Facilitate with Fun, Fervor and Focus!

Facilitate … with inspiration from a Christmas Poem!

2011-12-23T09:23:00.000-07:00

Twas the Night before the Workshop
(with thanks and apologiesto Clement Clarke Moore)

“Twas the night before the workshop and all through thehouse
The facilitator was running; way too loud for a mouse!
The flipcharts were stacked by the door with great care.
She couldn’t forget them if she tripped over them there.

The laptop was snuggled all secure in its case,
And the camera was charging, settled into its base.
The felt markers were packed in the workshop supply kit.
The facilitator took a deep breath; no need for a fit.

When out in the office there arose such a clatter,
She dashed to her desk to see what was the matter.
The phone was ringing and the text was blinking.
She took a quick look and her heart was sinking.

An emergency note from the client arrived.
Could she plan an extra day to help them thrive?
So much to discuss; so much to decide,
They needed three days with her as a guide.

She looked at her daytimer and took a deep breath.
With a bit of rescheduling, she could do her best.
She phoned her client and agreed to the plan.
She said to herself, “I know that I can.”

Serving the client was her strongest desire.
Hosting great conversations was how she was “wired”.
So, she stayed up a few hours and reworked the design.
She knew in her heart that all would be fine.

The facilitator went to bed excited yet steady,
To help the group the next day, she surely was ready!

To all facilitators, may you have calm nights before the workshop!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Facilitate ... within someone else’s design

2011-10-28T14:14:00.002-06:00

It’s good to get “shook up” every now and then! I normally facilitate and design discussions, meetings, and workshops myself or with one or two co-facilitators; based, of course, on conversations with the clients as to purpose and outcomes. Recently, I was energized and challenged by facilitating within another facilitator’s design for a large conference. 14 facilitators arrived on-site with a design that had been emailed to them; participated in an orientation to fully understand the intent and design; and then worked with small groups of 12 to 14 participants to host four conversations over two days.

Wow! I learned a lot!

Firstly, I enjoyed strong evidence of my foundational belief in the wisdom of people. The participants in the group that I was privileged to facilitate were passionate, articulate, respectful, thoughtful, intense, inspiring, and fun! I appreciated their willingness to engage fully in the conversation, to try new things with a sense of play (toe tag, anyone?), to listen deeply to each other, and to challenge and contribute ideas with great respect and curiosity.

Secondly, a big “shout out” to the lead facilitator and designer who showed grace under fire –listening and responding to advice (solicited and unsolicited!) from the facilitators; balancing this advice with the purpose of the conference and the directions from the conference convenors; honouring the desires and feedback from the participants; and when necessary, standing firm on outcomes and principles of facilitation. He set an example that I will follow in similar circumstances.

Thirdly, while the processes and methodology for the overall conference and small group discussions may not have be my first choice, I re-learned that someone else’s design and methods are effective when based on sound values. I facilitated within the process; only adjusting the specific discussion techniques I used. Someone else’s process worked!

And lastly, I loved learning how 13 other facilitators approached the same process and methodology. This was a fabulous way to gain new insights, ideas, and activities. We all had the same questions to use in the sessions, and the activities ranged from “walk and talk” meetings in the outdoors to around table discussions of the questions in a linear fashion to drawings to small group work to free-flow conversations. And each worked! Of most importance, most of the facilitators co-decided with the small group participants about the preferred technique to use.

I heartily enjoyed myself, gained much, contributed much and reflected on my design and facilitation approach. Shake it up now and then! Enjoy and do what works well for you AND stretch yourself by working within someone else’s design.

My facilitation blog question is: What have you learned from facilitating within someone else’s design and process?

Facilitate … by watching, listening, participating.

2011-09-29T15:08:00.000-06:00

I watched ... I listened ... I supported ... I participated! Is this facilitation? Yes! Last week, I was part of a gathering of community leaders celebrating accomplishments in their communities. I was a support person for the facilitation team and since they were so fantastic, I was able to enjoy being a participant.

I had so much fun immersing myself in the conversations without the responsibility of focussing objectively on the process, group dynamics, timing, and ebb and flow of the discussion.

I learned so much from watching and listening to the facilitators and other participants. It is so great to see different ways of doing things. I observed unique ways of opening the discussions, making eye contact with others, and explaining discussion methods. I laughed my head off at how a squealing monkey stuffed toy was thrown around the group.

As an added bonus, some of the participants volunteered to facilitate several discussion activities. They invited us to explore our leadership styles through four discussion techniques. Another revelation! I had successfully used the four techniques many times before; however, seeing them combined in one discussion activity was a new and effective approach.

Thanks to the fabulous group of talented individuals at the ACE Communities Celebration Retreat. I learned so much by watching, listening, participating.

My facilitation blog question is: What have you learned about facilitation by NOT facilitating?

My Facilitation … Don’ts!

2011-08-08T15:39:00.001-06:00

I do windows … but I don’t do icebreakers, parking lots, and “touchy-feely”!

It’s summertime and the livin’ is easy! Therefore, this blog is mostly a light-hearted look at a few aspects of facilitation that I don’t do. I fully support other facilitators’ right and choice to use them. Facilitation is very much an individual approach and style. What works for me may not work for others and vice versa. Although written in a light-hearted vein and for fun, I hold strong values about these “don’ts”.

