How do you prepare for a facilitation session? I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions?

Firstly, it is important to understand the reason for the session. What is the outcome that is hope to be achieved. Defining this is important in determining how the session will be designed. Secondly, it is very important to understand the participants of the session, their roles and backgrounds as this often informs their perspective. I have been to pre-facilitation sessions where this has been helpful in identifying some of the issues and perspectives, although this is not often possible. For me, the most important thing is the facilitator must do their homework. You cannot 'wing' a facilitation session.

I think it is important to see two perspectives of purpose: 1. Purpose from the client's perspective (the person who hires you) 2. Purpose from my (the facilitator's) perspective All questions (like What are you trying to accomplish? What are the desired outcomes and outputs of the session?,..) have to be answered for both perspectives. The most important perspective is the client's one. You as a facilitator need a deep understanding of the client's needs, goals and motivations.

When preparing every session i ask myself this questions: 1. What are the key messages i want to deliver to my audience? 2. How can i deliver them in the most engaging way? 3. What tools can i provide to support them after the session is done? 4. What is the change i want to trigger in their future behaviour. 5. If i where to attend a session with the same topic, as a participant, what would i love to experiment there? Then i take a blank page, and start drafting the answers (using pen and paper).

The bare minimum as a good facilitator to do is to discern the need, get clear on the purpose of the meeting, prepare a good, powerful question to initiate the conversation and know how to harvest and what to do with the harvest. 1. Key #1: Craft a good invitation: Why are we here? - What's the bigger context? - Who will be there? - What’s the calling question? - Help to create clarity of the intention: Intention shapes the ‘meeting’ and determines who will come, how long the circle will meet, and what kinds of outcomes are to be expected. The caller spends time articulating intention and invitation. A good invitation includes: - Persons that should be here - Clear purpose - Expected outcomes

It is extremely important to understand what your client's purpose it. And sometimes it requires helping them figure it out and formulate it. I often found that it is my main focus with my clients in preparing a facilitation session.

I'll arrange a discovery session in advance. The main outcomes and outputs for this session are to collect more information based on the questions such as 1. Where they are right now? 2. What is holding them back? 3. How would they feel if things went well? 4. What things do they think they are doing good to lead them to success right now? 5. Who will join the facilitation session and what roles they are in? 6. What is their achievement that can be measured? 7. How long they had already been stuck in this situation? 8. Are these problems internal or external? 9. WHO is the person who will have the most benefits when the problem has been solved?

Great thread! For the sake of hitting it, I started 2y ago running before every format I do a NARRATIVE ANALYSIS, which, is, frankly speaking, deep leadership work that unfortunately often is missed. What does it mean? I run a fusion of Systemic Interviews (up to 15ppl w everyone, otherwise key people I choose) with smart questions. If the trust in the team seems healthy I do a Storytelling workshop (online) instead, if needed I add a survey for the ecosystem around the team. ✅Saves me a lot of trouble, ✅I bond ✅they bond ✅PURPOSE, goals, outline, culture becomes more clear and ✅ leaders as well as teams have a semantic representation (they get a PDF) of what's in their heads and needs to be bespoken. 🚀 Ask me for more if curious!

For me the key is to get them to say what they need to say. If you say it, you own it. If they say it, they own it. So, I try, in advance, to determine the end goal and then during the actual event to steer them gently towards that goal.

In my opinion understanding the communication strategies and tools enhances the process of purpose discovery. The use of motivational interviewing and the creation of communication pathways. This process can be facilitated with worksheets and templates based on best practice.

I integrate design thinking into my approach to developing a session. I have two guiding questions that are the springboard for planning: 1. Who are the participants/users of this session? 2. How might I achieve the desired outcome(s) of the session while keeping my participants/users in mind? Once I answer those questions, I develop design principles (ex., Less is More.) to help guide me in developing the session. This helps bring clarity and maintain focus on your user/participant. Now, you're ready to concentrate on the purpose and objectives, think about session design, the feedback mechanisms you will employ, and how to measure impact. Starting with your user makes you more intentional every step of the way.

