Casting a facilitator team
Don’t facilitate alone ✨ To interpret and respond to what’s happening in the room, it’s best to work as a facilitator pair or team as much as possible.
Over a decade of running workshops for clients and communities of practice, I’ve had the opportunity to partner with all kinds of facilitators. I find that seeking partnerships produces the best outcomes and is the most surefire way to expand my range as a practitioner.
Let me share some notes about my approach — maybe it’ll give you an idea or two for your next facilitation opportunity!
Think of it as casting
Casting is my preferred verb for selecting and inviting participants, to emphasize that each individual has a role to play and that the dynamics between them are critical to success. That goes for facilitation teams, too.
Cast for opposing dynamics
Who we are as people — and not just our facilitator selves — will play a role in the workshop experience. In which case, designing who we are together as a facilitator team is a strategic way to shape the experience that we’re aiming to create.
Cast for opposing dynamics that will be most helpful for the workshop context, such as:
- Masculine vs feminine energy
- Funny vs serious, loud vs quiet
- Big picture vs detail oriented
- Visual vs text vs orally inclined
- Process vs content focused
Cast a technical facilitator
Assign a dedicated role to manage the breakout rooms, monitor the chat and help troubleshoot the tech. In an in-person setting, tasks may include taking photos, ensuring that everyone has the material they need and in general looking after the individual needs of the participants.
Don’t just plug a body in this seat. At the very least, this person need to be familiar with the tools, and not everyone has experience with the hosting features on Zoom (for example).
Good luck, and have fun mixing things up!