What’s on my “don’t” list? Icebreakers to start! These are activities generally conducted at the beginning of a facilitated session to help participants to get to know one another, to energize them, to prepare for the topics of the session, and to create a positive group atmosphere. Yes … at the beginning of a session, I invite participants to introduce themselves and to take part in a conversation or an activity that helps them “become fully present” and engaged in the session topic, to start to set a climate of support, inclusion and commitment, and to have fun. I just don’t call them icebreakers! I don’t like the image of participants needing to break ice between them. I use terms such as introductory activities, opening conversation, and checking-in activities.

I don’t use a “parking lot”. This is a term I hear used by many individuals when we are planning a facilitated session. The idea of a parking lot is that any topic not on the agenda is placed in the parking lot; typically, a flipchart page taped to a wall. The topic is “parked”, hopefully, for future consideration. Unfortunately, my experience is that the parking lot is never re-visited, and the flipchart page is recycled or thrown away at the end of the session. Therefore, I encourage participants to “drive” the newly introduced topic rather than “park” it. By drive, I mean that the group intentionally and immediately decides what will be done with the topic; i.e. decide whether it is important enough to include on the agenda or to discuss immediately or that it is not relevant and will not be discussed or deliberately assign the topic as a responsibility to one or two individuals for follow-up. I believe that the topics typically placed on a parking lot need a decision and possibly, an action.

I don’t do “touchy-feely” activities, or as clients have said to me, “those games where we all play and touch each other and get emotional”. When I ask clients what they mean by touchy-feely games, I find that they worry about physical touching such as holding hands and baring their souls through deeply personal conversations. I share with clients my values about everyone having a voice, being heard and listening; encouraging honesty, openness and authenticity; using various discussion methods to meet the needs of different learning styles; and the importance and joy of having fun. I use discussion and decision-making activities that meet these values without invading personal spaces (physical and emotional) of participants. I often use physical activities and quick games because I believe that people like being playful and having fun at appropriate times in a session. For example, a game of Rock Paper Scissors or a variation will quickly get people laughing and relaxing without having them in too much physical contact. A high five is often preferable to holding hands. And I’m used a conga line and a bum pat – believe me, these were appropriate! I use conversation methods that allow participants to share what they feel is important to share, to the extent that they are comfortable. Participants sitting in pairs and talking about each other’s role in a community shares personal information and creates a relationship without being too emotionally invasive.

When I plan and facilitate activities, I say out loud the intent and purpose of each activity. If it makes sense to the participants and me, it is normally a good match to help the group reach the desired outcome.

My facilitation blog question is: What are your facilitation do’s and don’ts?

Facilitate … with Curiosity!

2011-06-17T16:38:00.002-06:00

Wow! The old saying about “Curiosity kills the cat” didn’t apply to me. I learned so much and am a better facilitator for it. Recently, I was asked by a client organization to create designs for two workshops to be used by their staff members in the community. I designed two 3-hour workshops using two discussion approaches: conversations based on the Technology of Participation Focussed Conversation (Source below) and the World Café (Source below). I then trained the staff members in a one-day workshop to facilitate these approaches.

My approach to the training session was to “role-play” the community workshops; acting as the staff person and the staff members as community participants. After the role-play of a community workshop, I invited the staff members to comment on the process and activities and talk about what they would use, how, and ways to adapt.

The staff members had awesome ideas! They thoughtfully took my ideas and approaches and personalized them with their facilitation styles. They creatively built upon my core workshop designs. I am pleased to say that I genuinely wanted the staff to do this! I was curious about what they would say and how they would use my designs.

As a facilitator, be curious! Be receptive to participants’ ideas and adaptations. Ask:

• How do you feel about this information and ideas?
• What do you think?
• How can you use this information and ideas?
• What would you change? How?

My facilitation blog question is: How are you curious when facilitating?

Sources:
Focussed Conversation (Source: Stanfield, R. Brian. The Art of Focused Conversation. The Canadian Institute of Cultural Affairs, 1997)
World Café (Source: Brown, Juanita, and the World Café Community. The World Café: A Resource Guide for Hosting Conversations that Matter. Mill Valley California: Whole Systems Associates, 2002; www.theworldcafe.com).

Facilitate … virtually!

2011-04-10T10:14:00.002-06:00

Chat tools, pods, VoIP, asynchronous conversations … it’s enough to make my head spin! I am venturing into the wonderful world of on-line facilitation and training. What an exhilarating learning experience! To date, I have facilitated about ten on-line meetings and delivered about six training webinars. I am using Adobe Connect virtual meeting software through the courtesy of ACE Communities, an initiative of Alberta Recreation and Parks Association and TrendSpire Canada Inc.

What have I learned? Wow! Here is a start.

Just do it! I was anxious, nervous and a little bit scared during my first online facilitation session. Those feelings quickly dissipated as I interacted with the participants. While I couldn’t see the participants, I felt their energy as we talked, typed, used images, and took part in polls. I can’t wait until I facilitate with all participants having web cameras!

Research the many wonderful resources about virtual meetings and webinars. Google “virtual meeting software” and you will find a treasure-trove of resources. Join virtual facilitation groups through online communities.

Practice, practice, practice! I started my adventure by participating in as many free webinars and online meetings as I could find. You will see the tremendous variation in online training and facilitation sessions, and you learn what you like and dislike.