If it's not possible to know the entire audience beforehand in the session you're facilitating, maintaining active listening throughout the event will help you understand a bit more about each participant. Seize the moment to encourage active collaboration from everyone involved. Icebreaker activities can also be excellent opportunities to get to know your audience.

And remember to see the audience in the moment so that you can provide what they are looking for from you. Sometimes those rabbit holes they take you to are filled with gems, for you and your audience.

Once, I facilitated a workshop, mistakenly assuming participants knew the basics of my topic. Seeing their confusion mid-session, I had to recalibrate. The key takeaway? Never presume. Consider pre-session surveys or brief conversations to grasp your audience's knowledge and expectations. This ensures the content is on-point and relevant.

A confidential call with each participant (often approximately 30 minutes) before the meeting is a powerful way to 1) connect with the person individually, 2) understand the perspective they bring (often linked to their role) 3) explore their hopes and expectations of the meetings, and 4) surface any fears they may have about the meeting. I often ask "what advice might you offer me as the facilitator of your meeting?" as this can draw out valuable insights which one might not otherwise benefit from. I use the information gained from these calls as valuable input for the meeting design. If your group is large, select a cross section of participants to speak to.

Knowing your audience's interests and preferences allows you to design activities and discussions that capture their attention and maintain engagement. This not only makes the session more enjoyable but also enhances the learning experience.

It is also an opportunity to offer space for conversations about potential accessibility needs. Create an opportunity for your participants to let you know what they might need. It will allow you to prepare for those.

I'll call them individually for 30-60 minutes one week before the facilitation session starts and will ask questions in informal ways such as 1. Do you know what is the purpose of these facilitation sessions? 2. What do you think we can help you on this session? 3. Is there anything we need to be concerned about? 4. How do you feel about your future if these things had been solved? 5. Why do you think this problem has been stuck for such a long time? 6. Have you joined any facilitation sessions before? 7. If YES, what is your experience? Can you share more with me about your experience? 8. If NO, what is your expectation and things you hope me to share with you in advance With these questions, I'll gain trust with them hopefully.

I always encourage my participants to, and to steal a phrase from Simon Sineck, "Think like an idiot". I encourage questions at all levels about anything to help gain insight on the topics that we are discussing and this in turn allows me to understand them more. The more questions they ask to understand, the less questions you'll have to ask to understand them.

Audience understanding is key to effective facilitation. The audience profile , including their challenges can be gathered from the HR as well as their managers. Additionally it is useful to either interact with them directly or do a quick assessment through a questionnaire or standard tool. In case of interpersonal issues Delphi technique is helpful in collecting insights.

I think choosing the methods ans planning the agenda go together. I have seen a lot of facilitators wanting to use fancy facilitation methods and focus on that rather being aligned with the purpose and the participants needs. It is not about showing off but being of service.

How much time you have and the goals are critical for choosing your method. You can spend a lot of time on something that may not be essential. Variety of methods and flow are also important to consider.

Choose and communicate your methods, do not miss this last bit. How will you interrupt people? How will you deal with time running out? How can participants take word? - as you can see it's not just about how you deliver, it's very operational as well. Once you figured all of that - and much more -out, make sure to make it clear to everyone at the beginning of the session. Mentioning that you may have to cut long comments will prepare them for it and make it way easier for your participants to accept it. Predict, define, communicate: do not put participants in a corner or they'll have to make quick decisions, resulting in being startled or feeling wronged.

A good blend of theory and practical interaction with your audience is necessary; you can never go wrong with real storytelling.

I'll follow the 4 Core Framework before I choose my methods. 1. Start Strong, End Stronger. 2. Time-boxed each exercise. 3. Energy maintained in the session. 4. Always end with an actionable plan committed by the team. So the methods must have the exercise that start with these four core method such as Collect Information, Choose Problems, Create Solutions, and end with Commit Actions. ALL my exercises need to fit in these four core methods to help the facilitation go smoothly and feel heard by the participants.

