One of the change-related skills that many leaders under-appreciate is facilitation. I really enjoy facilitating, so I thought I’d share with you some of the things that I think make for a successful and highly-effective facilitator.
One of the best places to practise your facilitation skills is during a team meeting, so let’s make that the setting for this article.
So, you’re leading a team meeting and you’ve got a number of people in the room. How do you facilitate the group? Let’s take a look …
The first, critical ingredient in facilitating any situation is being clear going into it what your team objective is and the strategy to get there. Without those two things, it becomes a near-impossible task to facilitate anything because you have team members shooting off in all kinds of directions.
Let’s say you have your objective and strategy lined up and crystal-clear, what then?
Now I give you a pep-talk because the key thing you have to remember at all times as a facilitator is: it’s not about you. That’s right. To facilitate means to be generous, to put your team’s thoughts and ideas ahead of your own.
This is the point where many leaders fall down (and why, I suspect, they under-appreciate facilitation — because they know they find it hard). But it doesn’t have to be this way.
The secret is to put aside your idea of yourself as alpha leader of the pack, and instead think of yourself as a nurturer, someone who draws the best out of people.
I know, I know, this can be hard for some leaders. So let me back-track and forget that I used the word nurturer. Instead, think of yourself as someone who wants the best out of everyone — you’re able to do that, aren’t you?
Now, to get the best out of each person you’re going to have to give them the time-and-space to have their respective moments in the spotlight. How do you do that? By prompting each person to share what they’ve been up to, what they’ve accomplished and what they’ve learned. (Then, keep your mouth shut and listen to what they have to say.)
At this point you’ll need to ‘feel’ when it’s the right time to elicit more information from someone, as opposed to move on to the next person. It’s a spontaneous feeling that comes from being in the moment, NOT from sticking to a script (or holding too tightly to any meeting agenda).
Which brings me to the next key point: as a facilitator, you have to be Switzerland — you have to be neutral. No judgements. No questioning. No indication in your words or body language that suggests anything other than unbridled support for each person.
Because if any team member gets the idea you’re not 100% neutral, they will shut down and not give you everything they had to give.
So, let’s recap:
go into the meeting clear on your objective and strategy to get there
be generous — put your team’s thoughts and ideas ahead of your own
prompt each person to share, so that they have their moment in the spotlight
listen — don’t talk unless you have to
be spontaneous / in the moment, don’t stick too closely to any agenda or script
be neutral, don’t judge anyone — you will only get people’s trust by being open.
Being a facilitator is essentially the polar opposite of being a leader — or at least the traditional, ‘me first’ definition of a leader. But, I’ll tell you, if you’re a leader who can also facilitate, you’ve got yourself some major leadership skills right there.
And you hardly said a word.
Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay.