Facilitation

7 Tips to Improve Your Team Facilitation Skills

Effective team facilitation skills are essential for driving collaboration, productivity, and innovation within organizations.

In today’s dynamic and interconnected business landscape, the ability to guide groups toward common goals and foster an inclusive and supportive environment is paramount.

A team facilitator possesses a unique set of competencies that enable them to orchestrate successful meetings, navigate conflicts, encourage participation, and harness the collective intelligence of diverse team members.

This article explores the key aspects of team facilitation, highlighting the importance of these skills and providing practical insights to enhance facilitation abilities. Whether you are a seasoned facilitator or aspiring to become one, understanding and honing these skills will empower you to lead teams to greater success, including 7 tips to improve your team facilitation skills.

What is a synonym for facilitation?

Enablement, much like facilitation, encompasses the act of empowering and supporting individuals or groups to achieve their goals. It involves providing the necessary tools, resources, and guidance to enable others to accomplish tasks or overcome challenges.

Just as a facilitator helps to remove obstacles and streamline processes, an enabler creates an environment that encourages growth, development, and success. Through enablement, individuals are equipped with the means to maximize their potential and take ownership of their actions.

It emphasizes empowering others to become self-sufficient, fostering independence and self-confidence. Ultimately, enablement is about empowering individuals or groups to realize their full potential and achieve desired outcomes.

The reasons facilitation skills are needed

Facilitation skills play a critical role in creating a productive discussion and engaging group dynamics. A facilitator possesses active listening skills, enabling them to truly understand and empathize with the perspectives and needs of group members.

By actively listening, facilitators can create an inclusive environment where everyone feels heard and valued, leading to more effective communication and collaboration. Additionally, a skilled facilitator understands the importance of encouraging participation from all group members.

They create space for individuals to contribute their own ideas and insights, fostering a sense of ownership and engagement in group work among the participants. This active participation not only enhances the quality of discussions but also increases the likelihood of reaching a successful outcome.

Remote facilitation skills

Facilitation skills are not limited to in-person interactions. With the rise of remote work and virtual meetings, facilitators must also be proficient in virtual facilitation techniques.

Virtual facilitators should learn to adapt their skills to create an inclusive and interactive environment in virtual settings, leveraging technology tools effectively and encouraging active participation from all participants.

The facilitation process

The facilitation process itself is a core element of effective facilitation skills. A skilled facilitator plans and guides the meeting process, ensuring that it stays focused and on track toward the desired outcomes.

They establish clear objectives, create an agenda, and set ground rules to provide structure and direction for group discussions. Throughout the meeting, the facilitator actively manages the group dynamics, facilitating productive discussions and helping to resolve conflicts or disagreements that may arise.

They also pay attention to body language and non-verbal cues, allowing them to gauge the level of engagement and understanding within the group.

Optimizing team performance with facilitation skills

Team facilitation plays a crucial role in optimizing a team’s performance and achieving desired outcomes. Facilitators with significant facilitation experience are equipped with a repertoire of different techniques to effectively guide and support teams.

Facilitators understand the importance of being directly involved in the facilitation process, actively engaging with team members and fostering an environment of open communication.

Good communication skills are essential for facilitators, as they need to ensure that information flows smoothly and that everyone has a voice.

How do you plan a good facilitation process?

Planning an effective facilitation process requires careful consideration and attention to various crucial elements. A skilled facilitator not only aims to achieve desired outcomes but also focuses on fostering a positive and engaging experience for all participants.

To ensure successful meetings or planning sessions, facilitators should prioritize the following key points during the planning phase.

Steps for facilitation planning

First and foremost, it is essential for the facilitator to meticulously plan each aspect of the process beforehand. This includes defining clear objectives, determining the appropriate structure and format for the session, and identifying the necessary resources and materials.

By laying out a well-organized framework, the facilitator sets the stage for a smooth and productive session. Additionally, considering the participants’ needs and expectations is crucial.

A facilitator should take into account the diverse perspectives and ensure that the session caters to the specific requirements and interests of the individuals involved. This involves tailoring the agenda, activities, and discussions to create a meaningful and inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and engaged.

Anticipating potential challenges or conflicts and having contingency plans in place are vital for a successful facilitation process. A skilled facilitator will proactively identify possible obstacles and prepare strategies to address them effectively, such as implementing conflict resolution techniques or adapting the agenda as needed.

Ultimately, through thorough planning and thoughtful consideration of various factors, facilitators can create an environment conducive to collaboration, open dialogue, and successful outcomes.

Facilitating a team meeting or planning session

Facilitating a planning meeting requires careful consideration and preparation. As a facilitator, it is essential to ask yourself, “What is my best option for this meeting?” This question prompts you to assess the meeting’s objectives, desired outcomes, and the needs of the participants.

By understanding these factors, you can determine the most effective approach for the meeting, whether it involves brainstorming, decision-making, problem-solving, or strategic planning. Your best option may involve creating an agenda that outlines key discussion points, allocating sufficient time for each agenda item, and using appropriate facilitation techniques to encourage active participation and collaboration. By considering the best option for the meeting, you can set the stage for a successful planning session that yields meaningful results and moves the team closer to their goals.

Start the meeting on time

As a facilitator, starting a meeting on time holds significant importance. It sets the tone for the entire session and demonstrates respect for everyone’s time and commitment. When a meeting begins promptly, it sends a message that the facilitator values efficiency and professionalism. It allows participants to feel confident that their time will be well-utilized, increasing their engagement and focus.

Moreover, starting on time shows that the facilitator is organized and prepared, creating a positive impression and establishing credibility. By prioritizing punctuality, a facilitator sets the stage for a productive meeting, fosters a sense of discipline among participants, and maximizes the opportunity to achieve the meeting’s objectives effectively.

