The Five Cornerstones of the Agile Team Facilitation Stance Explained
The Art & Science of Facilitation Book Tour
On March 9, 2021 I was the guest speaker at Agile Austin to talk about my book ‘The Art & Science of Facilitation’.
I enjoyed this conversation so very much that I am sharing a condensed version of some of the things we discussed, as well as the full recording of this lively conversation about facilitation.
Join me for this Virtual Book Tour event, won’t you?
What Does Facilitation Mean to You?
We started the evening by answering the following question.
’What does facilitation mean to you?’
Several people eagerly shared what facilitation means to them.
Here are their definitions!
- Facilitation is ‘keeping the conversation going’. The conversation needs to move, not get stuck.
- Facilitation is helping guide people to a common end.
- Facilitation is creating and holding the container for all the magic to happen inside. Magic means the space where the folks inside can solve problems, be creative, innovate. The connection between human beings.
- Good facilitation encourages participation. Everyone should have a voice, not be scared to speak. Flow, safety.
- Facilitation means feeling psychologically safe, a healthy discourse!
- Facilitation is about the feelings and understanding of the team, each team member. Empathizing with the team.
- Facilitation is making things easier. Make it easier on the team.
Facilitation Is Both Art and Science
The dictionary defines ‘facilitating’ as
“make (an action or process) easy or easier.”
There is science that sits behind what we do, and art as well! Hence the name of my book.
A facilitated session includes all of the following:
- All Voices
- Process
- Desired outcome
- Flow
- Discourse
- Harmony
- Bring Inquiry
‘What’s happening when all of things are taking place in a meeting? What is the facilitator doing, or not doing when all these things are taking place?’
It’s how you show up as a facilitator.
The Agile Team Facilitation Stance
What do you need to believe about yourself and your group as you facilitate?
Here are the guiding principles I reference in my book.
The cornerstones of the Agile Team Facilitation Stance include:
- Honoring the wisdom of the group
- Maintaining Neutrality
- Upholding the Agile Mindset and Practices
- Standing in the Storm
- Holding the Group’s Agenda.
Next, the Zoom participants broke into Zoom rooms. They were asked to create a definition about one of these five cornerstones during a 10 minute group discussion before coming back and sharing their insights.
The Full Agile Austin Conversation
If you missed this Agile Austin conversation with us and you couldn’t participate, please know we’d love for you to watch the evening’s discussion right here.
Join Me For Additional Facilitation Conversations!
The first part of my Virtual Book Tour in January and February of 2021 consisted of a self-hosted series of live conversations with facilitation experts.
Starting this month, March 2021, I am ‘making the rounds’ and bringing ‘The Art & Science of Facilitation’ to groups all over the country.
You can check out my upcoming Virtual Book Tour schedule here.
For TeamCatapult workshops, check the schedule below.
Here are several opportunities for you to learn more.:
- Agile Team Facilitation Workshop March 22-26, 2021
- Advanced Facilitation Workshop April 28-May 5, 2021
Join us for one, or all, Virtual Workshops. TeamCatapult workshops are a great stepping stone to our cohort.
Learn more about our Coaching Agility from Within ‘A Cohort Journey to Masterful Agile Team Coaching’ and apply to join in May 2021.
