here are six lessons on facilitating meetings and workshops well.
1. Plan with an outcomes focus
People don't want meetings or facilitators. They want outcomes. I approach every assignment with a focus on outcomes: how to understand what they are, how to articulate them, and how to use them to plan the process. It is a core skill, maybe the core skill.
- The contracting and preparation phase is key.
- Understanding what is really needed is at the heart of it.
- This skill is as important as front-of-room facilitation, maybe more.
2. Understand the cultural, emotional and political currents
Peter Drucker said culture eats strategy for breakfast. Facilitators who fail to understand the currents beneath the surface do so at their cost. Actions are guided by thoughts and values; the invisible shapes the visible. Take time to understand it.
3. Preparation takes longer than delivery
High-stakes strategic workshops usually need more preparation time than delivery time. Workshops are expensive: the time people spend away from the business costs a lot, and the impact of a productive workshop, or an unproductive one, can be huge. Workshop design, translating objectives into process while taking culture and politics into account, is a key skill. Good facilitators have many tools, and stay tool neutral.
4. Own the workshop
When I facilitate I assume I am responsible for the outcome. My job is to be a participatory leader, helping participants interact with the subject and each other in the best way to achieve it. My job is not content (otherwise I'd be a consultant). It is outcome-driven process, and orchestrating participation is a subtle power that participants may never notice.
5. Facilitate the people, not the process
In 2006 I facilitated a two-day workshop for one hundred head teachers. I had planned the process carefully and kept people on track. Afterwards my client, David Jackson, told me I should facilitate the people, not the process. I still plan carefully, but I now drop or change the plan if it is not meeting what the group needs.
6. Welcome and value participation, whatever form it takes
Participation is the core principle. If it shows up as joy or anger, a smile or a tear, it is all welcome. To do otherwise is not to invite participation.
Four more tips
- Speak slowly and clearly, especially in multilingual events.
- Big presence, small presence: know when to be large, and when to be almost invisible.
- Create relatedness as people arrive, before the workshop begins.
- Give responsibility and autonomy: it pays dividends after the workshop.
Sean Blair is the founder of ProMeet and Serious Outcomes, an IAF Certified Professional Facilitator and a LEGO® Serious Play® Master Trainer. About Sean.