Review the agenda, objectives, and ground rules for the meeting

Reviewing the agenda, objectives, and ground rules for a meeting is a critical step in effective facilitation.

As a facilitator, it is important to check-in with the other group members to ensure consensus on the meeting agenda. This allows for transparency and inclusion, as each participant’s input and expectations are considered. By seeking feedback and incorporating it into the agenda, the facilitator ensures that the meeting aligns with the desired outcomes and addresses the specific needs of the group.

In addition to reviewing the agenda, it is essential to establish clear ground rules. Ground rules provide a framework for the meeting, outlining behavioral expectations and promoting a respectful and productive environment. These rules may include guidelines for active listening, respecting others’ perspectives, maintaining confidentiality, and adhering to time limits. Setting out ground rules at the beginning of the meeting helps manage expectations, encourages participation, and minimizes disruptions or conflicts.

By reviewing the agenda, objectives, and establishing ground rules, the facilitator sets the stage for a focused and successful meeting. This process ensures that all participants are aligned and engaged, enabling them to work collaboratively towards the desired outcomes. It demonstrates the facilitator’s commitment to creating a structured and respectful environment that maximizes productivity and fosters effective communication among team members.

How do facilitators ask questions?

How do facilitators ask questions to enhance the problem-solving process and stimulate critical thinking? Facilitators adopt a question-based approach, prioritizing inquiry over providing immediate solutions.

By asking questions, facilitators encourage active engagement and participation from team members, fostering a collaborative and inclusive problem-solving environment. This questioning method serves multiple purposes, such as breaking down complex problems into manageable pieces, gathering diverse input from the team, and evaluating issues from various angles. Sociological questions, in particular, can be valuable tools for facilitators, as they delve into the social dynamics, perspectives, and relationships that impact the problem at hand.

Facilitators strategically employ different types of questions to drive discussions and prompt deeper exploration. Open-ended questions encourage expansive thinking and elicit detailed responses, enabling participants to articulate their thoughts and ideas more comprehensively. Probing questions help facilitators delve deeper into a specific topic or issue, seeking clarity and encouraging critical analysis.

Reflective questions invite individuals to evaluate their own assumptions, biases, and perspectives, fostering self-awareness and promoting a more comprehensive understanding of the problem. By skillfully asking questions, facilitators empower teams to approach problems from multiple angles, consider diverse viewpoints, and collaboratively arrive at innovative and well-informed solutions.

A guide to facilitation skills and why they are essential for navigating complex business problems

Successful meetings require objective, organized direction and the guidance of an impartial leader or facilitator. Facilitation skills are a vital component of effective meetings because they help team members gain insight into their issue or topic.

Managing a team with good facilitator skills will improve their ability to deal with complex problems. Facilitators are experts in leading group meetings and gathering sessions. Oftentimes participants are facilitators who have attended workshops or design sprints based on the design process.

Active listening

Active listening helps understand how someone has spoken or why he or she offered the information. This starts with eye contact or open-minded gestures showing an interest in the contribution. A facilitator takes into account nonverbal clues like body language or tone.

Developing and maintaining a listening strategy requires a judgment of contributions as part of this process. Once the message is shared with professional facilitators, he can return the message to a speaker who hears the message and receives confirmation of a complete understanding.

Inspiring success with facilitation skills

In facilitating people a person helps others solve problems by encouraging participation and inspiring others in order to achieve a particular outcome they will.

Facilitators remain neutral when discussing how the groups progress toward their final goal. Once an end result has been obtained, facilitators do what they are supposed to do in their duties.

7 team facilitation skills needed by agile team facilitators

Teams don’t develop synergy overnight. Building synergy takes time and effective facilitation.

Team Facilitation starts with developing the right mindset and meeting preparation process. It’s informed by the things you believe as a facilitator, such as believing the group has the collective wisdom to solve the challenge at hand. Being aware of your bias means understanding how you can intentionally or unintentionally influence the group process.

No matter the kind of meeting you walk into, your most important job here is to help quiet people in the group get over the hurdles of face-to-face communication. Here are seven tips to keep in mind the next time you step up to facilitate meetings with a team.

1. Honor the Wisdom of the Group

Good Facilitators believe their group has the wisdom and knowledge to design successful solutions and that people will support what they help to create.

Great Facilitators, however, know how to pull this wisdom and knowledge out of their team members, so that these solutions can become a reality.

As a Facilitator, it’s not up to you to go in and fix problems. Your job is to ensure that the entire group becomes engaged early in the planning process, and then stays engaged, managing conflicts before they impede the group’s progress. Design the format of your meetings to promote discussion and participation from everyone, beginning on day one.

2. Encourage Trust in the Capacity and Experience of Others

When a team of experts gathers in a room group work together, our natural tendency is to make sure our knowledge is known and our opinion is heard – sometimes at the cost of not listening to others. Your role as a Facilitator is to create an environment that encourages team members to not only talk, but to listen to new ideas and be open to adapting them based on the experience of the entire group. While you might honor the wisdom of the group, don’t assume that your team holds this same belief – help them move in that direction!

3. Maintain Neutrality

As a Facilitator, your role is to own the process, while remaining neutral regarding the content. Don’t try to influence the outcome of the team by providing your opinion, voting on a decision or judging a statement. Simply maintain an objective perspective and comment neutrally without labeling people or offering criticism or critique.

If your gut is telling you that the group may be making a mistake, then turn it back to them by asking the team what they think. When you interject your opinion or influence the discussion’s outcome, the group loses connection with the solution and may view the end-product as yours, not theirs.

