Just ask any of the growing number of Feng Shui consultants how important your environment is to your effectiveness. I’m sure each of you can remember a time attending an event where something in the environment either supported or hindered your involvement in, or enjoyment of the experience.

According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, any unmet needs at the physical level will supersede all higher order needs. Group process is definitely a higher order event on this hierarchy. And sure enough, if the environment is just right, most people won’t even notice. But if something is off, everyone is likely to be distracted from what you’re trying to accomplish.

So, as facilitators, the environment is a very important, and sometimes forgotten, piece of the puzzle that we must take into consideration whenever we design a group process, meeting, training, etc. 

Here are the key dimensions to examine each time you plan an event

Physical Level. Attend to the physical comfort of your participants by checking your ability to control temperature, noise levels inside (echoes) and outside the room. Is the seating appropriate to your audience? For example, no grammar school desks at an adult meeting. If you use overheads or a white board, can everyone see them with the current seating arrangement? If you plan to break into small groups, is there room to do so? Are chairs and tables arranged in a way that’s appropriate to your purpose? For example, don’t set up the room lecture style (most rooms come set up this way) if you’re trying to facilitate large group interaction. Are you providing food for the event? Consider the timing and duration of the event to determine when, what, and how food should be served. Also consider that serving food or deserts of some kind often get more people to show up (feed them and they will come!), but also consider that depending on what you serve, eating may cause participants to lose their attention afterwards.

Sensory Level. Can everyone be heard from one end of the room to the other? If not, make sure you have sound equipment available and readily accessible to anyone in the room. This may require multiple microphones, or microphone runners. Also, make sure you test the equipment yourself and feel competent using it. How does the room look? Is it clean and uncluttered? Any strange smells that could be distracting? Is the lighting adequate for your purposes? Can it be adjusted to your needs or can you rearrange the seating to make it work? 

Emotional Level. Have you taken into account the “mood” you want to create to support your purpose? Are there certain colors, pictures, sounds, smells that you could use to facilitate a tone conducive for the work to be done? Do you plan to use music? Are the selections appropriate? Can the equipment be placed so that everyone will hear it at a comfortable level?

Action

Look at the environment in your next group meeting. Note how it affects you positively or negatively and jot down at least three things you notice that work or don’t work. I’m interested in hearing what happens for you. Comment below to share your questions, feedback, or experience.

How often to you hear statements like these:

“They can’t be getting any work done over there, they’re always laughing.”
“We don’t have time for play right now, we’ve got work to do!”
“They’re having just too much fun.”

Tell me, how can anyone have too much fun? And personally, I don’t see all that many people having much fun at all anymore, especially in the work environment. But of course not. Why should they? We all know that having fun just doesn’t mesh with getting work done. Now most of us see the fallacy in this statement, yet it is still firmly entrenched in the fabric of our culture. Is it not?

Most of us know that lightheartedness, playfulness, and laughter makes us feel more creative and enthusiastic. We also know that creativity and enthusiasm are qualities highly treasured in progressive workplaces. Perhaps progressive is the key word here. So let’s be progressive. Let’s look at how humor and play are good for our success in work groups.

 Elevate Your Meetings With Humor

 Using Humor With Groups. The following tips on the use of humor in groups were adapted from a book by the 3M Meeting Management Team, Mastering Meetings: Discovering the Hidden Potential of Effective Business Meetings.

When all else fails, lighten up. Injecting a little humor may be all that’s needed to lift a group out of a rut when they get stuck, help put them at ease in times of stress, make bad news easier to accept, or to introduce a sensitive subject. Here’s an example:

Shortly after the breakup of AT&T, the company fielded questions about the consequences of reorganization. A frequent hostile question from the audiences was, “Why are long-distance rates going up?” One speaker gave this reply: “It’s sort of a good news-bad news situation. It’s true that long-distance rates are going up–that’s the bad news. The good news is, the continents are drifting closer together.”

Get them laughing to speed up their process. Humor is avoided in your typical business meetings because many managers believe that it simply wastes time. Humor consultant, Malcolm Kushner suggests the opposite. “The real objective of meetings is to exchange information or solve a problem. If humor contributes to a free flow of information, then it can actually speed things up.”

Humor is a rich source of productivity. Studies have shown that people with a sense of humor “tend to be more creative, less rigid, and more willing to consider and embrace new ideas,” says Kushner. Think about it. Humor occurs naturally during brainstorming sessions. Brainstorming and problem-solving “require a fresh perspective, looking at things from an offbeat angle. So does humor.”

You don’t have to leave them in stitches. According to Michael Iapoce, another humor consultant, you don’t have to be a comedian to use humor in meetings and groups. “Only professional comics need to get big laughs. If you can get people in a meeting to chuckle, they’re grateful. And if your joke or one-liner doesn’t get a laugh, just ignore it.”

Make it relevant. Your humor should be relevant to the situation at hand. Telling a joke or funny story just to get a laugh isn’t usually in the best interest of the group. Here’s an example: When David Kearns, then Chairman and CEO of Xerox Corporation, spoke at a management conference at the University of Chicago in 1986, he began this way:

There’s a story about a Frenchman, a Japanese, and an American who face a firing squad. Each gets one last request. The Frenchman asks to hear The Marseillaise. The Japanese asks to give a lecture on the art of management. The American says, “Shoot me first–I can’t stand one more lecture on Japanese management.”

Kearns went on to say he was not going to speak about Japanese management, but about what Japan might learn from America.

Keep it tasteful. Of course you must refrain from any humor that might in the slightest way be offensive to your particular audience. “Sometimes people are not sure whether a joke is appropriate for a certain group, but they tell it anyway,” says Krushner. “That’s like saying, ‘I’m not sure if this gun is loaded, but I’ll fire it anyway,” Rule of thumb: When in doubt, leave it out.

Know your audience. Different groups may respond to various types of humor in radically different ways. It’s important that you know enough about your groups so that you can be sensitive to how they may respond to the content of your humor. One 3M manager recalls the following disaster:

I spent a great deal of my career in Minnesota and surrounding areas, and people would pick up the Texas inflection in my voice. When I was doing a speech to any large group I could make a joke about Texans or Texas accents as a little opener to warm up, give them a feel for my personality, and a little bit of my background. And it always went really well. I made a speech in Dallas once to about 600 people with the same opening, and I died. I could not recover….That was one of those things you have to learn the hard way.

