Learning to facilitate is as much a personal journey as professional
During the last year I have fallen in love with facilitation as a tool to change the status quo. I have luckily had the chance to co-facilitate several events and processes. The latest experience was the Hyper Island Way Week, the week all the students are introduced to the Hyper island way of working and thinking. It’s a week about creating open minds, curiosity, trust in a new class of 40 people and building the foundation for learning. I want share my accumulated learnings from the last year because sharing is caring and since I hope they can be of value to my peers. And because I hope that it will connect me with like-minded (and people who disagree).
Learning 1
If I take the responsibility, I take the responsibility from them.
When Saga Forsmark, Hyper Island Program Manager and process designer told me this it kind of blew my mind and started some serious personal reflection. I am a natural responsibility-taker and I have done it always. This is something I am not (painfully) aware as a facilitator.
Learning 2
I have to be aware of the glasses/view that I have as a facilitator.
Where do I naturally lead things to? I have to be mindful that I’m not pushing the group in a direction, just because it’s what I prefer, because it might not be what the group needs.
Saga, a friend and learning designer gave me her tip on creating a Facilitation Mantra to create and be aware of the mindset you want to bring.
Learning 3
Håll Människor Högt (Hold people high)
I learned this expression from Louise Norrman, a coach, process designer and facilitator. it’s about trust in people and me being a humble facilitator. It’s about believing that the group and people know what they need. and I learned that in a situation where I’m not sure about what the group needs, this mindset can be valuable.
Learning 4
Who is my audience ?
I need to always be aware of who my audience is and try to understand what glasses they are viewing the world with to reach them.
Learning 5
I have to be over-prepared and expect everything to change.
Things will happen and not always in the order that I plan ahead. Being completely respectful of my pre-planned process can be counterproductive to my goal. Instead I can use it as a support for the process.
Learning 6
Trust the process vs Trust that there is a process
Building on the last learning I should tell the group to Trust the process. But I also have to make them understand and trust that there is a process. Think about it — I would have a hard time trusting a process, if I don’t there is one. So in the future — I will say make sure there is a process — and then trust it.
To follow up on the title during this year I have learned a lot about myself, by learning to facilitate. I know I have many more reflections to make and learnings to get as a facilitator, learning designer and about myself. It’s a journey and it has only just begun.