For an Agile Team Facilitator, this is often one of the hardest skills to control, especially when the same facilitator role is also a peer member of the expert team. If there is content or opinion that you need to provide to the team, then clearly tell them that you’re stepping out of the role of Facilitator and into that of Participant. Move away from the front of the room, deliver your message, and then step back into the role of Facilitator. When you moderate the meeting in this manner, the team won’t become confused about your role or purpose.

4. Practice Self-assessment and Self-Awareness

Having self-awareness about your strengths and weaknesses as a facilitator is an important skill that you can master. Teams can be your best “mirrors,” as they’re often more than willing to give you feedback – both good and bad. Don’t take this feedback personally; instead, use it to improve your approach to facilitation.

In addition, there are many self-assessment tools available to you, such as Kantor Behavioral Profile, Myers Briggs and DiSC, which can provide invaluable feedback regarding your preferences and approaches to problem-solving. Before you step in front of a whole group of people, make sure that you understand yourself, first and foremost, and then use this knowledge to create a dynamic that maximizes your effectiveness as Facilitator.

Remember, the facilitation skill is not a static skill. Great facilitators are continuously learning and adapting methods to improve success.

5. Maintain an Objective, Non-Defensive, Non-Judgmental Stance

Successful facilitation requires active listening to what your team has to say in order to help you steer the process toward success. Losing objectivity during a meeting, or becoming defensive or judgmental during a discussion, can hinder your ability to “hear” what your team is saying. Remember, this is not about you – it’s about what the group needs to move forward toward a solution. Be aware of your personal “hot buttons” and design ways to manage them.

6. Act with Integrity

This isn’t a situation in which you can fake it until you make it. Be clear with the group about your role as Facilitator and establish clear boundaries early on in group discussions. If you think something is too challenging for the group, find a way to say so with integrity. However, if you see a potential conflict of interest, or you’re going into a meeting where you have clear opinions about the target topic, then ask another Facilitator to facilitate so you can participate in the discussion.

7. Trust the Process

Do your homework in preparation for the meeting. Understand the desired objectives for the meeting and design your facilitation process to accomplish these objectives. Once you’re in the meeting, trust in the process! A group can easily get distracted by details, which can make small meetings feel like a waste of time or like things are taking too long. Keep your eye on the goal and trust the meeting process as it unfolds.

Seeking opportunities to facilitate

Using facilitating techniques will improve the quality of learning you can do. Training in how to train people is essential to becoming an effective facilitator and entrepreneur.

If two people are required to work together on the same task, they can practice their facilitation skills as long as they prepare, listen and encourage people and each other throughout their job.

5 Key facilitation skills in the workplace

Although it is possible to practice some effective facilitation skills, here are ways to make them more effective, especially in the workplace.

1 Active listening skills: listen to every member of your team

The ability to listen to the voices of the audience is also a social skill. Take care to listen to your colleague’s voice and keep an active listener to everybody in your thoughts. Actively hearing the members of your team is an extremely respectful way of showing respect and giving them a sense of being heard. The practice of these active listening skills may lead others to select you for the next group project.

2 Encourage participation by everyone

Encouraging participation by everyone is a key facilitation skill that greatly enhances collaboration and creativity in the workplace. A skilled facilitator understands the importance of creating an inclusive environment where every team member feels comfortable and empowered to contribute their ideas and perspectives. By employing various techniques such as active listening, open-ended questioning, and creating space for equal participation, the expert facilitator ensures that everyone’s voice is heard and valued. This not only fosters a sense of ownership and engagement among team members but also leverages the diverse talents and expertise within the group.

Encouraging participation also promotes a culture of trust and respect, where individuals feel supported in sharing their thoughts and opinions, ultimately leading to more innovative and effective solutions. Moreover, a skilled facilitator adeptly manages any dominant voices or silence, ensuring a balanced and inclusive discussion that benefits from the collective intelligence of the entire team.

3 Think about progress frequently

Developing strong facilitative skills will help you in making better and quicker decisions in your life and workplace. Projects will be completed quicker or may be identified to need additional facilitation. Just thinking like a facilitator will help you make progress faster.

4 Manage your time effectively during every task

Time management is crucial for facilitations. In other words, if your boss gives you a job that should be completed before noon, divide your job into pieces and give your boss the required time to complete them in an efficient way each day. The more efficient your time management is, the more you can save the lives of a whole team.

5 Practice empathy toward others

Empathy has become a social skill that allows for compassion and understanding of people’s experiences. Using empathy is a key element for continuing a failed project. In some cases, team members who have been working on projects are unsure unless their work can help them understand their work. Show the staff you understand how they feel and help them progress as they progress.

What can facilitation skills do for your career?

Developing facilitation skills can have a profound impact on one’s career. These skills enable individuals to effectively lead meetings, manage group dynamics, and facilitate productive discussions.

By honing facilitation skills, professionals can enhance their ability to communicate, collaborate, and influence others. Facilitation skills can boost career growth by enabling individuals to take on leadership roles, lead successful projects, and drive positive change within their organizations.

These skills can increase their value as team members and problem-solvers, making them sought-after assets in various industries and sectors.

Overall, facilitation skills can significantly contribute to career success by empowering individuals to foster collaboration, achieve desired outcomes, and create a positive impact in their professional endeavors.

How to highlight facilitation skills

Throughout the job search process, your facilitating skills and abilities become evident, showcasing your unique value as a facilitator. By demonstrating your diverse skills and abilities during the job search, you exemplify your proficiency in fostering effective communication, driving collaboration, and navigating complex group dynamics. Obtaining certification as a facilitator further sets you apart from other candidates who may lack this recognized credential.