Wear your personality inside out. In closing, I wanted to share that in my own humble experience, I’ve often inspired the greatest laughter when I least expected it. On these occasions, I believe the secret was that I was just being myself and sharing what I was thinking or feeling in the moment. Authenticity not only brings freshness and lightness to your groups, it can also bring a great deal of humor as well.

Action

Pick a humor tip or two to try out with your groups or in your meetings this week. Let us know how it turns out. And, if you have any stories related to the use of humor in facilitation or in your work that might interest our readers, please post them as well. We’d love to hear from you!  Just share your questions, feedback, or experience on this topic below.

Capitalizing on Strengths. Co-facilitation allows one person to present while the others observe and support their partner. Partners can divide the material in a way that lets them capitalize on individual strengths and have their own moment in the spotlight.

Conserving Energy. Presenting can be tiring both for facilitators and participants. Co-facilitators provide diversity in voices, presentation styles and energy levels which can serve to hold the attention of the group, while giving each facilitator time to shine and time to rest.

Maximizing Diverse Resources. No one, no matter how well educated or skilled, has a talent for or knows everything. Working as a team allows each person to contribute the best of his or her gifts, talents and resources.

Extra Eyes, Ears and Hands. Two facilitators can manage a group better than one. The second person can help gauge participants’ reactions and notice whether people seem to tracking with the process. Co-facilitators can also help hand out materials, assist in monitoring discussions and/or coaching participants in breakout groups. Finally, co-facilitators can monitor and handle problems with the physical environment, latecomers, phone calls, audio-visuals, and other logistical matters.

Providing Mutual Support. Everyone can have an “off” day. Perhaps an activity did not go as planned, or maybe your energy is low or scattered. Co-facilitators bring balance to the team. I find that when one facilitator is off, usually the others will be on. Co-facilitators’ behavior towards one another – if it’s supportive, respectful, and collaborative, serves as a model for the way participants can behave towards each other.

Co-Facilitation Best Practices

While working effectively with other facilitators may just happen naturally, that isn’t always the case. Here are some tips to take into account with working with facilitation partners.

Before the Workshop

• Plan and Document. For a facilitation team to work together seamlessly, more planning and documentation is required than when you’re working alone. Imagine the complexity of a script needed for a one-person monologue versus one required for a three act play with multiple characters. All the characters need to have a way to know when and how they fit into the whole.
• Practice What You Preach. As a co-facilitation team, you are essentially a group working through its process to achieve goals just like you will be helping others do. So get to know each other and do what it takes to build healthy authentic relationships where honest and compassionate feedback is welcomed and differences are worked through in healthy ways. Do this because, the relationship you develop as co-facilitators will comprise, to a large degree, a silent yet tangible teaching to your groups.
• Leverage Strengths, Minimize Weaknesses. Discuss each other’s style of planning and facilitating and share each other’s triggers. Verbalize what you feel your are best at and what you are most challenged by. Discuss how you’d like to work with strengths and weaknesses in the context of the workshop material.
• Test Assumptions. Take time to discuss your views about the workshop topic, especially areas of disagreement, and any assumptions you have about each other.
• Facilitate Your Planning Sessions. Just because your facilitators doesn’t mean you’re immune from the need for facilitation. Even if you only have a two-person team, have one of you facilitate your meetings to make sure you have clear objectives, that you stay on course to achieve them, and that results and action items are documented.
• Handle Logistics. Take about whether, when, and how it is okay to interrupt each other. Decide how to keep track of time. Plan ways to give signals to one another. Strategize about how to stick to the original outline and how to switch gears. Divide facilitation of activities fairly. Agree to how you will share responsibility in preparing and bringing workshop materials and resources. Agree to arrive at the workshop site in time to set up and check-in before the workshop begins. Schedule time after the workshop to debrief.

During the Workshop

• Communicate Liberally. During activities that don’t require constant attention, check-in with one another. Sharing the subtleties of what you see and experience can be invaluable to making course corrections and inspired innovations in the moment. Support and validate one another and use lots of eye contact.
• Facilitator Interventions. Include your co-facilitator even when you are leading an exercise or discussion, by asking, for example: “Do you have anything to add?” Assert yourself if your co-facilitator is talking too much and take the initiative to step in if your co-facilitator misses an opportunity to address something.
• Embrace Mistakes. Actually pointing out a mistake that was made while facilitating can be an invaluable teaching opportunity if the mistake relates to the context of what you’re teaching. The willingness to admit and look at your mistakes also does wonders for bolstering the group’s trust in you, as well as providing wonderful modeling in resilience.

After the Workshop

• Conduct a Debrief. If you can’t meet right after the workshop, schedule a time to debrief before you leave. Listen carefully to one another’s self-evaluation before giving feedback. Discuss what worked well and what did not. Brainstorm what could have been done differently. Name particular behaviors, for example: “When you kept interrupting me, I felt undermined and frustrated”, or “I got the impression that some participants were bored”, instead of “You always interrupt me” or “You were very controlling during the workshop.” Realize the importance and potential difficulty of debriefing a challenging workshop.
• Use Evaluations. Use written evaluations as a reference point to talk about the workshop, and assess your effectiveness as co-facilitators.

Questions from Readers and my Responses

We are a newly formed group of 3 budding facilitators. The biggest challenge I face currently is the designing of a training program. I have observed that when more than one person is involved, they have different flows of thinking and find it difficult to integrate the thinking flows to come to a common design. Since we have a certain understanding level among us, one or the other ends up compromising on his/her design part. We share & talk about it. But somehow, its hard for that person to maintain the energy level after that. To handle this is it wise to have one lead facilitator for each program?

SD: You first challenge about integrating divergent ideas from multiple parties is simply part of the landscape of developing a creative product as a group. Have you heard of the Groan Zone in Sam Kaner’s Diamond Model? First, it’s helpful for everyone to understand that this tension is a natural and expected part of the process. Kind of like labor pains giving birth to something new. If there is no tension, your creation is not likely to be very durable, or shall I say, creative. Just like facilitating any process, it helps to have someone facilitate your creative sessions to assure things keep moving, that everyone is staying on track, being heard, etc. Then simply embrace the delicious challenge of co-creating together!

