Facilitation as a Key Leadership Skill
Fresh Ideas from Us
Group facilitation is a key part of our work—we’ve been doing it for years and do it almost every day with our clients. And we know that for many, it’s a skill that doesn’t get enough investment. Yet, great facilitation makes a huge difference inside every organization—helping teams make great decisions, engage in healthy and important debates, and create culture. How meetings are facilitated plays a huge role in creativity, innovation, and how employees feel about their jobs.
You might be newer to facilitation, or perhaps you don’t enjoy it much. If that’s the case, we have some ideas to keep in mind:
💡 YOU are the conduit of the outcomes and experience. Slides or other materials are helpful tools but only support your role as the primary person tending to the group dynamics.
💡 Shared expectations are there for a reason. They shouldn't only be whipped out when topics feel emotionally charged; they can be a way to level-set at the start of almost any meeting. Remind the group when one or more expectations are not being met, particularly if harm is being caused to you and/or others in the space. This might sound like, “I hear you. I actually want to take a moment to pause and ground us in our shared expectation to speak from our own experiences. Can you reframe your statement to be in line with that?”
💡 The facilitation experience is designed to be bidirectional. Even if you're more introverted (or a Highly Sensitive Person like Viva!), facilitating can feel fun and purposeful—an opportunity to create community, learn about each other, and leverage the wisdom in the group. Be open to these possibilities. Allow each group to surface and teach you something new, even if you've delivered that specific content a million times before.
💡 Validate and instill confidence in meeting participants. Underscore and appreciate specific contributions to the conversation. This might sound like, “I appreciate what you just named, Maria, especially the part about taking notes about your student’s life and interests if it’ll help you remember later.”
💡 Create an inclusive and equitable experience for all. There are obviously COUNTLESS ways we should do this in the lead-up to, during, and after meetings, but here's one way: gently encourage all attendees to speak up and engage. This might sound like, “I’d love to invite those who haven’t shared yet to jump in here because it's important we hear from as many voices as possible.” Then, take time to PAUSE and allow someone new to fill the space.
Of course, this is not an exhaustive list. What tips would you share with newer facilitators?
Quote from Somebody Else
“The beautiful thing about learning is that nobody can take it away from you.”
― B.B. King
Probing Question
How might you make one of your standing weekly meetings better?