Prepare as you would for face to face facilitation and training sessions. Think of purpose, participants, process, pleasure … and design to help the participants achieve their desired results and have fun.

Involve the participants. In a training session, I think that every five minutes, the participants should interact. In a facilitated meeting, I design so that participants are holding conversations like they would in a face-to-face meeting. Use on-line polls, games, and drawings - the software allows these activities. Use interesting questions. Go “around the phones or computers”, as if participants are in a circle, and ask for input.

Move, move, move! Every 20 minutes during the online session, I lead the participants in a physical energizer. Stand up at your desk, stretch, do the Wave, juggle imaginary balls.

Have a technology host. I find that facilitating the session and dealing with technological aspects of the online session is too hard for me! I need a techno-wizard.

These ideas only skim the world of facilitating online! I am eager to continue my journey into virtual training and facilitation.

My facilitation blog question is: What experiences have you had as a participant or host or facilitator of an online session?

Facilitate ... as “a way of being”

2011-01-31T21:32:00.001-07:00

A bag of tools and tricks?! I know facilitation is much more! From conversations I have held, I think that some individuals view facilitation as tools, techniques, and methods. Knowing and being able to lead “get acquainted” activities, guiding group members through a particular discussion technique, and offering fun energizers are examples of what many people see as facilitation.

I believe facilitation is much more! It is a way of behaving based on sound beliefs and philosophies which in turn support approaches and methods. I am currently reading a book that speaks profoundly to me about this fundamental underpinning of facilitation. Larry Dressler in his book “Standing in the Fire: leading high-heat meetings with clarity, calm and courage” speaks of the WHAT, the HOW, and the WAY OF BEING of facilitation. Quoting from Dressler,

“The What is the content of the gatherings we facilitate, which includes the purpose, questions, challenges, and possibilities that matter most to the people in the groups we serve

The How is the structures, methods, skills, and techniques we use to help a group mobilize its collective energy, insights, and commitment to action.

The Way of Being is who we are being while we are working with a group. It is an attitudinal, emotional, physical, and even spiritual presence.”

The What or content is normally “owned” by the group members with the facilitator adding content expertise and advice only as agreed upon with the group members. When appropriate, I ask a group if I can “take off my facilitator hat” and provide content information in more of a consulting role.

The How is what I as a facilitator primarily does. I bring my ability to help groups to discuss complex and important content in meaningful, respectful, and beneficial ways. My ability to effectively perform the How depends on my ability to “be with the group”.

How do I bring my presence or way of being to a group? Many ways of thinking and behaving create my way of being. Here are some – the tip of the iceberg:

• Thinking of the group members, as individuals and as the group, before I reach the gathering. Where are they coming from? What are they leaving to attend? What might they want to achieve? What can I do to work with them to create a challenging and safe environment?
• Using opening and closing conversations to help the group members share who they are, why they are participating, what they contribute, and what they take away with them
• Constantly reflecting throughout the conversations with the group about what is happening; staying calm; openly acknowledging what I observe and feel; and inviting group members to do the same. I hold a quick internal dialogue with myself such as: What do I see or hear? What might it mean for the group? How would talking about it help the group?
• Facilitate what is happening, rather than what I think should or could happen. Respecting the group and its members to know what they need to talk about. Be in the “here and now”; not the past or future.
• Being silent when I do not need to speak. Helping the group hold necessary silence.
• Thinking about when to do nothing. Resisting the urge to act, to do something.
• Knowing when to do something! To me, this is usually providing a group with the implications of its discussion and actions, e.g. Talking about this new topic will take at least an hour. What aspects of our current conversation topics do we wish to adjust to allow this new topic?
• Having fun! Creating moments of fun! Yes, energizers are great!

My facilitation blog question is: What do you do as a facilitator to be present with a group; to nurture your “way of being?”

Facilitate ... with best wishes

2010-12-23T08:21:00.002-07:00

During this holiday season, I enjoy giving and receiving best wishes to and from all I meet. Whether we say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays, the intent of good will is heartily meant and felt. During a recent walk with my two dogs in a snowy wintry wonderland, I found myself thinking about how best wishes apply in my facilitation work. I know that I go into each facilitation session with the intent of best wishes. I want to do my best work to help individuals and groups explore questions, seek understanding, listen to others, and reach meaningful decisions.

I firmly believe that most people I interact with also act within the intent of best wishes. Yes, there are exceptions! A few “humbugs” can be heard or seen within facilitated sessions. However, these Scrooge-like individuals often have a valid reason for their emotions, and through genuine conversation, they often exhibit more positive attitudes.

As I enjoy another deeply meaningful Christmas season, I plan to reinforce best wishes to all in my personal and professional lives.

As my son said in our family Christmas letter,

Merry whatever holiday you celebrate to all!

Facilitate ... with a pause

2010-10-18T08:58:00.001-06:00

The concept of a PAUSE has popped serendipitously into my life over the past month. First, I realized that I have really taken a long pause from blogging! (That’s OK; I always promised myself I would blog when an idea inspired me! Obviously, I needed a time to pause.) Then, while researching creativity techniques for a workshop, I came across Pause for a Bit in Roger Van Oech’s Creative Whack Pack. (http://www.creativethink.com/index.html). Poet Doug King is cited as encouraging us to "Learn to pause . . . or nothing worthwhile will ever catch up to you." Van Oech says “Allow the Muse to whisper in your ear. How would your problem benefit if you paused in the next hour? Day? Week? Month? What might you gain or learn?”