I’m having a reaction to your compromise comment. It seems to me that in a group of three, most of the time you could find consensus on your issues. That doesn’t mean everyone agrees 100% on every action. But it does mean that everyone expresses themselves to completion so that once a decision is reached, everyone can still get behind the decision. If people are giving in to the point they are losing energy, that makes me suspect that they aren’t fully expressing themselves. This is an issue I would suggest discussing directly among your team to talk about what you can do to work this process so that everyone can remain fully committed. This will be an ongoing exercise as life and humans are dynamic systems!

As to having one lead facilitator for each program, that depends. I like the idea of having multiple facilitators during a session for the reasons mention in this article. However, in my experience, it’s useful to have a lead facilitator for each segment. Someone responsible for leading the design and delivery of that module, while still leaving room for input from other facilitators before, during, and after the process.

How do we ensure same level of commitment by all throughout a program?

SD: There’s no way to ensure anything like that. Levels of commitment will always vary depending on life circumstances, interests, etc. But do what I suggest in my answer above and I think that will help a lot!

Yes. We are aware of the “Groan zone” in the Diamond model & other models & theories on working in group. But as you rightly said we need to start practicing it for ourselves before we preach. How can we assume that we are a different ‘group’ as it’s a group of facilitators and leaders?

I think, we are, at least I am, weighing relationship more & so afraid to hurt others feelings while giving feedback. Also trying to encourage each other & holding back due to the fear that it might discourage the other person. Will work out a way to improve transparency. Rather I prefer to state it in a direct manner.

SD: Giving effective feedback is a critical skill to learn and to teach. And strangely enough, giving honest and direct feedback is often lost among groups inclined toward facilitative/consensus operating norms, and this can be a great disservice to the group. Assuming people are not strong enough to receive feedback is actually disrespectful in a sense. Put yourself at the receiving end and I think you see what I mean.

I’d say that one of the most valuable things to practice as a facilitation group is to disagree and critically debate each other’s ideas. A prerequisite to fully committing yourselves to the learning and growth of your participants, is to realize that you are not your ideas, you are simply the vehicles for their delivery.

ACTION

What has your experience been co-facilitating groups? Are there any tips or responses to the questions above that you’d like to add to this list? Feel free to share your experiences, questions, answers, and feedback below.

Part of this problem though can be attributed to our pervasive ignorance of the complexities of facilitating group thought. Most tend to think that the groups they lead, or are part of, should operate just as efficiently as they do individually. This is in fact untrue. Further, the belief in this fallacy by your typical meeting-goer contributes to harsh judgment upon themselves and other participants, leading to apathy, inaction, and the continual self-fulfilling prophecy of meetings that just don’t work.

Shining some light on the complexities of group dynamics and looking at things that typically go wrong in groups can help us better appreciate the challenges and opportunities presented to us whenever we meet collectively.

Why are groups so complicated?

Groups of individuals are far more likely to err than individuals. Groups give reign to
instincts which individuals acting alone are forced to keep in check.
– T.B. Macaulay, English author and statesman –

Complexities of Group Mind

It seems obvious that when a number of individual minds come together, more complexity emerges simply out of the shear increase in the number of inputs, outputs, and interconnections available. There are more ideas in the room, far more for each individual to keep track of, and there are more relationship dynamics present together packaged with their spoken and unspoken assumptions and prejudices.

Because of this increase in complexity, there exist the capacity for synergy to emerge, where the capability of the group exceeds the sum of its parts. But given that groups are more complex and their interactions are often faulty, they are harder to manage. For this reason, synergy rarely emerges by accident. Just as easily, and more often than not, groups tend to drift toward collective incompetence.

George Kieffer, in his book, The Strategy of Meetings, explains this phenomenon beautifully in the following metaphor…

You cannot afford to view meetings as likely in and of themselves to culminate in positive results without a great deal of work. Meetings are inherently risky enterprises, mobs in waiting, more susceptible to passions, pieties, persuasion, and manipulation of all kinds and degrees than are the individuals who participate in them. Meetings begin with the same risk of injury as a motor vehicle containing a steering wheel at each passenger seat.

Therefore, it’s very important to recognize the inherent limitations of group thought, that we elaborate on below, and yet maintain respect and appreciate for both the process and the particular individuals in attendance.

Limitations of Group Mind

Group Amnesia. Nobel Laureate Herbert Simon, in studying the human mind has found that the most that we can hold in short-term memory without forgetting something is six or seven pieces of data. Therefore, a group of people will remember and forget different information at any given time. This validates the ongoing need for real time recording of the inputs, actions, and decisions of your group.

Cognitive Dissonance. People dislike inconsistency and will attempt to eliminate it. When mental conflict occurs because beliefs or assumptions are contradicted by new information, people will tend to suppress, rationalize, avoid, or oversimplify it away. Know that this phenomenon exists, educate your peers about it, and if you must avoid the complex issues, at least acknowledge you’re doing it and perhaps plan another time to deal with it.

Disassociation from Task. Because group thinking is so difficult, individuals actually tend to disassociate from the task. Yet you may think it’s just you who has drifted and that everyone else is on top of everything being discusses. Not likely! But wanting to refrain from appearing stupid and wanting to be accepted, you go ahead and agree with whatever is on the table. Everyone is missing something…so risk being the fool and speak up!

Lowest Common Denominator and Highest Risk. The most common response of the group mind appears to be this: to reach a conclusion on the stated task, in the safest possible way so as to avoid division, and as quickly as possible, the group finds a consensus based on the lowest common denominator. The result is a compromise that may not solve the problem but does salve feelings and egos.

Lowest Common Level of Stupidity. Drs. David Charney and William Anixter specialize in treatment of anxiety and note that the most common malady, ahead of substance abuse and depression, is the individual’s fear of groups, affecting some 40% of the public to some degree. Convinced that it really is a matter of body chemistry, Victor Palmieri offers an only partially facetious cure. “There is a change in body chemistry, a drop in acuity to the lowest common level of stupidity, so when you see confusion in a meeting the important thing is to get out of the room as quickly as you can before your body chemistry changes!”

