Are You Ready To Up Your Facilitation Game?

Find a Mentor
One particular facilitator who helped guide and shape the facilitation style and techniques of many High 5 trainers is Nicki Hall. Over my 45+ years in the field of adventure education, I’ve had the opportunity to experience and work with hundreds of different facilitators. A handful of them stand alone in their exceptional ability to lead a group to places they never thought they could go in terms of their individual and collective growth. Nicki Hall is one such individual. Her ability to listen, truly listen to each and every person and then develop insights to shape how and why she leads the group in a certain way is a work of art. I’ve always felt the most important thing a facilitator can do is be genuine, be yourself but… be there for the others, the workshop is never about you. And Nicki makes all this happen with a sense of humility, a quiet competence and never present ego. The depth of Nicki’s ability to do this is unparalleled. If there’s a Facilitator Hall of Fame, she should be inducted.

Need a Helpful Facilitation Framework?
There are many facets to being an effective facilitator, but the most essential is a willingness to continue learning throughout your professional life and to never stop developing your craft. Over time, we have found our motto: Connect. Empower. Lead…Be the Example, to be a proven and effective guide for our daily work, our reflection on the quality of our programs, and a constructive philosophy that guides the intention of our work, especially as it relates to engaging groups and creating impactful and meaningful opportunities for learning through experience.

If you are looking to go from being a good facilitator to a great facilitator, with a style that is true to who you are, as a person, and your philosophy of life and beliefs, the High 5 Training & Team Development educators have some tips for you:

Tips and Tools to Becoming an Effective Facilitator

1. Watch other facilitators at work. Observe the group’s behavior and reactions. Are they engaged? Are they connecting with one another? Is anyone disengaged? How do they create buy-in and inclusivity in ways that are sincere yet barely detectable? Are they using language that empowers and is strength-based? Are you making note of what works and what flops?

2. Take a good look at how you use humor. Do you use it in a way that is engaging, or in a way that shuts people down? Beware of sarcasm! Sarcasm is generally only funny to a small percentage of your group and is frequently regarded as a cloak for the insecure.

3. Practice silence. Watch facilitators you admire and see how long they remain silent after giving instruction, asking if there are questions, or asking for feedback. If you are talking more than 40% of the time in your program, you are probably talking too much. Start practicing staying quiet with family and friends and see how much more you learn and observe!

4. Become Comfortable with Stories. Start by taking some of the traditional or classic adventure games and incorporating stories and metaphors that reflect the nuances, community, or culture of your group. Pay attention to how other facilitators enhance the impact of their lessons by incorporating client-specific stories into their conversation and programming.

5. Maintain a Solid Foundation. Lots of new and ‘shiny’ ideas come and go—and the best facilitators aren’t afraid to try new things!—but they always have a solid foundation upon which they can rely. Sometimes the most traditional, tried and true activities and methods are the ones that have the most meaning for the group.

6. Over-prepare While Remaining Flexible. If you are over-prepared for each program, you will never be at a loss or fumbling when the unexpected crops up. Great facilitators are flexible, skillfully adjusting their activities in response to where the group’s behavior takes them.

7. Create a Community of Practice. Seek out other facilitators interested in continual growth and development. Get together on line and share stories, ideas, resources, and key learnings. Take turns watching videos of each person facilitating. And practice giving and receiving feedback at the end of each call!

8. Document. Keep a reflection journal of your facilitation experiences. Note what went well, what was challenging, and what you’d do differently. Use this as your “go-to” resource when creating programs.

9. Read. There are great books and resources available to help you develop your craft. One of High 5’s favorite books include “Unlocking the Magic of Facilitation” by Bolger & Killermann.

10. Participate in Professional Groups. Some of the groups that provide educational opportunities for facilitators include AEE, ACA, and ACCT. Doing a presentation to a group of fellow practitioners on a particular activity or program is another great way to polish your skills—start with some of the smaller regional conferences.

11. Never Stop Growing. The best of the best understand there is always room for growth. They are constantly reading, observing, practicing, taking workshops, and trying out new ideas. And they never forget: Connect. Empower. Lead…Be the Example. We are at our professional best when we lead by our own example! To help you get started on brainstorming different professional development opportunities listen to these Vertical Playpen Podcasts for ideas…