Facilitation Tips

Capture information in people’s own words

• It doesn’t matter how the capture is done, the key is using people’s own words. Avoid listening to someone and then responding with “I think what you mean to say is…” or “I’ll summarise what you said as…” and use your own interpretation. Honour people’s own words.

Be comfortable with silence

• People might be thinking, so stop talking. Stop filling the silences with more talk.

Give instruction clearly and briefly

• Over-instruction can kill enthusiasm, raise anxiety about the activity and encourage thinking about the activity rather than doing it. Keep instructions short and to the point. Get people to work. You can wander around and clarify any questions once they get started rather than over-instruct.
• If an activity has multiple steps, explain them as you go, not all at the start.  This confuses people.

Take care of time and pace

• Be aware of the time. Make sure you finish on time. Adjust as necessary to do this. Be aware of people’s energy levels and vary the pace. Sometimes it’s important to speed up, and sometimes it’s important to slow down.

Self care

• Take care of yourself. It’s hard work facilitating. It’s tiring and takes a lot of effort to hold a group of people as they explore issues or struggle with ideas or decisions. Be well rested when you start.  And be self-aware enough to know when you need a break, food, or something else that will help you do the job.

Practice

• Facilitating is a practice, an art. You can’t learn it from a book. Just get out there and practice. Often.