Resolving Collective Incompetence

As we have shown, group dynamics are more complex and difficult than individual dynamics. Hence, in any meeting you attend, the participants think less clearly as a group than the sum of the intelligence would suggest and less clearly than any single member may recognize at any particular moment. Group members tend to disassociate from the real task and move toward levels of abstraction. So it behooves us all, group leader and attendees alike to know the sources of collective incompetence and do our best to limit them.

Sources of Collective Incompetence

Miscommunication. Individuals come to a meeting with different abilities, experience, intelligence, language, styles, and body language. Know that miscommunication is inevitable and there’s continual need for clarification. Remedy. Therefore, avoid arguing your own views. Instead present your position and more importantly, your interests, as clearly as you can and listen carefully to others’ reactions, considering them carefully before you press your point.

Outside pressures. A meeting is often the focal point for decisions made elsewhere. Pressures brought to bear on participants from the outside can affect meetings far more than actions within.

Remedy. Don’t assume aspirations of meeting participants are clear. Reverse that presumption. Ask yourself what pressures weigh on your prospective partners.

Different Agenda. Every individual comes into the meeting with his or her own personal agenda to accomplish. And in many forms of meetings, these are very appropriate.

Remedy. But don’t assume that personal agendas align with the stated meeting agenda. Ask yourself what’s behind a criticism or a suggestion.

Insecurities and basic human needs. We tend to go mad in herds, but tend to recover one by one. To suggest change or to question, one must first speak as an individual and expose oneself.

Remedy. Don’t presume understanding and accord merely because no one speaks. There is nearly always a difference of opinion around the table. The most powerful interests in any meeting are the basic human needs of the participants…economic well-being, sense of belonging, need for recognition, and control of one’s life.

Personal Feelings. Personal feelings about fellow participants or about the meeting itself will always distort comments in the meeting and undermine collective thinking.

Remedy. Do your best to separate ideas and opinions from the people presenting them, and aggressively prevent or protect all participants from personal attack.

Competition. A meeting provides a forum for assessing and expressing status within the group, and that will affect the behavior of group members.

Remedy. Accept that this is going on to some extent in any meeting.

Distractions. Every meeting will have distractions from the late arrivals and early departures, to uncomfortable surroundings, to telephone interruptions, poor technical facilities, etc. Even when there are few outside distractions, all participants tend to wander from time to time resulting in a short circuit of the group mind.

Remedy. Presume you are losing some members all of the time and do what you can to limit distractions and keep everyone involved.

Thought displacement and buzz words. This is a particular form of distraction that can strike at any time. A “buzz” word can throw off a line of thought or a glib participant can send out the wrong data or information without anyone noticing.

Remedy. Thought displacement goes with the territory, presume it’s happening throughout the meeting and ask for clarification whenever you notice it.

The Laws of Triviality and Avoidance. “The time spent on any item of the agenda will be in inverse proportion to the sum involved,” claims Professor Parkinson. Further, the time spent will be in inverse proportion to the complexity or difficulty of the issue: law of avoidance. Complex matters, irrespective of money, tend to be ignored, and simple matters tend to be belabored. People are simply more comfortable discussing what they know rather than what they don’t know. And most people want to demonstrate what they know rather than what they don’t. This means groups avoid the tough questions and concentrate on the easy ones.

Remedy. Expect this tendency in all your meetings and point in out whenever you see it. Offer options to meeting separately to address the tough issues if possible and appropriate.

Personality and Roles. Some personalities simply don’t mix. And irrespective of personalities, individuals naturally take on certain roles depending upon other participants: the facilitator, the disrupter, the complainer, and so on.

Remedy. Just be aware of this…that nearly everyone adopts a role of some kind during a meeting and nearly everyone harbors feelings about the other participants.

Incompetent Members and the Lowest Common Denominator. An incompetent or destructive participant tends can derail a meeting, bringing the whole group to his level. He can force others to respond to peripheral issues and encourage disassociation from the task. Fear of hurting his feelings, disrupting the group further, or reverence for democracy may allow him to take the meeting over. The group tends to defer, dropping to the Lowest Common Denominator.

Remedy. This tendency is counteracted by the facilitator’s imperative…the unflinching control of process.

In Summary. Good intentions are no match for collective incompetence whose sources reside in all meetings. Meeting participants need to know that it takes far more work to accomplish their goals than they think. Remember all of these hurdles when planning and developing your strategy for your next meeting. By understanding these forces and how they’re likely to manifest during the meeting you can devise strategies that will make them work for you, not against you.

Action

What sources of collective incompetence have you noticed most and what have you done about it? Would could you do differently in the future? Please share your experiences, questions, or feedback with us below.

What facilitators don’t know can serve their groups

In most cases, facilitators are highly regarded professionals. We must present a strong and professional image as we’re “on stage” much of the time, performing an important function for our clients, employees, students, neighbors, etc. And as is often the case with people standing in front of a room, orchestrating processes, offering feedback and advice, we are looked to as authorities, as experts, as wise men and women.

So it’s not surprising when we begin to believe these things about ourselves and feel we have to live up to the “image” of the professional expert. As this image takes hold in our own minds, it may be difficult at times to not have the answer or know where to go next. In and of itself, this is not a bad place to be, however, we can really short change those we serve by withholding this information.

Huh? What are you talking about? Are you asking me to share my weakness with my group? My clients? That would be suicide! I think it’s time to unsubscribe from this journal!

Now hold on dear reader. There may be another way to look at this. You see, I view Facilitation, or Facilitative Leadership, if you will, as a kind of a spiritual task. I suggest that one of the most powerful things you can do as a leader or as a facilitator is to empower your people to access and utilize their own wisdom and problem-solving skills as a group. This is not likely to happen when they are focused on you as the authority.

Application

The following are some suggestions to making the shift from a preferred image to a group servant.

Hold the space for truth and honesty. There are few places one can venture in the world where private truths can be fully shared and respected. The facilitator that gives voice to those subtle perceptions that no one sees or admits is very empowering, e.g., “I’m sorry people but I’m experiencing complete confusion right now and don’t know where to go next. What to you see right now?”

