Want to be a stronger facilitator? Determine your facilitation philosophy

Over the past three years, I've facilitated over 1,000 hours of meaningful conversations with organization communities, 90% of which were oversized. And I loved it!

To be fair, I grew up with parent entertainers. My father worked for Kodak in the 90s as a learning and development facilitator and my mother worked for the New York State Department of Education, focusing on quality education.

Becoming a strong facilitator is not for the faint-hearted: community dialogues can be filled with unspoken tensions, quiet but bold ambitions, and all the dynamics that make community work satisfying.

Facilitation is in my bones, and it's also in my mind, my policy, and drives most of the ways I engage with the world.

What keeps me grounded and directing these conversations is a philosophy of facilitation that comes from practice.

So what is a facilitation philosophy? Great question.

A facilitation philosophy is a statement of purpose and shared principles that guide the experience of participation.

Curious about my facilitation philosophy? The 10 principles below have emerged over time and anchor my approach to facilitation design.

Communicate Courageously - Make the implicit explicit. Dance with the power to share your truth. Show up – be present – ​​and consider this idea that clarity is an act of kindness. Rest - Why don't you rest? Rest is what restores us and it can take many different forms, from walks with friends to naps. What if rest wasn't just to increase productivity? What if rest was what you deserved just to be alive. Look for the nuance - In the moments when you find tension, where there is warmth - look for the thread that connects it. Give space to details that can give texture to your understanding, ideas, and decisions. Show Care - Designing for care means activating politicized empathy. How about integrating care infrastructure into your practice? What would it mean to make sure you and your community have the resources to take care of yourself and each other? Orient yourself to joy - How often do you use joy as your guide? What would it be like to focus on finding pleasure with your community? In times of crisis, joy can still be found. It is tender - luminous and can be a guide and a horizon. Sit in silence - Silence is often interpreted as a lack of interest or engagement, whereas silence can simply mean processing, metabolizing and integrating. Don't be afraid of quiet moments - there is clarity to be found there. Go slow - Take your time. Our urgency to work in design, often driven by client contracts, leaves little room for a break. For reflection. Save space to slow down - and ask "what could we be missing"? Resisting binaries - The false binary dichotomy can inhibit the design of creative interventions. What if it was one or the other? What if it was both/and? What if it wasn't a linear choice but a constellation of truths to navigate? Check out the story - What motivates your community to choose each other? What is the narrative that keeps you together? Landing on gratitude - Was there a meaningful exchange? No matter how big or small, gratitude is an investment in a relationship. It means you see value in someone and appreciate their contribution.

For more tips on facilitation, emergent strategy, and management, stay tuned!