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A successful meeting has purpose, organization, direction, and supportive guidance from a facilitator or leader who comes into the meeting without personal agenda.
Facilitation skills are an essential component of effective meetings because they supply teams with the expertise they need to hone in on the problem or topic at hand and achieve creative solutions and consensus.
What makes a great facilitator?
A skilled facilitator is like the sails of a ship. They guide the team on where they need to go, with no objective other than to lead the team to their destination. A team can navigate a meeting without sails, but it is much easier and more effective if they have facilitation skills to guide them
A facilitator has the power to help you transform your meetings, but what gives them these superpowers? The best facilitators have developed specific qualities that allow them to lead without judgment or rigidity. Here are the characteristics of a good facilitator:
Impartiality: Skilled facilitators don’t arrive with personal agendas or opinions about the topic. Instead, they are objective, unbiased, and experts at directing groups through decision-making processes.
Confidence: Keen ability to skillfully control the room and keep all participants interested and engaged throughout the meeting.
Humility: Separate themselves from the meeting; they know it’s not about them and relish that fact. They understand that the team is the star of the show and that it’s their job to help the group shine.
Flexibility: Adaptable to any change. Whether participants want something different or the agenda needs to change, facilitators are comfortable course-correcting as needed during the gathering.
Curiosity: Genuinely interested in their group's problems, product, or challenge and excited to learn more about it so they can help guide them to the best possible outcome(s). To help demonstrate curiosity, practice active listening and asking follow-up questions that are:
Encouraging: Supports the speaker in sharing their feelings, perceptions, and attitudes (“Please tell me more about ____”).
Clarifying: Ask questions that clarify points made by the speaker (“When did this happen?” “What did this mean to you?”).
Acknowledging: Encourage greater openness by acknowledging and naming the feelings the speaker is expressing. (“I can see that you feel angry about that.”).
Empathizing: Put yourself in the other person’s shoes to better understand their perceptions and feelings. (“I can appreciate why you might feel that way.”).
Soliciting: Ask questions to solicit advice and identify possible solutions. (“What do you think should be done?”).
Summarizing: Summarize what the speaker has said in your own words. (“Let me see if I understand what you just said___.”).
Validating: Recognize the speaker’s contribution and thank them for communicating with you. (“I appreciate your willingness to raise these issues.”).
Do meetings need ground rules?
Ground Rules can be successful when they are based on a shared understanding and when they assume positive intent. There may be a need to ask the group collectively if there are any words or phrases that should be defined for clarity. For example, are there any words that the group should agree to discourage? This is an area where allies can play an active role. Are there certain topics that the group should be made aware of in advance?
Here is an example of Ground Rules for an LGBTQ+ ERG:
"To create a safer space for everyone involved, it is important to create a set of collective ground rules for everyone to follow.
Respect - Address one another with dignity, respect, and maintain an openness to learn from and about one another.
Self-Care - Do what you need to do to take care of your own physical and emotional needs, while maintaining the respect and safety for others.
I-Statements - Do not make generalizing statements or assumptions about others; speak only from your own experiences and perspective.
Consent - Do not pressure anyone to participate via video. Not everyone will be comfortable with this, and everyone is entitled to their privacy. Everything should be optional and make sure to give consent warnings before launching into any sensitive topics.
Accountability - If you harm someone, even if it is unintentional, be willing to apologize authentically, listen and learn to change your behavior.
Step-up, Step back - Be aware of the amount of space you take up. Allow all group members adequate space to contribute and be mindful not to interrupt on another.
Assumptions - Do not assume the gender or attraction identity of anyone in the group. Share your own pronouns and ask for others' pronouns before assuming. When discussing someone whose pronouns you are unsure of, use they/them pronouns. Respect the names and pronouns that folks report. A reminder that these names and pronouns may be different to the ones they use with other staff and in other office spaces.
Confidentiality - Unless you have the expressed consent of the group member, anything shared within the group is entitled to confidentiality. Do not share another member's personal experiences outside of the group."
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