Be willing to be unliked. Putting yourself in the position of not knowing, shining the light on an unflattering behavior, or giving air time to a minority opinion can piss some people off. This may sometimes prevent you from sharing your full truth. Giving up your need to be liked by those you serve will, in the end, serve them best, and garner respect in the long run. 

Find strength in your vulnerability. If you can view yourself as simply a catalyst for a dynamic and ongoing process, that process will evolve. A catalyst is not attached to its greatness. It is transformed in the process it seeks to catalyze. Sharing what’s real for you is transforming for all concerned. Surrender to being transformed by sharing your truth irrespective of your judgments about it. “I’ve never been here before, I’m not sure where we’re going, but I’m willing to be a mirror for you on the journey.”

See through eyes of innocence. A child doesn’t anticipate the outcome of sharing her truth, and as a result, is granted the gift of living fully in the present moment. Your innocence will allow you to release the sludge of judgment, fear, and withholding. If you begin to risk trusting your truth, your vulnerability, and your innocence; if you step into who you are, not what you know, you will help lead people to themselves, and their true strength.

Action

Where is “knowing too much” hanging you up as a leader and/or facilitator?. Choose one of the above actions to practice this week and journal your experiences. Please share your thoughts and experiences with me in the Comments Section below.

APPLICATION

Using Humor and Warmth

In some less formal groups, I might joke about having a good time during the meeting or training by saying, “So let’s start by switching phones to vibrate and putting them in your pocket. I expect to see you smile great big throughout the day!”
–Becky Lucas, CPT (Certified Performance Technologist) Owner, Training Partners Plus, Inc., Chief Learning Officer, RetailTraining.com –

When going over logistics and ground rules, I simply ask participants to mute or turn off their cell phones so I, and perhaps some of their fellow participants, don’t feel compelled to dance to the music that most people have programmed for their ring tone. That always gets a laugh and only rarely does a phone disturb the environment. On those rare cases, I always stay true to my “warning” and break into dance!
–Maggie Masimore,Independent Education Consultant–

Ask, “Is anyone expecting a 911 call today? A wife about to go into labor? A loved one having surgery? Nervous about kids being home with a sitter for the first time? A million dollar deal you are about to close? Or a boss who will fire you if you don’t pick up the phone?” If no, please switch your phones off.
–Becky Lucas, RetailTraining.com–

First I treat all participants like they are guests in my home. I introduce myself and introduce them to one another so they feel less anonymous. Next, I learn more about the participants (in a group exercise), their experience with the topic, what they want to accomplish, and what they plan to contribute to the process of getting what they want from the training. The question about what they plan to contribute generates answers like “my full attention”…and they said it, not me!

This sets the stage to have the next conversation about housekeeping, which contains all the details that they care about, like when’s lunch, how often do we break, where’s the bathroom, and where are the fire exits. Then we discuss the details that are important to me including the topic of cell phones. I start the topic by asking the group: “Who can NOT turn your cell phone or PDA off between breaks?” (which I have already told them are ten minutes long and happen every hour so that they can check their phones.) If anyone answers yes, I simply ask them to please answer the call outside the room and in the meantime, please set your phones to “stun”; this gets a good-natured laugh from everyone. Then I simply ask everyone else to please turn off their phones, if they haven’t already done so, and I thank them. The final thing I do is invite them to call work at the first break and tell their colleagues that they don’t need to be called since the class is going to be very interesting and they don’t want to miss any of it.
–Maia Beatty, Discover Your Powerful Presence

Using Ground Rules

When is comes to discussing ground rules or operating agreements, ask the group, “How can we best accommodate our phone needs in the least disruptive way so we can accomplish what we need to accomplish today?” And let THEM set the phone rules.
–Becky Lucas, RetailTraining.com–

I ask that the phones be turned off and advise participants that they may leave them on, but I get to answer the phone if it rings or vibrates. I promise to be professional when I answer it, but the person will hear my voice first. Most phones get turned off.
–Leslie Orr, Courseware Connection, Inc.–

We have a standard operating practice that states “anyone whose phone rings during a meeting buys a round of beers that night for everyone in the meeting”. In a training session with fifty participants, this can be quit a motivator. The only opt out is if the person takes a call to close a big deal, in which case they would be expected to buy a round of drinks for everyone to celebrate the deal anyway.

The Lagos Yacht club in Nigeria used to have a similar rule to stop the noise of phones in the clubhouse. This system works very well, and was self enforcing in that if anyone noticed someone had left their phone on, they would call them immediately from the bar phone to trigger a “punishment”.
–Neil Smith, Caterpillar Inc.–

Our office has many facilitators and trainers that often go on the road to conduct meetings. One of our standard agreements we make with groups is that if a cell phone or email alert goes off during a meeting in a multiday session, then the offender brings doughnuts for class the next day. Well, all of our instructors are somewhat aware of each other’s schedules, so often our trainers will call each other when they think another is in the middle of a session just to test them and help keep us on our toes.
–Jeff Wright, Organizational Performance Consultant–

Strong Arm Tactics

Hand out small 5×7 manila envelops. Ask participants to write their name on the envelope, put the phone on vibrate, and slip it into the envelope. Then collect the envelopes and tell everyone that the they can retrieve them at the breaks.
–Becky Lucas, RetailTraining.com–

In the old days, saloons would collect guns before entering to drink. Perhaps these days we should ask that cell phones be surrendered into a basket before entering to collaborate. They can be as figuratively dangerous as guns in a bar when it comes to sober communication!
–Steve Davis, FacilitatorU.com–

I ask attendees to turn cell phones off or set them to vibrate before I start presenting. If I hear one during my presentation, I stop what I’m doing and ask the offender to please leave the room.
– Ron Borland, Process Management Consultant–

The most effective thing I’ve seen a presenter do in this regard was to start his presentation by pulling out a flip phone, punching some keys, then placing the phone into a padded envelope, dropping the envelope to the floor, stomping on it repeatedly, picking the envelope back up, and then throwing it to the back of the room. He smiled politely and asked if anyone in the room had another device he could practice on. If so, all they had to do was let it make any noise during his presentation. With over 200 people in the room for a two-hour presentation, there was not a single instance of a phone ringing, beeping, or even buzzing. I think he made his point very well.
– Ron Borland, Process Management Consultant–

Quid Pro Quo

At the beginning of a talk or a meeting, I tell people that cell phones are a part of business, and I do not want to deny someone of their chance to get more business, so I tell them to leave them on with whatever ringtone they have.

