3 Things Seasoned Facilitators Know
Sometimes groups are working through relatively simple questions. They know how to answer these and only need less experienced facilitators to guide them along the way.
When groups are working through big questions, the way forward is not predictable and they need more seasoned facilitators to guide them to answering these questions.
Seasoned facilitators know three things that less experienced facilitators don’t.
They know what the right questions are at the right time
These are not obvious to the group especially if the group thinks they can argue their way into answers or hope a leader decides for them what the answers to their big questions will be.
When groups work through the right questions at the right time, they build answers to their questions, one step at a time. Seasoned facilitators give them the steps to do this.
They know how to help the group become smarter together
Seasoned facilitators know how to engage and align diverse perspectives towards coherent and compelling answers to their big questions. In this process, the group discovers how the group is the smartest person in the room. The unseen wisdom in the group becomes obvious.
Instead of dominating, disappearing, and derailing, all voices are combined to quickly build and test ideas that will make the best future scenarios possible.
They know how to grow the most valuable group asset: trust
The kinds of creativity and action that big questions require is only possible when there are sufficient levels of trust in the group. The way seasoned facilitators guide the group intrinsically and quickly builds trust.
A high-trust group is unstoppable. Trust is why people collaborate rather than compete and engage their best rather than resist making their best possible contributions. Groups move at the speed of trust.
There are times when groups clearly benefit from seasoned facilitators. Working on the right big question is part of the magic. Having the right process is the rest.
Learn more about Process Work.