There was a buzz in the room as the groups stood together around boards debating what next. As facilitators we huddled briefly, taking stock of progress. Things were going better than we could have hoped and we needed a quick re-think of the next session to lock in decisions. The brief for this session had been tough: bringing together Directors to find budget savings that no-one wanted to make or believed were possible without severe impact. Instead of stalemate, daggers drawn on each other, we had instead managed to get the group standing, facing the problem together.
That was one of my earliest lessons in the power and potential of good facilitation. It’s worth its weight in gold (or in this case a 40% savings target). It’s essential to collaboration and to managing conflict – two of the key ingredients of high performing teams. And, done well, it can open up space for communication and discovery that might not otherwise be possible.
So, what does it take?
🗺Plan well, really well. Planning for facilitation encapsulates everything from debating what you’re trying to achieve to the practicalities of making sure you know how to adjust the heating. Don’t underestimate the importance of either: lack of direction and lack of heat are equally bad for discussion. A strong plan will be based on insight about the participants, their attitudes, goals and concerns as well as accounting for almost every minute of the action in detail – who’s doing what, how, when and why (and with how many post-its)?
💡Ask powerful questions. There are lots of bells and whistles available to facilitators – clever activities, colourful wall charts (real or virtual) – but the most important tools at your disposal are the questions you ask. These create and hold the space that participants can step into. Think about using open questions (where the answer can’t just be yes or no): “what will move us forward?” instead of “can we move forward?”. And surface what is unsaid with “What else?”
🙉Listen. You’d think this is obvious, but when it’s down to you to manage a process it can be easy to charge ahead with your plan at the mercy of a ticking clock and not fully notice what’s going on in the room. Making changes in light of what’s actually happening is a sign of success, so pause regularly and reflect on what’s working and what’s not and what you could change. And if in doubt, ask the room. This helps build shared accountability for success.
🦸Be brave. Your listening is also about helping others communicate; being the neutral intermediary who can draw things out into the open, but this takes courage. So, be brave in quietening those who are dominating, drawing in those who are silent and naming what’s not working “I’ve noticed there’s some tension here – how do we want to address it?”.
We ended up hitting our savings target after that workshop without having to compromise on ambition and, perhaps most importantly, everyone felt that they had shaped the process and been heard.
How does facilitation work magic for you?