After repeated interruptions, when I hear a cell phone ring, I pull mine out of my pocket, answer it and pretend to have a conversation for a short time about some innocuos subject like what’s for dinner. It’s drastic, but you would be amazed at the number of disgusted looks participants will give to the one on the phone.
–Kurt C Schneider, VP, QIC–

Maintain absolute silence untill the person completes the call or silences the device.
Declare this action in the beginning of your presentation, with a request to switch off electronic devices or to keep them in silent mode. I’ve seen this as a very effective tool and in most cases, the person is embarrassed to take the call, amidst huge peer pressure, while others get a warning.
–Subhas C Biswas, Management Consultant–

ACTION

Which of the above would you like to try in your next meeting? Do you have strategies that have worked for you that you’d like to add to this list? If so, please share them with us in the comments section below, along with your questions, feedback, or experience on this matter.

My thinking on this problem was expanded recently when I came across an article by Mary Boone, President of Boone Associates called ROM: Return on Meetings. One of the points Mary cites in her article is ” The Blackberry Test.” Here’s how she describes it.

Participants in all sizes of meetings are often so wrapped up in what’s going on outside the meeting that it’s hard to engage them, even with the best performers or the most polished speakers. And a meeting can’t possibly be strategic unless people are engaged. The bottom line is, if you can’t pass the “Blackberry Test,” you aren’t getting good ROM (Return on Meetings). What’s the Blackberry Test? If more than 5% of your audience are scrolling their Blackberries (or smartphones) during the meeting, you’ve failed.

The next time you’re tempted to say “Turn off your Blackberries and cellphones!” ask yourself: “Have we done all we can to make sure that this meeting is highly strategic, interactive, and directly relevant to participants?” Take the challenge to make the meetings at your organization more engaging and interactive. If you step up to the plate, you and the business leaders you serve will experience true ROM.

 Mary’s comments helped me change my perspective. The increasing number of distractions in our lives certainly do make it tougher to engage people. But is that such a bad thing? While these “distractions” compete with that increasingly scarce commodity…our attention, they also have the potential of making us more productive.

The days when a mediocre lecturer could captivate a 20th century audience for hours are gone. Today, those seeking to attract and hold the attention of their audiences must be more compelling than the distractions. So in a way, participant distractions can make us better…Facilitators, Trainers, Speakers, and Presenters…if we let them. How? Let’s take a stab at that.

APPLICATION

Do I still have your attention? You see, we can just tell it like it is anymore. We’ve got to tell it with FEELING! Try these ideas on to turn your thinking on the blackberry dilemma.

The problem isn’t them, it’s you. I know, I don’t like the sound of that either, but it’s largely true. If we’re not keeping our group’s attention, we’ve got to quit thinking that this is a problem with “them.” We’ve got to own it as ours. If we’re not commanding the attention and engagement of our group, we’ve got to do something differently.

The great quickening. Did you know that “quickening” is defined as the first time you feel your baby move–a long anticipated event in every pregnancy? I had no idea that’s what was coming when I wrote this tagline a moment ago. It just “felt” like the right word and I thought, “What the hell, go look it up on Google and see what comes out.”

So, you’ve got to feel “your baby” move when you’re leading your groups. While this may be a metaphorical “stretch,” it’s that kind of enthusiasm you’ve got to be feeling for your audience to, well, frankly, give a damn! If what you’re doing doesn’t summon your own energy, it won’t draw others in. Go back to drawing board or step it up a notch.

Get on with it! If there’s one thing people hate more than meetings, it’s s..l..o…w meetings. Don’t stretch your meeting to fit into the token hour or two allocated for it. Get it moving and keep it moving at a crisp pace. Keep people on target, and don’t waste time. Get it done so that people can get what they need and get back to business.

Name the elephant. If people are simply so distracted by other work that they can’t offer enough attention to keep the meeting afloat, either cancel it or shift the focus to “focus” issue. Find out what if anything people need to get themselves fully engaged in the room. There’s no better focus for a training or meeting than the very immediate impediments people are having to working in the present, right here, and right now with their peers.

ACTION

Has this article changed your mind about the blackberry problem? I’d love to hear from you. Just add your comments below.

As we advance in our field, it’s easy to give less regard to the basics. Yet no matter how complex our activities are, the basics always form the foundation upon which everything else rests. The highest buildings take advantage of the latest in engineering and materials sciences, yet they must rest on the deepest and and most stable foundations. The higher they rise, the deeper these foundations must go. Similarly, as we grow as facilitators, our success depends on a firm commitment to the foundations of our most complex skills.

I’ve often been struck when listening to celebrated experts in various fields. What usually seems to set them apart for me is their way of fully embracing and articulating the obvious. They are easy to understand. Their their language is simple and clear and resonates with a deep understanding of the foundations of their field.

In the past few facilitation workshops I’ve delivered, I’ve noticed a pattern amongst the facilitator participants, many of whom were intermediate and advanced practitioners. Some of the most basic skills were consistently overlooked. For example, many times small groups would move forward on an activity we assigned them without fully understanding what they were expected to do. Or, they would move forward in a given direction, not really happy with how it was going, but not checking in to consider changing their approach. Under the pressure to just get something done, anything done, even experienced facilitators sometimes forget the basics.

 Application

Getting rescued from the clouds. So what can we do about this amnesia of the basics? The following three tips are intended to help you stay grounded in the basics whether you are leading or participating in a group.

Be willing to ask “dumb” questions (these are often the most important). When working as a leader or member of a group, we’ve all experienced the feeling that we don’t understand what’s going on. Either we aren’t tracking with the discussion 100% of the time and missed something that was said, or everyone in the group isn’t on the same page. Actually, no one ever tracks with a group all of the time and seldom is a group in complete understanding of itself. Yet, when we feel we don’t understand, most of us have the impression that we’re the only ones feeling this way. We’ve been conditioned to keep our mouths shut and not to interrupt. Your willingness to voice your discomfort and confusion in the group will be a welcome gift most of the time.