Next, I was working with a Manager to design a one-day workshop for her staff team. She said to me that the team needed to pause from their busy schedules. During the workshop, one of the participants described herself as a “percolator”, meaning that she liked time to pause and think about topics and ideas; and let solutions bubble.

I decided that natural forces were sending me a message. I paused and pondered about the value of pauses in facilitation. I have always believed that it is very important for individuals in discussion groups to have “silent” time to think about a topic before they discuss it with others. I am now more actively talking with participants about the value of pauses, and asking them how they want to pause.

I am incorporating quiet moments, reflection time, mediation, gentle exercises, and solo walks in my workshops and meetings with the intent of pausing and thinking. In a recent workshop, one participant said to me, “I get nervous when I need to stop and think, and when no one is talking.” I encouraged her to practice pausing for a few minutes each day. Another participant led the group in a meditation activity.

My facilitation questions are, “How do you create the time and interest with participants to percolate ideas? How do you pause and help others to pause during group discussions?

Facilitate … with the 3Fs

2010-06-14T08:40:00.003-06:00

Fun, Fervor, and Focus … When I started my blog about facilitation, I thought long and hard about why I was writing it, what it would be about, and what I would name it. My purpose in writing a blog about facilitation was firstly, to use it as a way to think about and then articulate what I believe in and act upon as a facilitator; and secondly, to share these ideas with others out in the world wide web to hopefully start a conversation about facilitation.

I asked myself: What are the main attributes that I want to bring to each of my facilitation events and what are the main results that I hope to help participants in an event achieve? My answer was:

Fun = joy and laughter
Fervor = passion and enthusiasm
Focus = intent, purpose, direction, and results

I believe that the most important F is “focus”. I filter each facilitation event and each activity and technique used within the event through these filter questions, “Why are we doing this? What do we hope to achieve? How does this help us achieve our desired results?” I invite the participants of the event to consider these questions with me. The focus of the event must be correctly identified and used for planning the event to achieve the best results. We can have much fun and be very excited; however, without focus, we may not accomplish what we seek.

When I think about “fervor”, I try to feel my emotions about the facilitation event. How enthusiastic am I? How passionate am I? What is my fervor towards the subject, participants, purpose? If I do not feel enthused and eager about facilitating the event, I then consider if I am the right person to provide the facilitation. I also invite participants to identify and share their fervor about the content and process of the event in order to ascertain if they wish to embark it.

Fun!! Joy, laughter, playfulness, humour! I observe over and over again, how people come alive, are more attentive, participate with more enthusiasm, and I think, learn more when they are smiling and laughing; at least part of the time. As a facilitator, I think about and encourage the participants to plan to have fun and be playful during the facilitated event. I blogged about Facilitate with Fun! on October 10, 2009 and invite you to read my thoughts and ideas.

Another way to think about the 3Fs is to use the words: purpose (focus), passion (fervor), and play (fun).

My blog conversation questions are: What do you think about my 3Fs? What are the focal points that you use when you plan and conduct a facilitation event? Write a comment and join my conversation about facilitation!

Facilitate … with trust and belief in the abilities of others!

2010-05-14T15:22:00.014-06:00

I watched in awe, appreciation, delight, and humility as participants facilitated sessions at the three-day ACE Communities Leaders’ Retreat this week. 30 leaders from across Alberta gathered on the sunny shores of Sylvan Lake to explore community development and engagement, community leadership, community networking, and personal growth. Our purpose … learn together to make our communities more Active, Creative, and Engaged.

My co-facilitator extraordinaire, Karen Driedger (http://www.fourward.ca/) and I envisioned the Retreat as an emergent design event with participants designing and facilitating and contributing. We started the Retreat with a facilitated session using an Affinity Clustering method to answer the focus question of: Based on the outcomes of the Retreat and what you want to learn and share, what topics do you want to discuss? Once the participants had named and clustered their ideas into thematic topics, Karen and I suggested times for each topic and obtained the participants’ approval for them. Then, we asked participants if they wished to facilitate the topics. WOW!!! Did they ever step forward!!!

Seven sessions were co-designed and co-facilitated by 14 volunteer participants. With minimal suggestions and coaching from Karen and I and our highly talented colleagues, Brenda Herchmer, Carolyn Mead, and Rose Carmichael with the ACE Communities initiative (http://acecommunities.ca/), the participants demonstrated outstanding facilitation skills. Here is the range and depth of their sessions with only one evening to prepare.

We discussed Community Engagement in a World Café; we investigated Funding with a Problem Tree technique using real tree branches. We role-played as an elected politician, a government administrator, and a community citizen to use multiple perspectives to examine Operating within a Political System.

We imagined we were communities isolated on ice floes and worked together to move across the freezing water (room) to explore Sustainability in Our Communities. We delved into questions about Community Leadership with a Cracker Barrel activity. We acted like teenagers at a community meeting and played cooperative games to better understand ways to Engage Youth. We accepted invitations to a Planning Session to work through a case study approach and apply it to the planning framework using community development.