Being a certified facilitator not only demonstrates your commitment to professional development but also validates your expertise in facilitating successful outcomes. Employers recognize the value of a certified facilitator, as it signifies your ability to lead, mediate, and create a productive work environment. By highlighting your facilitating skills and certification, you increase your chances of standing out and securing opportunities that align with your facilitation expertise.

Facilitation skills for your resume

When crafting your resume, it’s essential to showcase your facilitation abilities as they can greatly enhance your professional profile. Consider including these skills in the dedicated skill section of your resume. One such skill is the ability to effectively manage your own schedule and workload, demonstrating your organizational prowess and self-motivation. Additionally, you can emphasize other relevant abilities, such as encouragement and flexibility, to describe your past work experiences.

These qualities exemplify your aptitude for creating a positive and adaptable work environment, fostering collaboration, and inspiring others to reach their full potential. By showcasing your facilitation skills on your resume, you highlight your ability to lead, communicate, and drive successful outcomes, making you a valuable asset in any professional setting.

What does having strong facilitation skills mean for a leader?

Having strong facilitation skills as a leader is immensely beneficial for effective team management, collaboration, and achieving organizational goals. Here are some key aspects of what it means for a leader to possess facilitation skills:

Effective Communication
Collaborative Decision-Making
Conflict Resolution
Empowering and Engaging the Team
Building Trust and Alignment

Possessing strong facilitation skills as a leader enhances communication, decision-making, conflict resolution, team engagement, and overall team performance. By effectively facilitating interactions and processes, leaders can create a positive and collaborative work environment, driving success and achieving organizational objectives.

Facilitators handle conflict

Handling conflict is a core element of facilitation, requiring specific skills and techniques to navigate challenging situations. A great facilitator possesses the necessary skills needed to handle conflict effectively, such as active listening, empathy, and the ability to remain impartial.

They create a safe and supportive environment where team members feel comfortable expressing their concerns and engaging in open dialogue. As a sounding board, the facilitator encourages people to share their perspectives and actively listens to understand the underlying issues contributing to the conflict.

By fostering an atmosphere of trust and respect, a great facilitator helps the team work through conflicts constructively, seeking common ground and facilitating resolution.

Facilitation skills and team-building activities

Team building activities are an integral part of effective facilitation, as they help foster collaboration, trust, and cohesion within a group.

A skilled facilitator understands the importance of designing and facilitating team-building activities that are engaging, purposeful, and tailored to the specific needs and dynamics of the team.

These activities can range from icebreakers and energizers to problem-solving exercises and experiential learning challenges. By carefully selecting and facilitating team-building activities, the facilitator creates opportunities for team members to interact, communicate, and build relationships in a non-work setting.

This allows individuals to better understand each other’s strengths, improve communication, and develop a sense of camaraderie.

Through skillful facilitation of team building activities, the facilitator creates an environment where team members feel motivated, connected, and inspired to work together towards shared goals, ultimately enhancing the team’s overall performance and effectiveness.

Facilitators are critical thinkers

The best facilitators possess a set of following skills that contribute to their effectiveness.

They have the ability to manage time effectively, ensuring that discussions stay on track and that adequate time is allocated to each agenda item. Additionally, they recognize the importance of creating an inclusive environment where everyone’s contributions are valued and encouraged.

They ask key questions that stimulate critical thinking and help the team delve deeper into the subject matter. By creating a balanced dynamic, facilitators prevent any single person from dominating the discussion and ensure that all team members have an opportunity to participate.

Facilitation is a balancing act

An important aspect of team facilitation is striking a balance between allowing free-flowing discussions and maintaining focus and productivity.

While it is crucial to encourage open dialogue and diverse perspectives, facilitators must also guide the team toward achieving the desired outcomes.

This involves skillfully managing the discussion, redirecting conversations when necessary, and ensuring that the team stays aligned with its goals.

Effective facilitators recognize that both engagement and efficiency are equally important and employ techniques to strike this balance throughout the facilitation process.

Continuous learning and improvement of facilitation skills

Continuous learning and improvement are essential for facilitators to excel in their role. Experienced facilitators actively seek feedback and reflect on their performance to refine their facilitation skills.

They stay updated on the latest facilitation techniques and approaches, attending training sessions and seeking opportunities to facilitate different types of meetings or group activities.

By continuously honing their facilitation skills, facilitators can effectively guide groups toward successful outcomes and create a positive and productive working environment.

Agile practices and effective facilitation skills

At their core, Agile practices are about effective collaboration and communication (that is, individuals and interactions). Effective facilitation is one of the most important skills that an Agile Coach or Scrum Master can bring to the leadership of an Agile Team.

How, specifically, are you helping your team to achieve its desired goals? What’s something that you’re already doing well that you can amplify? How might you be getting in the team’s way?

3 Great Ways to Maintain Neutrality in Meetings as the Facilitator

Whether your meeting takes place in person or virtually, someone has to be in charge of the meeting. Someone has to lead and guide and be in charge of the agenda time keeping and more. That someone is the facilitator. But how does a facilitator go about maintaining neutrality, especially when the stakes are high?

Facilitation is a skill which when put into practice, can continue to grow, expand and be refined. TeamCatapult has been teaching a variety of Facilitation workshops for years. To check out a sampling of our upcoming facilitation offerings, start here.

What is maintaining neutrality?

Maintaining neutrality refers to remaining impartial and unbiased in any given situation. It involves setting aside:

personal opinions
emotions
preconceived notions

in order to approach a matter objectively.

When someone maintains neutrality, they strive to gather diverse perspectives, evaluate information critically, and make decisions based on facts rather than personal biases. Neutrality requires self-awareness, open-mindedness, and a willingness to consider different viewpoints without favoring one side over another.

