Facilitation – ON:SUBJECT

Yes, you need a Code of Conduct.

Originally published in the IAF Global Flipchart – for facilitators, by facilitators.

“Our event is dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), or technology choices. We do not tolerate harassment of participants in any form.”

— from ConfCodeOfConduct.com

Many facilitators work with ground rules, a set of […]

Diversity and inclusion in facilitation

A few short notes from an Open Space conversation at the IAF EME Conference #agilefac2019 in Milan. We discussed the role of facilitation in promoting diversity and inclusion:

How can facilitators work to balance dynamics of power and privilege in groups? What’s a facilitator’s responsibility to prevent harm? How can facilitator’s help to promote equity and inclusion?

Diversity is important. It’s also a complex topic that humans – and facilitators – struggle […]

Retrospectives: a cocreated toolkit

What can facilitators learn from agile retrospectives for our own practice and debriefings? Last week, Karen Schmidt, Edith Steiner-Janesch [1] and I co-hosted a workshop on this topic during the European IAF Conference in Milan.

Retrospectives? Why, what, how?

We first introduced agile retrospectives as part of an iterative life cycle, based on the book “Agile Retrospectives” by Esther Derby and Diana Larsen.

Next up @AgileFac2019: @wiebkehere & @overthefencePM […]

Mixing a World Café at scale

Imagine a room of nearly 200 people from five global regions and different functions across one organisation. This was the first meeting of this kind, and we wanted to encourage everyone to build relationships across the organisational silos and learn together about challenges and opportunities facing the organisation. A World Café seemed an obvious inspiration: multiple conversational rounds at small hosted tables, with participants switching tables (and groups) between rounds.

Usually, […]

Hosting a workshop

This article was originally written as guidance for workshop organisers during an open space meeting in October 2016.

This is a place where civil rights activists meet to discuss change. During our three days together, we have plenty of space for spontaneous sessions as well as for pre-organised ones. What happens in your session is up to you: a workshop, a lecture, networking, practical action… Here are a few […]

Practice Notes: The Workshop Book

When I facilitate, I take notes. Lots of notes. I come with a set of notes, including the workshop design and process plans. I have checklists for the preparation of the venue. During the meeting, I jot down notes, names, observations. At the end of each day, I review the process, adjust the original design and rephrase questions. Over the years, quite a stack of these notes had assembled in […]

The art of marketing facilitation

“Wow, this was the most effective meeting I’ve been to since I joined this organization!” My client enthused. “We should work with facilitation more often if we want to get things done.”

The benefits of working with a facilitator are obvious to those who have just experienced a well-facilitated session. But why is it that facilitators often struggle making the case to new and potential clients?

Safety and the Theatre

“Safety does not come first: Goodness, truth and beauty come first.”
– Muriel Spark, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

I’ve used this quote for years to express my approach to life. Yet, spending time at the Applied Improvisation Network World Conference 2013, I find myself reflecting on my need for safety. I’m not alone with this: when I’m telling others that I’m playing improv, they often say “I would […]

Project: Powered by Nature

2012-2013 | IUCN Commission on Education and Communication and Alcoa Foundation

Powered by Nature is an award programme for European communications students to co-create a social media campaign on energy and nature. The award winners participated in a 5-day retreat on 26-30 August in Starnmeer, the Netherlands during which they co-created the social media campaign Better in the Dark.

A conversation is a conversation, even online

Yes, this was a first, and it was an experiment. A few weeks ago, the GIZ Leadership Lab attracted nearly thirty participants from all corners of the world. We had invited them to a co-creation session for a leadership approach for global sustainability – and we had invited them to join us from the comfort of their offices: online.

With five breakout sessions and three co-presenters, my task was […]

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