I learned SO MUCH from observing and participating in sessions facilitated by these community leaders. Believing and trusting in the skills, knowledge, and passions of participants when we facilitate enables us to gain a richer and fuller understanding of facilitation and new ways to do what we have been doing. I have definitely increased my Toolkit of facilitation techniques and discussion activities. I can’t wait to help a group understand partnerships by pretending to be isolated on ice floes! I will incorporate more role-play into my facilitated activities. And I will definitely continue to trust and believe in the wisdom and talents of participants in groups I facilitate.

To everyone at the Retreat, thank you. I appreciate those who took a chance and volunteered to expand their skills as facilitators. Equally important to recognize are those who had the skills and experience as a facilitator and graciously refrained from volunteering to let others try. And again of equal importance, I have great appreciation to those who decided that their best learning and contribution was by being participants in the discussions. And lastly, my profound appreciation to my ACE Team colleagues at the Retreat who exemplified sharing and caring as they helped the participants.

My conversation blog question is: As a facilitator and participant, how do you show trust and belief in the abilities of other people in discussion groups and conversations?

Facilitate … with attention to time and truth!

2010-05-05T10:40:00.004-06:00

Time is important yet truth is more important than time! I’m not sure of the source of this statement or if it is one that I created many years ago. Regardless of the source, I have adhered to it over the years, particularly when participants of a group discussion appear to place more emphasis on rushing to a decision than on taking the time to make the right decision for their group. I was reminded of the importance of “time and truth” while facilitating a group last week.

Members of this group contracted me to help them develop three year goals and actions. During discussions with the group’s representatives about the purpose and outcomes of the one-day session, they acknowledged that some members may still have questions about their mandate statements even though the group had talked about the mandate many times before. Therefore, we planned and designed a session for three-year goals and also prepared for the possible need to discuss the group’s purpose and role.

During the session, it quickly became obvious that members wanted to talk about and understand the mandate statements. I stated what I was seeing and hearing; that is, members were saying “I like the first statement but don’t like the second one”, “I think we need to revise the statement”, and “What does this mean?”, etc. In my facilitator role, I stated what I heard, advised that I interpreted these statements as an indication of the need to devote significant time to talk about the mandate, and told them what I saw as the impact on the session design. I advised that we would likely not have time to develop three-year goals. The group members quickly and strongly stated that they needed to take as much time as necessary to achieve their “truths”, that to understand, revise, and accept the mandate statements. We then proceeded with a lively and meaningful discussion about the statements for the remainder of the day.

The group members understood that “truth is more important that time”. They knew that they had to fully know their mandate before they could plan goals and actions. While they had devoted a weekend day to participate in the session, they stated that they feel very satisfied and the time was worthwhile. In fact, they booked a second session to now develop the three-year goals.

My conversation blog question is: How do you pay attention to, and effectively balance time and truth as a participant and a facilitator of a group discussion?

Facilitate … fierce conversations!

2010-04-16T14:51:00.002-06:00

… robust, intense, strong, powerful, passionate, eager, unbridled…

These are the words used to describe a fierce conversation by Susan Scott in her book “Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work & in Life, One Conversation at a Time” (A Berkley Book, Penguin Group, New York, New York). A client recently introduced me to the book and as I read it, I found it resonated with my personal and professional beliefs about conversations. Fierce conversations are not battles, arguments, or ugly confrontations. They are a way of seeking and working and talking … about the ways that we in our personal lives and in our community and organizations can be the best that we can be. Fierce conversations are a way of making every conversation count.

Susan Scott explains seven principles of fierce conversations of which some are:
· Acknowledge the “real” or true topic or issue that needs to be discussed. Then talk about it!
· Be “in the moment.” Scott states that we need to “speak and listen as if this is the most important conversation you will ever have with this person.”
· “Tackle your toughest challenge today.”
· Value silence in conversations.

Examples from the book show how a fierce conversation can transform a relationship, a work place, a leader …

Before Fierce: Focus on activities
After Fierce: Focus on results

Before Fierce: Beating around the bush, skirting the issues
After Fierce: naming and addressing the issues truthfully and directly

Before Fierce: an “us versus them”, “me versus you” culture
After Fierce: high levels of alignment, collaboration and partnership

I think I am using fierce conversations in my facilitation work. When I facilitate, I try to help participants fully explain their ideas about a topic, identify and explore the facts, listen to others’ opinions, state what they think about the opinion, and mutually work towards a solution. I help them identify and directly talk about the “elephants in the room” (undiscussable issues); respectfully and directly share what they believe and think; and build upon each other’s ideas for better decisions. Recently, I facilitated a staff team session in which a supervisor and team member finally dealt with an ongoing frustration. They openly talked about the different ways they organize special events, the conflicts they experience because of their different styles, and then developed ways to work successfully together.

I will use Susan Scott’s book to deepen my ability to participate in and facilitate conversations that are meaningful, powerful, insightful, passionate … fierce.

My conversation questions are: How do you help participants in groups hold fierce conversations? What are examples of fierce conversations you have been involved in?

Facilitate … by focussing on participants!

2010-03-15T15:38:00.002-06:00

I have just finished three weeks of facilitating highly rewarding and highly challenging sessions. I have been privileged to work with caring and passionate individuals – from a staff team of four people to 40 members of a provincial organization to a gathering of community citizens to a Board and Staff retreat. Some of the sessions were with people I had worked with for six years; in other sessions, we were meeting each other for the first time. The purpose varied from session to session – developing a three-year strategic plan, strengthening organizational unity, celebrating the strengths and assessing the needs of a community, affirming the direction of the organization, and openly discussing board and staff relationships. One session was three hours; another was three days. For some, I could pre-plan; for another, I had to design “on the spot” throughout the event.