Before choosing methods, I find it helpful to get clear on the session's narrative. Or the session's flow. This helps me pick the most effective methods.

Remembering the adult learning philosophy during session design and delivery is important. The challenge is mostly balancing between delivery of knowledge vs a learning experience . The session should be fun yet impactful. What often helps me is having a basket of tools & activities around the topic which I can plug and play with based on the group dynamics and on the ground situation. Prepared yet being in the flow.

People's attention wanes. This isn't necessarily a sign of poor facilitation, it's just human nature. - To keep attention focused, and bring it back when it naturally gets diverted, it is a good idea to use a range of methods to keep the session diverse and interesting, even if it is a short session. Use a mixture of information sharing, participation engagement, reflection, talking/thinking time. - Always keep the point of the session at the centre of every activity so that participants are clear on why they are there and what the purpose is. It's all very well to do a fun, energising activity, but people will prefer to know why they are doing it. - Be prepared to move away from the planned methods if they aren't working for the group.

I would switch the order of Plan the Agenda and Choose Your Methods. Planning the agenda (based on the Defined Purpose in the first step) will help you determine WHAT you will be doing. Selecting methods/techniques/tools is the HOW and should come after the WHAT. In this step, you will need to determine what you need for the session. For example, will there be a PowerPoint or other visual presentation? Will there be handouts for the participants? Get into detail here - what will the room setup be? Will you need a projector? Where will people sit? Do you need a flipchart? Markers? This may seem detailed, but as a facilitator you want to have everything available and working in order to build trust with the group.

One approach we use is to consider think, feel, and do. What do people need to think about? How will they feel and what feels are optimal for success? What can we do in presentation, activities, and experiences during the session that open the thinking and feelings in the direction that is desired?

“If I had an hour to solve a problem I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and five minutes thinking about solutions” (A. Einstein). This point of view is important as preparation has a core value in problem-solving. I spent much more time designing the workshop and thinking about why and how I would get useful outcomes so that the team could go further afterward. Leading the good questions and always think that I shall manage group interactions, collaborative activities, and times: always manage a generous timeline so that I can handle group discussion, plan B if necessary, critical thinking guidelines to manage the group thinking, and also how we'll analyze the workshop afterward.

Having an agenda, and sharing it in advance of the meeting is a critical success factor. However, we also need to be flexible, and throw it away if the situation demands it. Whipping up a quick agenda as a starting point, circulating this with stakeholders in advance, and modifying it based on their feedback is one way to plan. Another is to have a library of templates, and choosing something as a starting point. That said, sometimes the agenda is as simple as 1. brainstorm topics for discussion 2. vote on topics 3. discuss top 3 topics 4. summarise, actions, checkout. I'm a big fan of "Agile Agenda" approaches, and also willing to throw away the agenda if it makes sense to do so. Don't agonise over trying to make the agenda perfect!

The heavily focused concentration maximum level is 3 hours. So I'll follow my 4 core methods collecting information, choosing problems, creating solutions, and committing actions. Firstly I'll focus on letting them stay focused for a maximum of 3 hours, and the other will be some exercise that won't expect them to think too hard or to create any solutions. Secondly, I'll arrange a break of approximately 90 minutes to let them rest properly and maintain the energy in the room. For each exercise, I'll explain to them by using What exercise we are doing, why we are doing, and how we are doing follow with example to let them feel that I'm with them and not bringing tons of exercise that confused them.

Sharing the agenda with participants in advance is not just about transparency; it's also about setting expectations. When participants know what to expect, they can come prepared, which often results in more productive discussions.

An agenda is nice, but if you are facilitating for a group over multiple time slots/days a rigid agenda can get in the way. One of the skills I try to take from my hobby of Dungeons and Dragons is to improvise and try and take a "Yes and..." approach to facilitation. I know the destination, but if they want to go the long way or talk about a topic that they find interesting they have to be allowed. Agenda's are guides to what they will learn, it doesn't need to be a strict road map.

