5 things you need to know to facilitate a great workshop

Monday morning, way too early. I'm ready to facilitate today's training on agile product development. The participants don't know each other, yet. Fortunately, there are pretzels and coffee to talk about. We stand in a cirkel, "close your eyes" my co-facilitator asks the group. This is surprising.. according to my runbook we start with an introduction round. I go with the flow and close my eyes. We focus on breathing for two minutes, I literally feel the group grounding and relaxing. When we open our eyes again everybody is present, right here, right now. 

I facilitate trainings and workshops on a weekly basis. Depending on what the topic is, who is in the group and what's happening in the company there are diverse dynamics. Since I've started to facilitate, I've learned a lot and to be honest, I am still learning. Every time I have a new co-facilitator or a tough group I learn something new, and no workshop or training is ever the same. But... there are 5 things that I always consider when facilitating.

#1 By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail (Benjamin Franklin)
Your work as facilitator starts long before the group gets together. At TedX they say that the preparation of a great keynote takes one hour per minute the keynote lasts, in my experience this is true. Luckily facilitating is something else than speaking in public, I do believe you need at least as much time to prepare as the workshop or training takes.

I like to start my preparations with the creation of a runbook, this contains all the steps you are going through in your workshop, in detail, detailed detail. Besides the steps, I'll write down timing, sort of activity (eg. listen, discuss, pitch, collaborate), location, energy level of participants (see #4), materials and points of attention for facilitator. (Contact me if you would like to get my format)

With the first draft of the runbook I visualize the content of the workshop. I read an activity and everything that comes with it and visualize how it will work in real life, with the participants present. I criticize every part of the runbook by imagination, for instance by imagining how difficult topics will be discussed. If necessary I modify the content. And honestly, there are always modifications to be made. When I'm done, I sleep on it, literally. And the next day I'll do it again, because a fresh mind will show you things you haven't seen before.

When I have facilitated a workshop or training before, I obviously use the runbook that is already in place. But I never skip the visualization part, because no workshop is ever the same. There is always room for improvement. Besides that, it's easy to visualize when you're driving home or waiting for your plane to leave. It's time well spend that way.

Visualize

.. if the space supports your activities.

#2 Trust is the key to success
The day of the workshop, you are ready to rumble! But, if people don't trust you as a person, it will be hard for you to facilitate any group. They have no reason to listen to you, so maybe they won't. That's why the first thing I try to do is to make sure the group trusts me. To establish this I will do two things: get to know the participants and share something personal about myself. 

Getting to know the participants is something I usually do before we first meet. If it's a workshop I google all of them, or check their LinkedIn profile. I'm looking for education and experience. A register controller, on average, has a different thinking structure than a lawyer. And someone who has been working the same job for the last 10 years is probably more conservative than someone who changes every 2-3 years. 

Knowing the group helps choosing something to share about yourself that resonates with them. I read a lot and about a variety of topics, there is always something that connects with the background of the group I have in front of me. I match my introduction to the group and try to make it personal, maybe a bit vulnerable or at least funny. This helps to open the hearts of the participants and makes them want to listen to me: mission accomplished.

#3 Getting permission
The participants now trust you, this is the perfect time to ask for permission. Permission to lead the training or workshop and to intervene when necessary. I can hear you think: “why would I ask for permission at all? Isn't it stating the obvious since I am the facilitator and have permission anyway?”

3 out of 10 workshops will harbor a participant with a strong opinion, or a very different view on things, someone who won't stop talking about it. When you get permission up front it is easier to steer away from a difficult situation or discussion. Because you have asked permission, the group will even expect you to steer discussions away from irrelevant topics. On the other side, the participant that is (at that time) the problem, will accept your intervention more easily because he also gave you permission. 

How do you ask for permission? What I usually do is ask the concrete question: are you okay with me facilitating this workshop/training/meeting? It’s that simple. No group ever declined my request.

Having permission is a fragile thing. If you don't handle it well you will break and loose it!

#4 Managing the energy flow
You have your runbook with activities, people trust you and gave you permission to run the show. To deliver you need to take care of the energy flow of the group. Their energy needs to be on the right level to deliver. And you can influence this, BIG time! 

When designing a workshop or training I consider the energy flow thoroughly. It’s impossible for most people to have a high-energy level all the time. Besides that, every activity asks for a different energy level. I like to use group and individual work, drawings, powerpoint, music, listening, discussing, whatever it takes to keep the group engaged. 

I try to design the workshop as good as possible, but to keep the energy flowing as you want it to, you need to be flexible and pay attention to the vibe in the room. Maybe the group responds different than expected and you need to change something on the spot. Study the action of your participants and modify your program if necessary.

If I need to change unexpectedly, I like to use energizers. The wonderful thing about energizers is that they can both bring fire, but can also calm down a group that is out of control. The mindfulness exercise mentioned in the first part of this blog helps to calm people down. There are many exercises to create a creative or focused vibe. Give me a call if you need one.

Drawing

..improves creativity and is fun to do. It increases energy and activity levels. By the way, in the picture you see the 30 circle challenge. Read about it via this link.

#5 Leading by example
I have this thing where I always try to teach my friends’ children something naughty. Especially when they are still toddlers this is fun and easy. You just show the kid how to do or say something, and they will copy it. While facilitating and training groups I learned that this also works with grown-ups. 

For instance, when I’m facilitating a group and I check my phone, it only takes two seconds for others to get their phone and tune out. When I’m late after a break, the next short bio-break will turn into a long coffee break with me waiting for half the group. When I don't listen to what people are saying, others stop listening as well.

Or when I act super serious, people don’t feel at liberty to have fun in the group. This is a problem, because having fun helps in a lot of situations. When you must crack a big problem, you need all the creativity you can get. Having fun increases creativity and productivity. Best suggestion I have for you is to have fun yourself. And since you probably spend a lot of time at work, it would be nice to have fun there, right?

Getting started is more important than being right
I can talk all day about facilitating workshops (don’t be afraid, I won’t). But in the end, it’s all about doing it. Therefore, I suggest you do just that. The first time will be difficult, as will the second and the third. I promise, the more you facilitate, the better you get at it. So, go out and have fun!