Have the courage to yell “stop!” Even when employing the most wonderful group process, if it’s not working for a particular group at a particular time then a change is advised. Usually, just stopping the process to check in will make it clear what’s in the way or if a new process needs to be applied. Sometimes however, it’s hard to stop a group when everyone seems to be “going along” and in action. We seem to be addicted to action, no matter where it’s leading us. Often all it takes is one bold soul to ask the question, “How is this working for you?” to jar people into reality.

Always start at square one, with the basics of who, what, and how. No matter how advanced we are as facilitators and as a group, there are simple foundational questions that must be answered if we are to progress together. These are: “What are we doing?” (what’s our goal here today); “How are we going to do it?” (what process will we use?); and “Who will do what?” (who will facilitate, scribe, keep time, share expertise, etc.) If any of these questions ever become unclear, you will be wise to ask about them. And this is true whether you’re leading the group or not.

Most important thing to remember most of all is to never think that you are beyond the basics. As soon as you do, you’re liable to fall. What are your ideas on this subject? I’d love to hear them.

Action

How will you recommit to the basics this week? I’d love to hear from you. Share your questions, feedback, or experience on this topic below.

My inquiry into the concept and practice of intuition among my peers led to many interesting responses. I’ve organized these questions and their responses below in a way I hope you’ll find useful.

What is intuition?

Intuition: 1. a. The act or faculty of knowing or sensing without the use of rational processes; immediate cognition. b. Knowledge gained by the use of this faculty; a perceptive insight. 2. A sense of something not evident or deducible; an impression.

It’s the part of me that speaks to possibility. It’s the part that pays attention to not just what is, but what might be? It’s the part of me that asks questions in the moment. Where is this activity, discussion, exercise heading right now? How are people responding? Does this feel like the right course to take, or should I choose another?

Intuition is a “gut feel,” a “sense,” a “knowing,” that may not be supported with logic.

It’s about trusting what I’ve learned and experienced, with a little bit of self control. The “self control” comes from asking the questions:

- Is this an area in which I know I’m weak and possibly mis-directed?
- Am I advancing the goals of the situation? (group, coaching client, etc.)
- Could I possibly be generating conflict or creating unwanted disturbance?

For me, these questions are so internalized that I can usually answer them within a second or two. It’s my “gut feel” about whether I’m doing the right thing.

I believe intuition is evidence of the connection between me and the Consciousness that created me. It’s communication on all levels; it’s what I hear when I listen with my heart. I don’t mean that in a sentimental or ‘soft’ way, but rather, expansively and courageously being willing to consider that I can’t think of everything or notice everything with just my brain (there’s a reason my brain is encased in a box!). Through intuition, I can be aware of ‘more’ of what’s available, coming through all of my senses, without the limiting filter of logic, judgment, or reasoned thinking. This is a very valuable tool available the facilitator.

How does one typically receive intuition?

Through active listening. By noticing the emotion and the energy in the room. By intensely paying attention on multiple levels to what is happening for the participants.

It seems to be a non-localized, very simple and sudden inspiration or insight; it’s like the feeling you get when you want to shift position to be more comfortable. You can feel the shift coming; it feels like a pulling or prompting, a subtle encouragement to move. The sensation lasts only for a moment, regardless of what I decide to do after my brain gets hold of it.

I receive intuition first of all via a feeling that either something doesn’t add up despite it looking OK on the surface or, something does add up (seems to be the right way to go) even though logic would say otherwise.

Intuition seems to show up for people in different ways. For some, it’s a physical feeling in the gut, for others a vague prickle on the skin somewhere, for others it may seem like a direct knowing.

Intuition has a lot to do with trust. If you don’t trust that your intuition is available to you whenever you need it, it’s as if you closed the door to that resource. Intuition is the trust that all you know, all you have experienced, all you have heard and seen is there for you. The process of intuition is the alchemy of this knowing and experience that makes it possible to do the right intervention at the right time. Intuition works best when you are in a state of “‘flow.”

Intuition sometimes comes to us when we’re in action, often coming to meet us when we express the courage to act boldly without exactly knowing what we’re going to do. In the action lies the answer.

Application

How can we best use intuition as facilitators?

I use it to course correct, to change activities on the fly (shorten them, lengthen them, dump them, make them up in the moment). I check in with my client at the next pause or break to find out if what I am feeling is a good read on the group. My intuition may not always be right or appropriate to act upon, so I get validation to help me make better decisions from it.

I’ve learned to pay attention to it, and to risk trusting it, even when I don’t understand it. I let my coaching clients and my students know that I do this and that I’m not attached to being right, but rather, to being receptive. Many times they make sense from it, even when it makes no sense to me. I’ve decided that sometimes the meaning of my intuition is really none of my business! What’s important is that I can use it as a resource to help me stay present and tuned into my clients and students so that I’m fully engaged in providing the coaching and facilitation that is called for, rather than limiting it to what I think they should get. Coaching and facilitation are much more fun, enjoyable, and effective when I’m coming from this place, rather than trying to force an outcome or operating from “up in my head.”

As a facilitator, intuition helps me assess the group processes, determine when to change its direction or my approach, guides me to helping the group move forward, leads me to ask the tough questions, gives me insight into what the group may need or how and where the group may be going. Ignoring me intuition usually results in inflexible processes and results

Intuition is linked to trust for me as a facilitator. I love people. I find them amazing and I love their varying energies and personalities. They all fascinate me. And, I think that I build rapport and trust so that I am open to subtle changes in energies, emotions, and moods that cannot be seen or described, just felt. As a facilitator, this means that I can send and receive messages on a nonverbal level–an understanding is built–and energies are recognized sooner than if I were waiting for direct verbal or even visual messages.

When I work with individuals or groups I prepare carefully everything that is needed, but then I let it go. When I start working I am focused on the other(s), what happens to them, between them, and in relation to myself. At the same time, I am self-aware, grounded and relaxed. The interventions I make based on my intuition sometimes surprise me. Afterwards I try to understand how I came to this intervention and how effective it was.

