How do you cultivate your own facilitation skills and mindset to foster a culture of innovation in meetings?

Liberating Structures are an excellent tool for both in-person and online sessions. https://www.liberatingstructures.com/ These foster collaboration and distribute power among the group.

One of the most profound ways to encourage people to share their wonderful ideas and insights is to practice active listening. Make sure to let everyone know that all ideas are valid. It also helps to ask open-ended questions to encourage discussion and exploration.

I am learning more and more to build in extra time for the "unexpected but important" conversation that organically arises. Sometimes you need to allow just 5 - 10 minutes to air it and set it aside. On the flip side, I like to have a "just in case" activity if something takes less time than expected. A skilled co-facilitator is helpful to offer ideas for any adjustments we might want to make in the fly. Another option is to get the pulse and preferences of the participants. "We have some choices: would you all rather do A or B in the next 10 minutes?" or "We have some extra time, are you willing to repeat that exercise with a different topic for the next 10 minutes?"

I find that involving participants in time management enhances meetings. Start by announcing a time estimate for the session and activities. Early on, check in with a simple "How's the pace?" To keep everyone on track, try the "Time Timer Visual Aid Clock" or similar prompt. Breakout groups better manage their own progress with visual aids.) When the time estimate fail to align with energy or estimates, I follow @TrinaWalker's advice and seek group input. A collaborative approach empowers everyone to make meetings work.

When an airplane experiences rough turbulence, people often look at the flight attendants’ demeanor to help them interpret the situation. Should they prepare to brace for impact or return to watching their movie? In the same way, how you manage the unexpected will either put people at ease or not. Try this: 1. Manage the voice in your head 2. Stay open and build on what's happening (Technology breaks? No worries, let's just have a conversation instead.) 3. Be willing to flex your approach. Put the group's needs before your own.

One of the best ways to learn is to experience other facilitators in action. Join a facilitator's group or attend a workshop. You'll learn techniques and skills you can adapt to your own style.

Als Moderator darf man gerne auch mal neue Techniken ausprobieren. Diese sollten zur eigenen Persönlichkeit passen, aber auch der Prozess der Teilnehmenden unterstützten. So kann die eigene Moderations-Persönlichkeit weiterentwickelt werden. Regelmässige Reflexion lässt erkennen, welche von den neu ausprobierten Tools besonders effektiv sind. Seien sie mutig! :-)