What are your facilitation session prep secrets?

1 Know your audience

Before you design your facilitation session, you need to understand who your participants are, what their needs and expectations are, and how they prefer to learn and interact. You can gather this information by conducting a pre-session survey, interviewing key stakeholders, or reviewing relevant data. Knowing your audience will help you tailor your content, methods, and tone to suit their level of knowledge, interest, and style.

2 Define your objectives

A facilitation session without clear objectives is like a ship without a compass. You need to have a specific and measurable outcome that you want to achieve by the end of the session, and communicate it to your participants at the beginning. Your objectives should be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. They should also align with the overall goal of the project or initiative that you are facilitating.

3 Choose your methods

Once you have your objectives, you need to decide how you will achieve them. This means choosing the appropriate methods and tools for your facilitation session, such as icebreakers, discussions, presentations, exercises, games, polls, or feedback. You should consider the size, diversity, and dynamics of your group, as well as the time and resources available. You should also balance the different modes of learning and interaction, such as visual, auditory, kinesthetic, individual, and group.

4 Design your agenda

Your agenda is the blueprint of your facilitation session. It outlines the sequence, duration, and content of each activity, as well as the roles and responsibilities of the facilitator and the participants. Your agenda should be realistic, flexible, and coherent. It should also include breaks, transitions, and summaries. You should share your agenda with your participants in advance, and review it at the start and end of the session.

5 Prepare your materials

Your materials are the tools and resources that you will use during your facilitation session, such as slides, handouts, worksheets, flipcharts, markers, sticky notes, or online platforms. You should prepare your materials in advance, and make sure they are clear, concise, and consistent. You should also check the availability and functionality of the equipment and technology that you will need, and have a backup plan in case of technical issues.

6 Practice your delivery

Your delivery is the way you present yourself and your content during your facilitation session. It includes your voice, body language, eye contact, gestures, and humor. You should practice your delivery before the session, and get feedback from a colleague or a friend. You should also rehearse your timing, transitions, and interactions with your participants. Practicing your delivery will help you boost your confidence, credibility, and rapport.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?