Drawing Solutions: How Visuals Will Change Your Life: How to Spot a Confident Facilitator

How to Spot a Confident Facilitator

Last week I got to be the human highlighter in the room as I supported two awesome facilitators as their graphic recorder. About half way through the session, I looked down and noted that one of the facilitators was barefoot!

Wow, I thought, she has got to be SUPER confident! and...yep, she was! Then I began looking more closely and discovered both facilitators shared, what I consider to be...

The Top Five Traits of a Confident Facilitator:

1. Listens more and talks less.
When there is a moment of free air time, a confident facilitator turns the question back on you instead of filling the air time with their own opinions. ;-)

2. Keeps you in dialogue, even when it gets sticky.
After years of being the human punching bag in post layoff facilitation sessions, I've seen that when participants were given a chance to talk things out, they worked it out. A confident facilitator strives to patient, listen, ask open ended questions, let participants find their way, with gentle prodding.

3. Is flexible with the agenda, but delivers the goods.
A confident facilitator is continuously weighing other possible interactive tools that may help your team explore a topic or come to a deeper understanding. When something isn't working, they reach into their bag of tricks for tool to steer you through the muck to the original outcomes you desired.

4. Brings his or her authentic self into the room.
No matter where you go, there you are. When a facilitator feels comfortable enough to go barefoot in the room, it says something. It makes the space for you to embrace your authentic self and bring more of it into the room as well.

5. Engages all of your senses.
A confident facilitator will not be put off by the CEO who tries to talk you out of doing game storming in your session. Participants will be grateful, because in the end, it will be fun, funny, filled with games, drawing, music, visuals, and rock solid deliverables. Afterwards they will say things like "I don't know what the #@%&* you did in there, but it was awesome!"

When you are looking for a facilitator for one of your sessions, keep this checklist handy and if you are a facilitator - be bold, be brave, and above all, be you!

Please send us any of your creative genius tips about facilitation. We'd love to hear from you and post them to our readers. #creativegeniusyou

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Special
Shout Out

I have had the great honor to facilitate numerous sessions for the Global Libraries team at the BMGF. As their program comes to a close, I want to say thank you for being my secret think tank for new ideas. #awesomeyou