I am an advocate for stronger facilitation skills within teams and organizations.

Why?

Because you meet a lot, in meetings and informally before, after, and between meetings: ad hoc, spontaneous, online, onsite, hybrid, synchronous, and asynchronous. 

I am called in as the external crack to support bigger events. I sometimes wonder about the small daily collaborative moments. The ordinary meetings. The recurrent meetings and all the informal collaborative moments. How are they going? How satisfying are they? And how productive and inspiring? 

Your collaborative landscape is rich

Overall, your collaborative landscape most likely consists of:

  • Unexpected and accidental opportunities 
  • Informal exchange and social moments
  • Ad-hoc meetings 
  • Meetings and larger events with a wider internal and/ or external audience. 
  • Regular meetings 

Collaboration doesn’t end at the meeting door, and neither does facilitation.

Because collaboration is everywhere, I advocate strengthening internal facilitation skills. Facilitation skills are valuable beyond meetings.

How to use your facilitation skills in everyday collaboration

Facilitation is not a role you play. It’s a skill you learn, one that delivers tremendous benefits for your organization.

Greg Netzer

Regardless of the shape, form, or color of your everyday collaboration, facilitation can improve it:

  • You approach and shape your exchanges intentionally for greater reward and productivity.
  • You know how to create the right atmosphere: inviting, respectful, dynamic, and human.
  • You make sure that all voices and perspectives are heard and included.
  • You listen with attention to how the conversation unfolds, and, if necessary, bring it back on track.
  • You navigate troubled waters skillfully and mirror what you observe.
  • By contributing to a healthy collaborative team culture, you contribute to the success of your organization.

Culture doesn’t happen by chance but by design. The same applies to collaboration, innovation, agility, and any other transformation your company seeks to promote. If you want something to happen, you must be intentional about it.

Gustavo Razzetti

If you look for more guidance how to use your facilitation skills more widely, download The Facilitative Trigger Points for Everyday Collaboration:

15 Facilitative Trigger Points by Learning MomentsDownload

I look forward to seeing you as a reader in my next blog entry.

Enjoy your learning moment,

Nadia

PS. If you’d like a sparring partner to support you on your facilitation challenge, online, hybrid, or offline, reach out. Feel free to drop me a message so we can schedule our first meeting.

Learn Liberating Structures

Liberating Structures online immersion workshop on November 3&4 and 24&25. The workshop is live and lively, highly engaging and completely practical. 

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