This amount and complexity of facilitation activities is not unique for me; in fact, it is the norm! However, at times during the past three weeks, I was anxious at the variety and intensity of the facilitation. I felt the familiar “butterflies in the stomach” as I wondered if I could design and deliver the methods that would help these groups hold meaningful discussions and make productive and beneficial decisions. Oh, and have fun!

Then I focussed on what was important – the participants. I reminded myself that the session is about them; not me. At the start of each day of the facilitation sessions, I visualized the participants – where they were coming from; what they were leaving to attend the session, what they wanted to achieve, and how they might feel about their upcoming experience. During the sessions, I observed the participants – what their body language said and how they interacted. I listened to the participants – what were they talking about? How engaged did they seem? And most importantly, I asked the participants about the design, the flow, the approach, the timing, and the intent of my facilitation activities. In the evenings of the three day retreat with the provincial organization, as I sat in my room and designed the next day, I once again focussed on the participants. What had they told me about the day? What did I notice and hear that gave me clues to the next day’s activities?

During this intense period of facilitation work, I reminded myself of what I need to do to be an effective facilitator. I need to remove the “I” from my mind and think of “We”, that is, the participants and me as a team. While I always want to have some butterflies to keep me from complacency, I know that focussing on the participants will always help me to keep my attention on what is important when I facilitate. I needed to remind myself of that. As always, I calmed myself by focussing on the participants.

My blog conversation question: How do you focus on the participants?

Facilitate ... with Olympic medals!

2010-03-01T10:15:00.002-07:00

I am definitely in Olympic withdrawal! Not only because of the amazing performances and grace of our Canadian athletes and the truly fantastic job that the City of Vancouver and Vanoc did but because the Olympics provided exceptional fun and focus for facilitation.
For the past three weeks, I have used the Olympic medals as symbols of success in organizations, communities, and individuals. I bought Hershey chocolate candies wrapped in gold, silver, and bronze shiny paper. At various sessions, workshops, and meetings, I spread the candies on the table and told participants that they were gold, silver, and bronze medals. I asked participants to select a candy and describe the success it represented in their community, group, initiative or organization. What fun and focus! People related extremely well because most of us are closely tied to the Olympics. The success focus came through quickly and profoundly. Participants would laugh and then seriously think about successes. We had many gold medals yet also silver and bronze as participants explained what efforts they still wanted to do to enhance a success.
From community building workshops to sport advisory groups to provincial planning retreats to team development sessions, I enjoyed this Olympic analogy with wonderful Albertans and Canadians. Go Canada Go into the future! We all have our gold, silver, and bronze medals of success!

Facilitate ... with Ground Rules

2010-01-29T20:17:00.004-07:00

“Don't 'yuck' someone else's 'yum'!” Now, that’s a great Ground Rule! Using Ground Rules in facilitated discussions is something I have “turned on and off” over the years. I used them … didn’t use them … and now am back to using them.

Ground Rules are the behaviours that people in a group consciously and intentionally agree to use to enable them to work effectively together. Ground rules often cover meeting etiquette, discussion and decision-making processes, and ways that the team members interact with each other. They can range from procedures such as “turn off your cell phone” to ways of discussing such as “actively listen to each other” to values such as “treat each other with courtesy”.

Why do we use Ground Rules? All groups work to some set of procedural and behaviourial rules, spoken or unspoken. Think of times when you assumed or expected people in a meeting to behave in a certain way – only to find that they didn’t!

One person may think that interrupting another person when she has an important and relevant point is OK; others find the interruption rude.

One person may think that consensus is full agreement by everyone; another person may think it means everyone minus one or two individuals.

One person may feel comfortable when someone else directly challenges their opinion in a meeting; others would “curl up and die”.

Some people may automatically text message during meetings; others expect everyone to leave cell phones and smart phones at the door.

Taking time to clarify expectations and make them explicit in Ground Rules helps the group members to be “on the same page”; to understand how and why discussions will be held; to create an atmosphere that encourages open, respectful communication and participation; and to hold themselves and each other accountable.

Over ten years ago, I stopped using the term “Ground Rules” because the word “rules” seemed too heavy and authoritative for me! I changed to using terms such as “discussion principles, discussion do’s and don’ts, discussion guidelines”. These worked fairly well; however, did not seem to cover the full spectrum or convey the importance of group behaviours. Then, several years ago, I was introduced to the Ground Rules of “The Skilled Facilitator” by Roger Schwarz & Associates (http://www.schwarzassociates.com/). This facilitation approach uses nine Ground Rules which are based on five core assumptions and values. Together, the Ground Rules, assumptions and values speak to the importance of truly listening to each other, sharing all relevant information; acknowledging and being curious about how other people see things … and many other aspects of working together effectively as a group. From learning the Skilled Facilitator approach, I rediscovered the value and importance of Ground Rules and now use them again.

Ground Rules are comprehensive and profound yet also fun! Look at the Ground Rules on the poster above which I found in the blue avocado e-newsletter. http://www.blueavocado.org/content/ground-rules-new-generation. As the newsletter states “Who can resist a "Ground Rules" sign for a meeting at a youth organization that includes the phrase: “Don't 'yuck' someone else's 'yum'?”