Maintaining neutrality does not mean being indifferent or passive, but rather actively engaging in thoughtful analysis while refraining from taking sides.

By maintaining neutrality, individuals can promote fairness, respect different opinions, and contribute to constructive dialogues and peace or conflict resolution processes.

What is the concept of neutrality?

The concept of neutrality revolves around the idea of remaining impartial and unbiased in various contexts. Neutrality implies not taking sides or favoring one position over another. It involves a state of objectivity where personal opinions, emotions, and prejudices are set aside to approach a situation or issue from a neutral standpoint.

Neutrality is often sought in areas such as mediation, journalism, diplomacy, and conflict resolution, where it is important to maintain fairness and promote open dialogue. It requires individuals to be aware of their own biases, actively seek diverse perspectives, and make decisions based on reliable information and evidence.

While achieving complete neutrality may be challenging, the concept serves as a guiding principle to encourage the principles of impartiality, respect for differing views, and the pursuit of balanced and unbiased judgments.

How do you develop neutrality?

Developing neutrality requires a conscious effort and ongoing practice. Here are some steps you can take to develop neutrality:

Self-reflection: Take the time to reflect on your own beliefs, biases, and emotions.
Seek diverse perspectives: Actively expose yourself to a range of viewpoints and opinions, especially those that differ from your own.
Question assumptions: Challenge your own assumptions and preconceived notions.
Practice empathy: Try to understand and empathize with the experiences, emotions, and motivations of others, even if you disagree with them.
Verify information: Ensure that the information you rely on is accurate and reliable. Fact-check claims and seek out reputable sources of information. .
Engage in critical thinking: Develop your critical thinking skills to evaluate information and arguments objectively.
Practice emotional detachment: While acknowledging emotions is important, strive to separate your emotions from your analysis of a situation.
Consider long-term consequences: Look beyond immediate outcomes and consider the potential long-term effects of different positions or decisions.
Stay informed: Continuously educate yourself on various topics and stay informed about current events.
Practice patience and humility: Developing neutrality is an ongoing process, and it’s important to be patient with yourself.

Why is it important to maintain neutrality when facilitating?

Maintaining neutrality when facilitating is important because it creates an environment of fairness and inclusivity. Neutrality allows facilitators to be impartial, ensuring that all participants feel respected and have an equal opportunity to contribute. It fosters open dialogue by creating a safe space where individuals can freely express their thoughts and opinions.

Neutrality is particularly vital in conflict resolution, as it helps facilitators navigate disputes without bias, guiding participants toward mutual understanding.

By remaining neutral, facilitators build trust among participants, promote fairness in decision-making, and minimize power dynamics in conflicts. Ultimately, neutrality is essential for effective facilitation, enabling a collaborative and productive process.

What does maintaining neutrality mean to a facilitator?

The facilitator of a collaborative meeting brings the objective and unbiased view to a group process, so that all voices can be heard and the team can access its collective intelligence.

How can this be achieved? It is done by maintaining neutrality on the facilitator’s part.

How can someone remain neutral?

Remaining neutral can be challenging, especially in situations where emotions or personal biases are involved. However, here are some strategies that can help someone strive for neutrality:

Awareness of personal biases: Recognize your own biases and understand how they might influence your perception and judgment. Be aware of any preconceived notions or prejudices you may have and make a conscious effort to set them aside.
Gather diverse perspectives: Seek out different viewpoints and opinions on the matter at hand. Engage in open-minded discussions with people who hold different beliefs or perspectives. This will help you broaden your understanding and challenge any inherent biases.
Critical thinking: Develop strong critical thinking skills to analyze information objectively. Evaluate evidence, assess logical arguments, and question assumptions. Rely on facts and data rather than emotions or personal anecdotes.
Practice empathy: Try to understand and empathize with all parties involved in a conflict or debate. Put yourself in their shoes and consider their motivations, experiences, and emotions. This can help you develop a more balanced and compassionate perspective.
Maintain emotional detachment: While it’s important to acknowledge and understand emotions, try to separate your own emotions from the situation. Emotional attachment can cloud judgment and lead to bias. Take a step back and approach the issue with a rational and calm mindset.
Consider the long-term consequences: Look beyond immediate outcomes and consider the potential long-term effects of different positions or decisions. Take into account the broader impact on individuals, groups, or society as a whole.
Seek reliable information: Ensure that you have access to accurate and trustworthy information. Rely on reputable sources and verify facts before forming an opinion. Avoid relying solely on biased or sensationalized media.
Take time for reflection: Before forming a conclusion or taking a position, take the time to reflect on the information you have gathered. Give yourself space to think critically and weigh different perspectives.
Accept uncertainty: Recognize that some issues may not have clear-cut solutions or that there may be unknown factors at play. Embrace the idea that it’s okay to have doubts or be uncertain about certain matters.
Be open to changing opinions: As new information emerges or as you gain more insights, be willing to reevaluate your stance. Being neutral means being open to reconsidering your position based on the available evidence.

Remember, achieving complete neutrality may not always be possible or necessary, as certain situations may call for taking a stance. However, by consciously striving for neutrality, you can become more objective and open-minded in your approach to various issues.

How can someone maintain neutrality in a meeting?

Maintaining neutrality in a meeting requires setting clear expectations for respectful dialogue, actively listening to participants without judgment, and suspending immediate conclusions.

As a facilitator, it is important to remain impartial, create a safe space for open discussion, and ensure equal participation. Focus on understanding each participant’s perspective, seeking clarification when needed, and basing discussions on facts and evidence.

Manage conflicts constructively, mediating discussions towards mutually acceptable solutions. Reflect on personal biases and triggers that may influence neutrality. Take notes to accurately capture contributions and summarize key points.