Always allow time in the agenda for participants to reflect on the content and how it relates to them and their own individual situation, in pairs, small groups or individually. Then allow time for them to share any reflections or questions that have come up for them in this process. This helps to take the content ‘off the page’, empowers them to take ownership, and increases the relevance, therefore increasing the impact.

Here in Australia, a good way of grounding any agenda is an Acknowledgment of Country. This enables all participants to be on common ground, articulate respect for First Nations people and ensure shared awareness of storytelling and conferencing that has been the basis of human gatherings here for tens of thousands of years. This also helps bring some perspective to the day!

This is key and part of the logistics for the session. Timing, sequencing and keeping it well organized creates a valuable experience for the participants so one must plan well ahead and do a few practice drills to ensure that the plan is actually working.

Structuring the agenda and following a time-box for each stage is a great ally to help maintain people's focus and avoid digressions.

2 blocks per day - plan in accordance with that A day has two blocks--before, and after lunch. The blocks can be unrelated, but within a block everything needs to align with one purpose. Protect people from unnecessary decision making People have limited energy--there's limited amount of decisions people can make. Make sure the most important decisions get enough space. Remove unnecessary decisions from the team. For example, self-organizing only makes sense sometimes, other times, you/the client can make the decision for the group. Some fundamentals rarely change opt for airy agenda A check-in, and check-out is needed, and 10 minute break every hour. That gives you approximately 5 hours of active session time per day.

Always trial-run activities, perhaps with colleagues. They can offer feedback on timing, clarity, and pertinence. This practice fine-tunes the session, ensuring the primary goals are seamlessly achieved.

I would remove this as a step. It is often not feasible to do a "test" or dry run, and since you are not doing it with the actual audience, the value is limited. The questions asked in this section are still relevant, and can be fit into the other steps. For example, "How will you solicit and incorporate feedback from others?" - this should be part of defining the "How".

One powerful tool I use to help test my sessions is visualisation. In my mind I go through all the individual aspects of the occasion, testing each one as I go to see if it looks right. How will I open the session? Where will I stand? How do I want the room to look, where will the participants be? How will they move to breakouts/whiteboards etc? Does it all flow smoothly, make sense and add value for the participants? If not, it’s easy to change and re-run with a different approach. We tend to think of visualisation as a technique to enhance elite sports performance and yet with practise it can be incredibly effective for you if you’re leading or speaking at any kind of meeting or group session. Try it!

The facilitator needs to master their content; owning the session from design to execution. The main thing in training is to make a complex idea simple and understandable, and carrying your audience along.

Rember that structure leads to flexibility I will go into the session with a number of tools, techniques, and activities ready for use. Then use the ones that suit the participants needs and progression remembering that every group of participants is different

Actually... Don't! Of course, you have to test your tech, your activities, etc., and do those operational tests but do not "play the facilitation" out. What I love about the art of facilitating is that it puts you always in a different field, you'll never know how it will go and no fake scenario will prepare you for the chaoticness of reality. Then what harm would it do to enact it with friends? You may create the wrong expectations and when things go sideways you'll be left startled. Like when preparing a speech: don't write word by word or you'll fumble when you forget one of them. Write down your main point instead, and go from one to another creatively. Don't be scared, even when walking we lose balance for a moment in every step!

I'll run internally with my teams and finds more example in their sector and problems they hope to conquer following with the interviews with each of them in advance. Then I'll assume the worst situation and how should I solve it with each exercise and what exercises or solutions can I provide if these really happened. So, always thinking about the worst situation in advance can help you to be slightly well-prepared for the session.

I also see this overrated. I mean, when u do a program, sure, I would test it, but there is rarely a reliable simulation when multilayered dynamics are involved. What I always trust is the process and the trust of people and my tool of choice always is communication that allows to zoom out and reflect. A workshop isn't a lifetime, it's a micro-chapter with micro relationships to nurture. But yes, I check my gear, my process, my people and certainly the place. I sometimes ask colleagues to challenge my agenda and always let it be seen by my business partner..

