Hello Facilitators👋 I'm really curious about where everyone is from. I'd love to make this a mega post where we can see how diverse the Facilitator Club community is. Who knows, you might find a lot more people in your area than you thought! Once I have lots of answers on this post, I want to make a nice graph!
Hey all, loving this forum so far, great to have a network of people to reach out to and seek advice from. I have recently introduced Team Canvas sessions to our organisation and the response has been excellent. My experience to date(circa 30 sessions) is with groups of 10 or less participants. However, later this week I am facilitating for a team of 24 people and I am looking for advice on how I might handle this. I ensure that my sessions are very inclusive and that everyone gets a voice through each section of the canvas, but with a group of 24, how can i do this and ensure that everyone remains engaged? Love so tip on this
Agree with @Will Stammers , especially when it comes to breaking the larger group down to get things done. I also use rotating these groups between activities if necessary, letting them see the others work to use 'Yes, And". I would also add: - Clear timing that is visual - Build in time for feedback (DeBono's Thinking Hats) - Time Timer
@Tj Mackey I refer to this as 'Efficient Feedback'. During what I call discovery to concept work (Innovation Framework) it is important that teams get feedback on their concepts by the peer group and do it in the most efficient means. Times can be adjusted based on the timebox, but essentially it goes like this: - Pitch - each team/group pitches their concepts - White Hat - audience asks clarifying questions - Black Hat - audience silently writes down on sticky "why the concept won't work." I then have them post them on a board next to the pitch board and read them off. - Yellow Hat - audience silently writes down on sticky "why this is a great concept." I then have them post them on a board next to the pitch board and read them off. - Green Hat - group discussion, suggestions, etc.
Sometimes when people hear the word 'icebreaker' they cringe or might feel super anxious about taking part in one. Yes, icebreakers can make you feel a bit awkward initially, but they are proven to help enhance relationships and encourage creativity. 'Icebreakers can help increase team bonds, boost performance and creativity'—Harvard Business School study Integrating icebreakers into your workshops or meetings is a great way to get everyone relaxed and ready to participate. But how do you choose the right ones so that you avoid those dreaded awkward silences? Here are my Top 2 Icebreakers that are easy to implement (in-person or online): 1. My First Job Ask everyone in the group to write down their name, their first job, and what they learned from that job. Then go round the group and have everybody read theirs out. 2. Pointless Questions Prepare a few fun questions ahead of the workshop, then go round the room and have everybody take turns answering the questions. It’s as simple as that—you don’t even need to write anything down! Here are some question suggestions to get you started: - If you could invite a celebrity over for dinner, who would it be and why? - What is your most prized possession and why? - You can have an unlimited supply of one thing for the rest of your life. What do you choose? Here are some more icebreakers for you to explore! What's another great icebreaker that I can add to my list?
If you missed the @Aj Smart session yesterday on the 3 secrets to building a successful facilitation career, the following three books were recommended. I found the discussion of group dynamics really interesting and all this time and who know there was science to back up the skill. But I digress…. Here are the books that were recommended by @Rebecca Courtney . What other books are you reading.. or can recommend to the group?
While books are good, I still prefer learning by watching others and just doing it! Nothing like facilitating, then asking for feedback to humble you and make you better.
I'm going to share the top 5 things you can do to set your video conference meetings apart from 80% of other meetings like them in your organization. The nice thing is that these are simple to do and you can start them today. #1 Welcome people by name as they join the meeting. There's nothing worse than sitting in awkward silence as people are joining the meeting. Welcoming people breaks the silence and sets you apart from other meeting hosts. #2 At the end of the meeting, thank people for their time and for joining the meeting. Let them know they are appreciated. #3 Start your meeting at 5 minutes past the hour or half-hour and end your meeting at 5 minutes before the hour or half-hour. This will help people take a quick break that have back-to-back meetings. Sure, you have 10 minutes less time in the meeting so you will need to use an agenda, keep people on task, use a parking lot for longer conversations, etc. You should be doing these things anyway. #4 Share meeting notes quickly after the meeting ends. If there are any loose ends, follow-up after they are resolved. #5 Only invite people to the people that need to be there. Share the meeting notes with others that may be interested by didn't need to sit through the meeting. They will appreciate it. I'll admit that I don't do all of these for all meetings. I'm working on it. However, when I do these simple things they set my video conference calls apart from most of the other ones people join throughout the day. Do you have any more suggestions to add to the list?
Minimizing side bar conversations in the 'chat' section, this can be very distracting and often times leads the meeting to go sideways. Get agreement ahead of time by creating ground rule for the chat feature.