Follow up with fairness by implementing decisions transparently and treating all participants equitably. Maintaining neutrality in meetings requires ongoing commitment, self-awareness, and a dedication to fostering an inclusive and impartial environment.

What not to do when trying to remain neutral?

When trying to remain neutral, there are certain behaviors and actions that should be avoided.

First, it is important not to express personal biases or opinions that may sway the discussion in a particular direction. Avoid favoring one side or individual over another, as this undermines the goal of impartiality.

Next, do not dismiss or ignore perspectives that differ from your own. All viewpoints should be given a fair consideration and respect, even if they challenge your own beliefs. It is crucial not to let emotions overpower rational thinking or engage in personal attacks during discussions. Such behaviors hinder the maintenance of a neutral and respectful environment.

Lastly, do not make hasty judgments or decisions without thoroughly examining all available information. Neutrality requires a thoughtful and objective evaluation of facts and evidence. By avoiding these pitfalls, one can better defend and uphold neutrality and contribute to a fair and balanced discourse.

How is maintaining neutrality achieved?

The facilitator needs to own the process of the meeting while letting the participants own the content or topic.

Sounds easy?

Here is what it will look like.

As facilitator, you will need to engage in the following actions:

Setting the group’s direction to an agreed-upon outcome
Making process moves about how the group will work
Asking questions of the group
Building bridges between competing ideas
Sharing what you see happening in the group’s process without judgement.

While this might sound easy, it is not. In fact, some would argue that being completely neutral is not possible, that everything we say and do will be informed by our bias.

I do think it’s possible to maintain neutrality – especially if your focus is on the process not the content.

In this article, we will look at three ways to maintain neutrality.

1 Plan ahead: know before you go!

Before facilitating a meeting, it is important to know why the team is meeting and what they hope to accomplish. In addition, it’s important to know who is attending the meeting and who else needs to be in the room with this group.

This ‘Planning and Design for Facilitation’ needs to happen before the facilitator steps foot in the room.

Are you a facilitator? Plan to spend 2.5 times the length of the upcoming meeting on planning and design. Meaning that if the meeting is a 2-hour meeting, planning and design will take about 5 hours.

2 Grab a partner: share neutral leadership

Being the sole facilitator can be hard. Sharing neutral leadership means sharing the work of facilitation by rotating this role among the team members. It means having everyone take a turn owning the process and stepping out of the content.

This powerful practice of sharing neutral leadership serves two purposes. It helps you the facilitator develop your own skill set around maintaining neutrality and it develops the group’s ability to dig for their solutions with more trust.

3 Ask for feedback and support

Have I shared yet how ‘tricky’ maintaining neutrality is? Setting up a feedback process is essential for learning what is and what isn’t working.

This part is not about asking participants whether they liked the facilitation, it’s about determining if the group reached their desired outcomes through the facilitation process and if they held conversations that needed to be had.

Co-facilitation means having someone else in the room who can see the examples of where you might have slipped out of neutrality and can help you reflect on why it happened.

Co-facilitation is a great way to receive feedback, as long as you partner with someone more experienced.

More on co-facilitation

Co-facilitation refers to a collaborative approach in which two or more facilitators work together to lead a group or guide a process. It involves sharing the responsibilities and tasks associated with facilitation, such as planning, designing activities, managing discussions, and ensuring the overall success of the facilitated session or event.

Co-facilitation offers several advantages.

First, it brings a diversity of skills, expertise, and perspectives to the facilitation process, enriching the experience for participants. Each co-facilitator can contribute their unique strengths and knowledge, leading to a more comprehensive and well-rounded facilitation.

Second, it provides support and backup for each facilitator. If one facilitator encounters challenges or needs assistance, the other facilitators can step in to maintain the flow of the session and provide assistance as needed. This helps ensure a smooth facilitation process, especially in situations where unexpected issues arise or when dealing with larger groups.

Co-facilitation can enhance participant engagement and involvement. With multiple facilitators, there are more opportunities to interact with participants, address individual needs, and create a dynamic and interactive environment. Co-facilitators can take turns leading discussions, moderating activities, and providing individual support, resulting in a more inclusive and participatory experience for participants.

It promotes reflection and learning among facilitators. By working together, facilitators can observe and learn from each other’s styles, techniques, and approaches. They can provide feedback, share insights, and continuously improve their facilitation skills through collaboration and mutual support.

Learning more about maintaining neutrality

If you’re interested in learning more about maintaining neutrality in business, here are a few books that can provide valuable insights:

“Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High” by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler: While not solely focused on neutrality, this book offers practical strategies for engaging in difficult conversations and handling high-stakes situations with fairness and respect.
“Facilitator’s Guide to Participatory Decision-Making” by Sam Kaner, Lenny Lind, Catherine Toldi, Sarah Fisk, and Duane Berger: This guidebook provides facilitators with tools and techniques to navigate group decision-making processes while maintaining neutrality and promoting inclusivity.
“Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most” by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen: This book explores effective communication techniques for handling challenging conversations in a variety of settings, including the business world. It offers insights on maintaining objectivity, managing emotions, and finding common ground.
“The Skilled Facilitator: A Comprehensive Resource for Consultants, Facilitators, Managers, Trainers, and Coaches” by Roger Schwarz: This resource focuses on facilitation skills and techniques for creating collaborative and neutral environments. It covers topics such as managing group dynamics, promoting open dialogue, and facilitating effective decision-making.
“Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In” by Roger Fisher and William Ury: While primarily focused on negotiation, this classic book offers valuable guidance on maintaining neutrality, separating people from the problem, and finding win-win solutions in business interactions.
“The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization” by Peter Senge: This influential book emphasizes the importance of systems thinking and creating a learning culture within organizations. It explores concepts such as personal mastery, mental models, and dialogue, which can contribute to maintaining neutrality and fostering effective communication.