Sometimes the gut feel is misinformed. So part of using intuition is to carefully listen for feedback after I’ve taken action, to see if I’ve done something wrong. I often test my intuition by challenging my client with a questions such as, “I’m sensing that you’re avoiding talking about X.” Here are some important points about this approach:

- By saying “I’m sensing that…” I’m indicating that I might well be wrong.
- I’m also indicating that it’s only my observation, which may not be what the client’s experiencing. If I want to challenge the client further I might ask, “What would happen if other people observed that too?”
- I’m trying to be as nonjudgmental as possible.

The critical thing here is to deeply listen to what the client says next. She might be silent, or dismiss the observation, or argue with it, or avoid it entirely. But any one of those responses gives me immediate feedback about whether my intuition was correct, and what I can learn from it.

Here’s a Story to illustrate this point during a meeting I led a couple of years ago…

We had a diverse set of people who were focusing on brainstorming and organizing, and I had a process that had worked well before. One of the key influencers in the group said, “Gee, Carl, every time we do this you approach it the same way. I’m getting tired of it. How about if we did it differently?”

At that point I realized I’d fallen into a pattern of convenience, and had a quick decision to make about whether to redirect the process. I asked the group as a whole whether they would support doing this. Fortunately my “gut feel” to their responses helped me understand that there was little danger in redirecting and that I would gain the enthusiastic support of this key person if I supported her suggestion. So we changed the process right there, and things worked out great. My intuition was telling me that although the approach was different than I had planned, that I would create more total positive energy in the group by supporting the change. I quickly analyzed the change and decided that it would reach the same goals.

And, of course, I was tuned in during the rest of the meeting to sense whether we would go off-course, or people would feel disenfranchised by the new approach. But everything turned out great, there were no surprises.

How can one further develop intuition as a skill?

Don’t judge, don’t assume. Be open, listen, pause and check in, reflect, be more aware of your own responses, feelings, and inner sensations.

Be open, patient, and set aside your ego as best you can. The more you practice trusting, acting upon, and assessing the results of using your intuition, the more powerful this resource will become. But the key is trust and believing.

Incorporate internal practices such as meditation, affirmations, surrender, and loving and trusting yourself and your inner promptings.

Acting on your intuition often requires that you take a risk sharing something or doing something for whose purpose you don’t quite understand. This takes courage. You can get better at this by practicing releasing your need to be right, and/or give yourself permission to be wrong!

I often ask my clients to imagine that their intuition has shape, form and texture, and then describe it in detail; what does it sound like, where do they feel it in their body; what color is it; what is the texture, temperature and tone? I encourage them to keep track of their intuitive ‘hits’, to pay attention to when and where they show up. It isn’t about proving it right or wrong, but about developing the skill of subtle perception.

Become an intensely active listener, on all levels. Listen beyond the words. Listen to tone, notice body language patterns, degrees of engagement, listen to the buzz in the room. Pay attention to what is working for a group and what’s not. Risk going “off script” every once in awhile and notice what happens. When you notice a feeling in your gut, check it out with your group or with someone your trust. Eventually, you’ll learn what feelings to respond to, and which you can ignore.

Action

What can you do to fine tune your intuition? What action can you take this week to tap into your intuitive resources further? What question is really bugging you that you’d be willing to surrender to your intuitive guidance? Share your questions, feedback, or experience on this topic in the box below. I’d love to hear from you!

To be quite honest, the more I learn about group process the easier and the harder it gets. Harder because every group that comes along surprises me in some way. Perhaps with increasing humility inspired by my increasing years, I tend to look and listen just a little closer to the nuances present in each new group. And though human dynamics in each group have many similarities, they are also unique in their makeup and their challenges. As I come to recognize that being surprised is part of the game, I come to welcome the mystery more as an adventure to enjoy than an unknown to fear. And trust that going on the voyage equipped with my essentials, I cannot fail and commit myself to the prospect that we will all gain through the experience in some way.

Identify Your Core Gifts

What is your gift as a human being? How do you significantly advance the work of any group you lead or participate in, simply by showing up authentically and doing what comes naturally to you? I believe that it might be a great exercise to answer this question in the form of a handful of facilitative perspectives, attitudes, or actions, to strengthen everything else you do as a group servant, and provide great value even if you show up with nothing else. Here are some of my own as I see them:

I show up as the clearest mirror I can be. One of the greatest insights people can gain from each other is a view of themselves from the outside. We sometimes go through our lives so much on automatic pilot we lose the connection between cause and effect. That is, those things we do that we might not notice (causes) that are bringing results that we might not like (effects). It’s a rare privilege granted to you as facilitators and group leaders to point out and reflect the actions of others and how we experience them. Remember that polished mirrors reflect best. So practice releasing inner chatter as best you can, and marshall the courage to express what you see and sense, if it will explicitly advance your group’s purpose, as clearly and as compassionately as you can.

I come with beginner’s mind. I believe that there’s great power in approaching every new group as if it’s the first one I’ve ever worked with. To approach each life experience with “beginner’s mind” is a tall order, particularly so as our experience base grows. Yet the fresh openness to mystery and possibility offers those we serve a potent invitation to see the world in this same way themselves. Unencumbered with past failures and worn out solutions, chances are better that a fresh new idea or solution will emerge.

It’s never about me, even when it is. It’s essential to take nothing personally as a group leader, even when under personal attack. People only attack when they’re hurting or scared. Remembering this will afford you perspective you can use when walking through the hot spots of group process. Quiet presence, again like a mirror, in the face of attack is disarming, even alarming, in a world out of control. Cultivating the ability to reflect peace in the face of fear has a transforming effect on others.

I surrender the task to them. It’s imperative to trust in the resources of the group and in the process in which you have them engaged to accomplish the tasks before them. If you are afraid that they cannot accomplish their goal and apply your genius to save them, they will smell your fear and be weakened by your efforts to help. Your trust, if well placed, and backed with conviction will inspire.

I’m a compass who facilitates the course. If you do nothing but help a group come to a clear understanding of their goal, the average group will have gained a great deal. If you then serve as their beacon, amidst confusion and haste, helping them compare each action to the results they seek, forward progress is inevitable.

Action

Drawing on the above examples, make a list of the key gifts you bring to your groups that are effortless for you to give, Please share them with us. We’d love to hear from you! Add your comments below to share your questions, feedback, or experience on this topic.