When facilitating a group, I now either introduce the group members to “The Skilled Facilitator” Ground Rules and ask their willingness to apply them to their discussion OR I help them develop their Ground Rules. I encourage them to think about logistical procedures (e.g. Start and end on time), values (e.g. What’s important in how we work together?), and discussion and decision-making techniques (e.g. We use collaborative techniques.)

My Conversation Blog Questions are: What Ground Rules do you like to use with groups and why? And what does “Don't 'yuck' someone else's 'yum'?” mean to you?!

Facilitate ... for and with resolution!

2010-01-04T11:12:00.002-07:00

Happy New Year! As many of us start 2010 with the long-standing tradition of making (and hopefully keeping) New Year resolutions, I reflected on the meaning of the word and how I could apply to facilitation. The Webster’s New World Dictionary and Encarta Dictionary include the following definitions of resolution which I think are very apropos to the art and science of facilitation:

· The process of resolving something such as a problem or dispute
· A firm decision to do something
· Determination: firmness of mind or purpose
· The part of a literary work such as a narrative, play, novel, etc. in which the plot is explained or made clear
· The musical progression from a dissonant to a consonant chord or note

Facilitation is very much about people working as a group to resolve a problem and to make strong decisions. Each individual in the group hopefully reaches firmness of mind to support the group’s decision. In this New Year, I resolve to continue to use effective and appropriate facilitation skills to enable groups to talk about their topic of interest, to reach firm and purposeful decisions, and to enhance their ways of working effectively together.

I really like the definitions of resolution as the part of a literacy work in which the plot is explained or made clear and as a musical progression from a dissonant to consonant chord or note. I love the moment in a book in which the story becomes clear. I also love the change in sound when musicians in a band move from warming up to their first song. When applying these definitions to facilitation, I often find that there is a time in a facilitated discussion when the group members suddenly have a breakthrough, a common understanding of an issue such as a book plot becoming clear or a different way of combining information and opinions into a new “musical” sound. These moments of resolution in a group discussion lead to greater collaboration and meaningful decisions.

In 2010, I resolve to use my skills as a facilitator to help groups to achieve and create coordinated, clear, and beautiful-sounding discussions.

My blog conversation questions are: Did you make New Year’s resolutions this year? Why or why not? What experiences have you had with a group achieving a strong resolution? How might you resolve to better contribute to group discussions and decisions?

Facilitate … for powerful conversations!

2009-12-18T08:08:00.001-07:00

To me, facilitation is always about meaningful and productive conversations, albeit sometimes verbally and sometimes nonverbally. I believe that when we as individuals, families, and community groups hold powerful and focussed conversations, we begin to accomplish what we need and believe in. It seems that I am not alone! And this affirmation comes from an unlikely source – a cell phone provider, WIND Globallive. A few days ago, I opened the Calgary Herald newspaper and a full-page advertisement leaped at me. The ad was for a new mobile phone provider that will soon launch in Canada. The ad tagline read: “We’re good to go. Thanks to the Power of Conversation.” The ad continued with fun and personalized thanks to many individuals who obviously had texted, twittered, posted, and e-mailed comments to the company. A few examples are: “Thank You TammyF for all your awesome posts. Thanks to moto for steering us in the right direction. And thanks a Mill to mccans for all your thoughtful comments.” The ad finished by stating “You are all proof that conversations really do make things better.”

My curiosity was piqued because the advertisement talked about the power of conversation in which I strongly believe. I quickly went to WINDmobile.ca website and found that the conversation message was continued. I do not want to make this blog a promotion of the mobile company; however, their marketing approaches reaffirm principles which I use in my facilitation work.

WIND Globallive went straight to the core of why people use mobile phone services, that is, to communicate and hold conversations with others. The company did not expound on the merits of cell phones or how their services are better than other companies. Instead, they wrote about the reason they people want cell phone connections – to converse. As a facilitator, I always talk with participants about the core reasons for why they are holding facilitated discussions. Once we know the true purpose, then I can jointly design the discussions with them and select the appropriate discussion and decision making tools to use such as Skilled Facilitator (http://www.schwarzassociates.com/), ORID focussed conversation (an example is at www.ica-associates.ca/Resources/ORIDing.pdf ), Open Space http://www.openspaceworld.org/news/world-story/, Appreciative Inquiry (http://appreciativeinquiry.case.edu/), etc. In other words, I don’t start with one particular cell phone in mind!

WIND Globallive may be using conversations as an effective marketing tool however, the message that “conversations really does make things better” resonates with me.

My blog conversation questions are: What is a powerful conversation that you recently held? What made it so memorable?

Facilitate … with a drink!

2009-11-06T08:25:00.002-07:00

Last week, a colleague and I facilitated a session about planning using a community development approach. While designing the session, we laughingly said that by the end of the day, we would need to go for a drink! This spontaneously spurred us to brainstorm ways to use a drink as a closing ceremony with the group.

We asked the participants, in small groups of 5 to 6 people, to create a Community Development Drink - alcoholic or non-alcoholic. We asked them to name it, to list the ingredients, and explain what the ingredients represented. What fun! Our participants “seized the glass” and had tons of laughs with the activity!