La primera vez que se imparte la sesión o cuando se incorpora una nueva actividad es muy importante realizar role play si la sesión cuenta con mas de un facilitador por ejemplo, esto ayuda a dar feedback, manejar los tiempos y dar por hecho que todos conocen la agenda anticipadamente.

And if you can't run it (time or availability), just having a chat with a colleague, co-facilitator or even coach is already quite helpful. It helps to take some distance and reflect on the session with someone.

If you're facilitating a session, ensure You are in the right space both physically and mentally. No meetings before, and no meetings after the session. Preserve your energy before, after, and during a session. Don't spend the little energy you have in between exercises on your phone, emails, or in other meetings. It might seem like nothing, but a session that's 3-4 hours of active time requires your attention, and all the mental energy you have in a day. Even though the session is "only 4 hours".

I like to familiarise myself with the physical environment as well - makes a big difference to how I run the session and the experience of the participants. An online environment is just as important as an in-person environment - it all impacts on how I plan.

Preparing for a facilitation involves several steps to ensure a successful outcome. 1. Gather relevant information: Collect all the necessary information and resources related to the topic you will be facilitating. 2. Develop an agenda or plan: Create a detailed agenda or plan for the facilitation. 3. Prepare materials and visual aids: Prepare any materials or visual aids you will need during the facilitation. 4. Anticipate potential challenges: Identify potential challenges or conflicts that might arise during the facilitation. 5. Practice your facilitation skills: Take the time to practice your facilitation skills. 6. Set up the physical environment: Before the facilitation, visit the venue or set up the virtual environment .

In my experience it's important to test the virtual equipment prior to the session. The facilitator needs to be able to use the equipment well; the tools for engagement prior to the facilitation session. This includes polls and questions as needed.

I prepare a guide with graphical prompts and use it in conjunction with the participant material. In other words, the facilitator's notes. I have time checkpoints to ensure I stay on track. I have a facilitator's kit ready to go at all times with a coloured pencil case for each table (with markers, pens, and pencils in coloured pencil cases), index cards, markers for the facilitator, coloured bags with energizers (one per table). Set up is a breeze. I just put handouts, one bag, and one pencil case on each participant's table. I bring the music and DVDs to create the right atmosphere. It's all in one lightweight kit.

I love my facilitation box. I feel safer having it with me because I know it allows me to invent new activities at any point. I also always have a cup of tea / a water bottle with me. Helps me take care of my body. I focus more and more lately on my mental and emotional preparation. Being rested and grounded. I always take a small alone break before facilitating a meeting.

Prepare, prepare, prepare - but don't fall in love with your plans! For a facilitator knowing several methods and how to apply them for diverse populations is important. Understanding the population of the session and their needs & goal set for the session are even more important. Prepare a blueprint for yourself in order to gain confidence. However, remember that life doesn't always go as planned. Prepare to be unprepared so that it won't shock you once something unexpected happens! The ability of adapting is the most important value of a facilitator, be prepared to adapt your plans, explanations and methods even as you go. Kill your darlings - if it's not working or getting you where you need, ditch it! The process is not about you.

Aprendi com o Otto Scharmer, na Teoria U, algumas dicas importantes: ele sugere que na noite anterior ao encontro devemos alinhar nossa intenção com a necessidade futura do grupo. É como se através dessa conexão, pudéssemos estar mais preparados para eventos que podem ocorrer durante a experiência, além de claro, também nos permitir entregar o que realmente o grupo precisa. Além disso, procuro me alimentar bem e manter minhas atividades físicas, que são fundamentais para mim. Ao iniciar o trabalho, também é importante, alinhar as expectativas. Reunir o grupo em uma roda, ou como for possível e pedir que cada um mencione suas intenções e expectativas, de forma bem objetiva, utilizando duas ou três palavras.

