Mei and the butterfly // A story about facilitation…

Oct '23 in General discussion & questions

Just the other day, I read my son a bedtime story called "Mei and the Butterfly." Mei really wanted a pet, and one day, she found a cocoon with a small butterfly inside. The mere thought of the beautiful butterfly emerging filled Mei's heart with happiness. After a while, the butterfly began to struggle to break free from the cocoon. Seeing its struggle, Mei cut the cocoon with scissors in an attempt to help. However, the small creature's wings weren't quite strong enough to fly just yet.

During my workshops, I sometimes feel the urge to "cut the cocoon," particularly during the ideation phase. I see exciting solutions for the challenges we're addressing and want to grab a sharpie and start jotting down ideas on post-its. However, I resist this temptation. Just like Mei, I've learned the hard way that pushing people too much before they're ready only leads to frustration. Participants get excited about ideas during the workshop, but once it's over, the reality sets in, and they realise they can't implement them.

Note to self: Meet your participants where they're at. If a seemingly "basic" idea like implementing a weekly status update arises in a team collaboration session, consider it an indicator that it's what they need and are prepared for. Don't dismiss it just because it may not seem "groundbreaking."

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