Last but not least, read “The Art & Science of Facilitation”

The Art & Science of Facilitation Book

You are invited to learn more about facilitation, our workshops and ‘The Art & Science of Facilitation‘ book and Virtual Book Tour.

Lastly, we extend an invitation to those who are ready to gain team coaching competency and confidence, including facilitation and agile team coaching by learning about our Coaching Agility From Within Cohort.

Are You Limiting Your Team’s Ability to Make Important Decisions?

Making important decisions is a crucial part of running a successful business. However, many managers unknowingly limit their team’s ability to make these decisions, which can have a significant impact on the overall success of the company.

Whether it’s through micromanaging, lack of communication, or a lack of trust, there are several ways managers can unintentionally stifle their team’s decision-making abilities.

The Leadership Team That Couldn’t Make Decisions

In this case study, the hired consultant realized that her focus on process-oriented conversations was limiting the team’s ability to make important decisions.

She realized that people need space to talk about how changes will impact them personally, and that ignoring these personal factors can create roadblocks to success. She has since devoted her career to helping teams create space for these types of conversations and addressing the personal impact of change.

Setting the Stage: My Experience and Point of View

At the time, I was an experienced consultant and leader, with two degrees in software engineering and ten years of experience working with companies to help bridge the gap between end users and developers. I was about 3 years into a slightly new career of working with teams in large-scale transformations. Being the seasoned techie and ‘process chick’ that I am, I was prepared to come in and help this organization reach their desired change – and I knew just how to do it: with re-engineered processes and new tools!

I’m sure no one else has ever entered a team with all the answers but here I was… convinced that I could help them do this “the right way” and it was too focused on process.

An Executive Team and Difficult Decisions

Then one day, I was sitting in a room with the executive team I’d been working with for about nine months. We were in the deep end of the pool. They were making one of the most difficult decisions of their careers – to fundamentally re-organize – not just positions but departments and workflow. It included major geographical relocations for virtually everyone in the company and collectively rethinking everything. It was big.

So far, my approach had been to give people space to talk about the process of the transformation: the business decisions, the data analysis, cost analysis, and defining the scope of the transformation.

But at the crux of this particular conversation — the conversation that changed everything for me — the leaders were being asked to weigh-in on a decision that would impact them both professionally and personally.

They were torn between making a decision that could result in them either losing their job or having to uproot their families and employees. There was arguing, tears, anguish, strife and ultimately a stale-mate.

They simply could not reach a consensus on the future.

The Aha Moment That Changed Everything

This is when I had one of the biggest aha’s! of my entire career. We had spent so much of our time focusing on the process that we had not created space for people to talk about how this massive transformation would actually impact them.

We were re-engineering processes, identifying desired outcomes, and collecting data, but nowhere had anyone done the “dangerous” thing – of asking how people felt – either as individuals or as a group. They were being asked to “check their personal baggage at the door” and yet have a conversation that had a radical impact on them and their teams personally.

They were being asked to transform everything about their professional landscape, including their job functions, their rank in the organization AND where they would be living – and we’d never asked the question about how it would impact them personally!

Probably not too unlike being a project manager and one day being told you’re now an agile coach, moving from managing tasks to leading change.

And oh by the way, you’re in charge of figuring out what that really means.

Or executives that are told to be agile but also meet the quarterly financial returns. And they get lost in what feels like a dichotomy of figuring out how exactly to be agile and meet unrealistic goals.

It can be a complete identity change.

My Career Changed By Talking About the Scary Things!

This experience with this executive team haunted me. It has become my origin story — the basis for everything I have devoted my career to for the last 25 years. I had seen in no uncertain terms the limits of relying on process-focused conversations. And time after time since then, I’ve seen that it’s the things people feel like they can’t talk about that become the roadblocks.

In this team, it was a strictly business and numbers conversation that was not giving space for the personal impact conversation that held them back from making a final decision.

How to Overcome the Roadblocks

I have also worked with a team where the leader would pull people aside after meetings to give them feedback about needing to have better-informed answers in the next meeting. And he was not the least bit curious about what might be the reason the person did not have a solid answer in the first place.

And then there was the department that continues to re-org in an effort to improve performance but does not talk about what’s really impacting performance in the first place.

Just think for a moment, where might you be experiencing a scenario where there is something in the conversation that is not okay for you to talk about. You might even make a note as we go through today about where familiarity comes up for you. These are places I would invite you to come back to and think about — these are the places where there are roadblocks, and this is where to start overcoming the roadblocks.

These kinds of roadblocks come up when there is a tendency to defend our assumptions and perspectives. To assume we’re right. And to either not ask questions of what other people think, or to not share our perspective when we think the other person doesn’t want to hear it.

This I Know To Be True About Making Important Decisions as a Team

For me, I vowed at that moment that anytime I led change in the future it would be from the perspective of helping people talk about the things they didn’t think they could talk about or were scared to bring into the room.

And these two things I know now to be true:

Change cannot happen until people feel seen and heard
What you resist persists.

How hard is it for you to talk about the things that scare you? Are you allowing your team to bring scary things into the room?

All along, it might have been you who is limiting your team’s ability to make important decisions!

Are you ready to make a change?

~ Marsha

Why Agile Team Facilitation is an Important Leadership Skill

…are leaders facilitators, or are facilitators leaders?

Facilitation is a skill best learned and improved through practical experience as a facilitator. A deep understanding of Agile Team Facilitation coupled with practical experience is the way to gain confidence and competency in Agile Team Facilitation.