What types of drinks were created? Here are a few examples.
· A Caesar with the red clamato juice representing the passion and heart beat of community.
· A Community Sunshine Lemonade showing the joy of community
· A Community Spirit Drink because community is about the pride of its people
· A Celebration Drink with people as the ingredient to show “buy-in” and action.

And, to finish in a more traditional way, we all raised our water glasses and toasted each other for a successful session.

I love this quick activity because it meets my criteria for facilitation – Fun, Fervor, and Focus. The Fun is obvious! The Fervor or passion or intensity was evident as participants immediately started to throw out ideas to represent what they believed about community development. The Focus occurred as people intentionally honed their beliefs and ideas about community development by focussing on a single object, the drink.

Facilitate … with a drink! It works!

Facilitate with ... Fun!

2009-10-10T12:39:00.005-06:00

There was a great team of co-workers.
Of whom, not one was a shirker.
They laughed and they learned,
Then they worked and performed.
They were a great group of mirth-ers!

I definitely took poetic license with the English language! It’s hard to find a word to rhyme with workers and shirkers! Yet, “mirth-ers” seems to fit. I believe that mirth, humour, and fun are tremendously important parts of facilitation.

I observe over and over again, how people come alive, are more attentive, participate with more enthusiasm, and I think, learn more when they are smiling and laughing. As a facilitator, I encourage my clients, participants, and me to plan to have fun and be playful as outcomes of a facilitated event. How do facilitators and participants plan to have fun? I do not mean telling jokes, although, they have their place when appropriate and tasteful, and if you remember the punch line! The best fun, to me, is the humour that comes from the group participants reacting to a situation in the session. This type of humour is genuine, spontaneous, and inclusive. A few years ago, a group of retired teachers were extremely excited about their small group discussions and would not stop talking when I asked them. The next time I facilitated a session with them, they gave me a big old-fashioned and loud school bell to call them to order.

Several weeks ago, at a three-day Leadership Retreat, my gifted co-facilitator introduced several discussion activities during the first afternoon. Both times, she instructed the participants to talk for three minutes, raising three fingers to emphasize the time. The next time she started to give instructions, the participants spontaneously chorused, “You have three minutes” and thrust three fingers into the air. Smiles were on every face, and the participants waited with anticipation for the next chance to chant "three minutes".

In the same retreat, some of the participants through an inadvertent mix-up by the facility operators, did not have bedding for one night. When I found this out the next morning, I decided to have fun. I asked the participants who were “sheetless” to raise their hands. Laughing, about 1/3 of them did. Then, I asked them to share how they had solved the problem. One explained that her t-shirt made a great pillow when stuffed with other clothes. Another said she had intended to buy sheets for a room at home, and therefore, she drove to a nearby town and bought them to use. We all enjoyed the opportunity to change an unpleasant situation into a fun and innovative discussion. And yes, the facility operators quickly and efficiently provided sheets.

When designing a facilitation event, I purposely think about discussion and learning activities that can naturally lead to fun. Unique questions during introductions create interest and send the message, “Let’s have fun!” Asking participants to choose pictures and images to illustrate their opinions encourages laughter and creativity. A colleague writes a poem about the sessions she facilitates. I occasionally write limericks!

Above my office desk, I have five small prints of cartoon people engaging in fun activities. These prints remind me to Facilitate ... with Fun!

My blog conversation questions are: What do you do as a facilitator or participant to have fun in a session? What is a time that you had lots of fun in a session? Write a comment and share your fun!

Technology fails...and encourages me to blog!

2009-09-19T09:10:00.001-06:00

Technology fails … yet connects me globally … and encourages me to blog! Several days ago, I was a participant in a wonderful webinar about facilitation. I didn’t know who else was participating. Thirty minutes into the session, the Internet capabilities failed and we were disconnected. However, through some technological fluke, I remained in a three-way conversation with two participants; one in Melbourne, Australia and one in Cleveland, Ohio – and I in Calgary Alberta Canada. We had an enjoyable and informative chat for five minutes – Where are you? Who are you? What do you do? How do you facilitate? - until we were also disconnected.

How does this experience link with the topic of my blog: facilitation? For months, friends and colleagues have encouraged me to blog. I have hesitated for several reasons. Firstly, why would anyone want to read my ideas and thoughts? Secondly, in my role as a facilitator, I am an objective member of a group of people; helping them to hold productive conversations, asking them what they think, and rarely expressing my ideas about the topic they are discussing. Blogging seems like I would set myself up as the expert; sending ideas out without asking anyone about them. Lastly, in my work as a facilitator, I am normally with groups of individuals in face-to-face settings. A blog seems too impersonal; too isolated; a far cry from watching facial expressions, hearing voice intonations, and observing body language.

How did the webinar techno-flop give me the final push into the world of blogging? Through the webinar, (albeit by a failure!), I unexpectedly conversed with two individuals I did not know. This serendipitous event was fun! It made me think that maybe I could find unexpected conversations through the technology of blogging. As well, I and the two others in the conversation were genuinely interested in what each other had to say. Maybe people will want to read what I write and will respond. After all, I love reading blogs! Maybe sending my blog out into the world wide web will allow me to do what I love - facilitate productive and meaningful conversations –through a different type of medium.

I hope by writing a weekly blog about facilitation, others will comment and we will create a conversation. So, here are my weekly Blog Conversation Questions: What is your most memorable techno-failure that turned out to be a success? What did you learn from it?
Hope to hear from you!