Guy Stephens

For me, it's not about inclusivity. Inclusivity, by it's very nature, excludes on some level. To me, it's more about creating an equitable space for all. Just because someone is dominant does not mean they should be excluded, but rather finding a way for the possibility of all voices to be heard in a meaningful way. The onus then comes on to the facilitator to ensure that such a space exists.

For me, it's not necessarily about staying calm, it's about how best to maintain clarity in those unexpected moments. Clarity on the purpose of the workshop and ensuring that even though the route to the outcome may have become different in that moment, the means to achieving the outcome is still clear.

I think it's important for the group to work out what 'disruptive behavior' actually means within the context of their workshop ie. what does disruptive behavior actually look like? Different people may have different definitions ie. someone interrupting might be interpreted as a disruptive behavior if it is done regularly. However, for a neurodivergent person they may not realise that they are interrupting more often than might 'normally' be accepted. It's also important to understand that disagreeing with someone is not in itself disruptive, but the way in which it is done matters.

Hey LinkedIn, please could you improve the level of the questions you set. What is an "auditory learner"? If this is part of "learning styles" (visual, auditory, reading/writing, or kinesthetic), then this has largely been debunked. Asking this type of question simply reinforces an idea that really shouldn't be reinforced anymore. A more effective question might be - How can you make a workshop more effective? Or - How can you engage participants more effectively in a workshop?

There tends to be a negative connotation when the word 'introverted' is used, so the typical response is to look for corrective or inclusive approaches to normalise this type of behaviour. From a neurodivergent perspective, introversion-type behaviours could be interpreted as completely 'normal'. So in fact that there is nothing to 'correct'. So, my suggestion, recognise that different neuro~ exist and create a workshop that is designed for all neuro-types (so no inclusion needs to take place; figure that one out!).

Being able to adjust on the fly can be a key factor sometimes for a facilitator. This requires self-belief, confidence and humility. The self-belief that you are making the right decision to deviate from your planned agenda, the confidence to be able to do it, and the humility to recognise you are doing it in order to achieve the outcome, but in a way that perhaps you had not first envisaged.