As a communication facilitator energy , enthusiasm , agility to respond and keep focus requires preparation of purpose and ability to shape agenda to the needs of the group or individual in real time. Reflecting after the event to bank some key personal learning points for your own development. Time and space post session to process is important.

Breathe. Whether it's box breathing, something that helps tune you in to a mindful state or simply improving the oxygen/carbon dioxide mix in your lungs, it's great preparation to breathe. Just breathe.

Measure of success/ evaluation is a critical step that supports facilitator improvement and gives evidence of the session's value. The Phillips ROI framework is useful: Reaction/Satisfaction, Learning, Behavior, Results, ROI. All can be measured through participant and/or manager/customer surveys, follow-up interviews, focus groups, and observation. Reaction/Satisfaction: Did you meet your client's needs and achieve your own objective? Learning: What did the participants learn? What new insight or feelings did they obtain? Behavior: What behaviors changed as a result of the session? Results: What business or personal results did the participants achieve? ROI: Use a cost-benefit analysis to show monetary and intangible benefits.

I think that the key points have been covered. I think I can only add some things about the discipline of each step or how to prevent some common pitfalls. For example, when you're thinking about the purpose of your presentation (what you want your audience to think, feel, remember and do after the presentation) do it on paper. I think most of us tend to jump right into the slide creation when we're still on the brainstorm stage, which is not recommendable. Another common issue is editing as we go. So, we're already creating our slides on our ppt or canva or whatever, and instead of completing the whole thing and only then review to edit, we want to edit slide by slide. This is also not recommendable since it can slow you down.

I think you’ve done a great job at covering they key points when it comes to facilitating sessions. A couple of things I always try to do are: 1. Get those that aren’t, or haven’t contributed quite as much to have their say (this is where using post it’s is great to ensure you get to hear those that don’t like to talk in a group). I think you mention this in knowing your audience. 2. Having a “parking lot” can ensure you have a way of capturing important topics that might not be part of the agenda of the meeting but should be followed up on and allow you to continue with your scope. Overall good article 👍🏻 🙏

Me preparo haciendo un repaso mental de: El material El tiempo a utilizar Los horarios El grupo que me toca El objetivo que busco alcanzar Me preparo pensando en posibles dificultades que puedan surgir, y así pensar en solucionar posibles objeciones que surjan

In the preparation I seek the client to consider IMPACT GOALS and their measurabilities. Because a session/workshop is more than your days of present work. Clients seem to still need to learn that and respect their investment by allocating time for the implementation afterwards, otherwise, I see many workshop sessions as nonsense booked for justifying sth has been done. and I see it as our duty to make clear that prep and aftercare AS IMPORTANT as any presence session. A facilitator for organisations that takes his job seriously can't NOT be a part-time organisational developer. 💡 What do you think? Please DM!

I like to consider what are the shared values, expectations, and what experiences and expertise participants bring to the discussion. Knowing these things will help the facilitator better manage the conversation in an effort to ensure that it's meaningful.

This is a helpful article full of sound practical advice, but I'd like to underline the importance of Time Keeping and the need to prepare clear instructions regarding the timing of each sequence of the facilitation. A lack of diligence on timing can have damaging consequences for all parties. The facilitation of a group and the group's ability to work at pace to achieve it's goal takes place within a limited time frame, therefore attention must be given to the timing and completion of sequences and this depends on rehearsal and on clarity of instruction to the group, for example asking the group to nominate a Time Keeper, whose responsibility it is to monitor time and keep the group moving forward.

I have a 60 checklist and a few Standard Operating Procedures covering everything that needs to be prepared before the session. - People - Room - Tech - Resources

In addition to what some of the other contributors of suggested to that I would consider is not just that quantitive evaluation. Where are you looking on written investment as the successes have they had the results you desired, but allow you time for you to reflect on. you know the management dollar session. How could they gone better could’ve been other questions you could’ve asked What type of facility did you want to be? Were you were you that in that session I think the fact to consider is that you may have missed elements that as long as the main objectives I’m at it still a success is it important that we learn through reflection allow us to apply learning till next session. Good luck.