Four Reasons Leaders Need Agile Team Facilitation Skills

If you are wondering if this skill – and this workshop – is right for you, here are four reasons to get you motivated to learn more about Agile Team Facilitation.

Stop spinning your wheels! Stop making the same mistakes you are making and instead learn and implement a system that has been proven to work and yield favorable results!
Motivate high performance teams! Motivation is what gets a team moving. Transforming a team into a high performing team, into the direction they build can be tricky, however. Agile team facilitation skills can help you move the dial in the right direction.
Gain a different perspective on how to interact with others! Look at the issues at hand through a different lens. Listen with the purpose to understand, not respond.
Achieve Results! While this makes sense for any meeting you facilitate, as the team members are high performing, the outcome usually has higher stakes. Achieving results is an important aspect to learning team facilitation skills.

TeamCatapult faculty has been leading Agile Team Facilitation for years. We have an amazing program ready so that you can grow as a leader with Agile Team Facilitation skills.

In a fast-paced, multi-day workshop, full of hands-on opportunities for practicing new skills, participants explore the five cornerstones of successful facilitation so they confidently know what’s needed in any situation.

In Our Agile Team Facilitation Workshops We Cover:

The beliefs and assumptions of the facilitation mindset
The art of planning, designing, and conducting collaborative sessions
Strategies to define and reach consensus on decisions
How to make confident, impactful decisions in the moment
How to give and receive feedback to grow your facilitation skills

But that is not all. You’ll receive planning and design templates to help you prepare, plus abundant opportunities for practice and implementation.

Agile Team Facilitation, Agile Team Coaching and More!

When I wrote the book The Art & Science of Facilitation I intended it to be a road map for anyone on their journey to leading effective collaboration with Agile teams.

How can readers like you put these facilitation skills into practice? By “getting on the road” with this road map, that is, by joining us for one of the workshops we offer.

Here are some of the upcoming opportunities for the experiential learning our workshops offer:.

Agile Team Facilitation

February 27-March 3, 2023
12:00 PM – 4:30 PM ET

Advanced Facilitation

May 15-19, 2023
12:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET

Agile Coaching

March 20-24, 2023
12:00 PM – 4:30 PM ET

Changing Behavior in High Stakes

Part 1: March 22-24, 2023
Part 2: May 10-12, 2023

Last but not least, for those leaders who crave to be the kind of leader who:

Understands how to evaluate and assess where a team is at on their journey to high performance
Can step in and help teams have difficult conversations with grace and ease
Has the capacity and understanding to grow other leaders

…we invite you to look at our cohort program!

The Coaching Agility From Within Cohort Program is an in-depth, 9-month program emphasizing rigorous practice and rich feedback opportunities including skill drills, peer coaching, team coaching, ongoing group work, professional one-on-one coaching, and one-on-one supervision of actual Agile coaching sessions in your own work environment.

We would love to meet you in one of our workshops in 2023!

3 Things Needed to Lead Successful Virtual Meetings for a Hybrid Team

It’s Nearly 2023. Is Your Team Hybrid?

At the start of the pandemic in March 2020, most in-person teams went remote, forced to go this route due to worldwide quarantine orders. In the USA that meant that nearly all of our workforce stayed home, and learned to navigate working remotely.

It’s safe to say that by 2021, most of us figured out how to lead virtual meetings for fully remote teams. Now that we are headed into 2023, what does your team look like?

There are companies who are requiring employees to return to the office.
Others have fully embraced all things remote and don’t want anyone back in the office.
Then there are those who have found a balance; creating a hybrid workspace that allows employees to divide their time between working in the office and working from home.

Team Meetings for Hybrid Teams

What do team meetings for hybrid teams look like.

It can be messy!

While virtual meetings for hybrid teams by design take place… well, virtually, it doesn’t mean that everyone likes these types of meetings or gets the most out of them.

Those in the office might be resentful of having to sit in front of a computer and join a Zoom video call. At the same time, those working remotely can suffer from FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) of what’s going on in the office – and even feel excluded or isolated.

The 3 Things Needed to Lead Successful Virtual Meetings for a Hybrid Team

If you are the facilitator and in charge of a hybrid team, here are 3 ways to move forward! Remember, that we’ve all had to figure this out and it might take some time to get it right. The more you practice and the sooner you get familiar with these types of meetings, the smoother these meetings will run.

1 Determine the purpose of the meeting.

Ask yourself these questions AND take the time to answer them honestly.

Why are you meeting?
What’s the desired outcome?
What will be accomplished at the end?

2 Decide if it’s a meeting or an email.

Many of the meetings that occur today are one way monologues where people show up to receive a download of information. If your purpose is to ‘understand’ or ‘be aware of’ then write an email, or record a video that people can watch . There is no need to gather everyone to listen to one or two people in a one-way conversation.

If your meeting is about buy-in, new ideas, decision-making, collaboration, co-creation, and gathering input on a decision then have a meeting, and have a facilitator.

3 Design the meeting to match the desired outcomes.

People will support what they help to create. If you truly want participation then create a meeting design that supports hearing all voices.

This is what that looks like:

Create a question based agenda
Send it out ahead of time

These 3 ways help you get your team to a meeting. Now, to get them engaged and active, read these next 7 tips to increase engagement.

7 Ways to Increase Engagement During a Virtual Meeting for a Hybrid Team

The following tips can be shared with your team and become standard practice for every Zoom video team call.

Expectation should be set that from no matter where you join, from the office or remote, these standards are firm.

Ensure high-quality video resolution
Hide your self-view
Ask people to refrain from using gifs or really detailed graphics in their background
Look at the camera
Check-In with everyone who joins the call
Invite people to a virtual collaboration tool like Mural or Miro and ask them to participate
Agree to unmute