International Association of Facilitators conference
The IAF conference was held in Atlanta last week. This is the second time I have attended an IAF conference and the first time I presented at one. At the closing session, we were asked to reflect on a key take away. Mine was, this is where I belong.
Yes, I have multiple roles. I am also a trainer, entrepreneur, business owner, coach, artist. Underneath it all, I am a facilitator. It’s so easy to forget when I sit in the office operating my business on a daily basis. I remember when I get around other facilitators and recognize the ease with which I can converse with them.
What makes a facilitator different?
While I hesitate to make any sweeping generalizations, something I notice in my facilitator colleagues is an inherent faith in the wisdom of the group. We focus on the process of the interaction more than trying to control the content.
On Whitespace, Daniel Rose noticed:
When designing large collaborative sessions with complex topics it is almost always the case that there is a big variance between the few people who know a lot about the topic and a few who have little to no context and everyone else falls somewhere in between. Sponsors are generally very anxious to do a lot of “education” around the project so that everyone gets up to speed. Usually this results in a desire to do a 3 hour PowerPoint presentation.
He goes on to talk about the difference between instructional learning versus constructional learning, and how part of our role is to help our sponsors have faith in the group. When I talk with someone who has been facilitating for any length of time there is an almost automatic assumption that the group is wise. Just help the members surface what they know.
Done well, facilitation looks so easy
Not that facilitation actually is easy. There are so many factors that effect the success of the meeting, from the flow to the environment, to the way people are invited and prepared. However, the better the execution, the more seamless and effortless it appears. Do a good job, and the details go unnoticed. The focus shifts to the content, and getting the work of the session done.
Some of the things I appreciate about the IAF conferences
- the opportunity to participate in large group processes
- seeing how various methods work
- three hour breakout sessions, so you can really get deep into the material
- advanced level tracks
- reflection built into the design
- half hour breaks so you don’t have to run from one place to another
- colleagues who do amazing things around the world
- people with passion to make a difference
In the days ahead, I’ll be writing about some of the session I attended and the one I facilitated. I always think this is going to happen faster than it does, forgetting about all the things to catch up on from being out of town. I continue to be amazed by the people who can live blog, and work toward accepting that I’m more reflective and need more time. More soon.
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