4 Tips for a Facilitation Workout
Exploring the parallels between the impressively effective methods of my spin cycling instructor and the way I seek to facilitate a group…
I am a casual cyclist but I find I don’t tend to press hard on the peddles. In a 90 minute ride I will mostly hear people coming from behind calling out “riders up!” as they whoosh past. I don’t tend to overtake more than 10 % of the riders on the road (my husband would say that percentage is a bit on the high side…). Where I do work hard is in a spin class (that’s where you are in a room with 20 or so bikes and an instructor). Something in that space makes me work harder…
It occurred to me last Thursday as I hit the 130 RPM mark on my gym bike and worked myself into what my instructor calls ‘a crazy pace’ that she, Peta, was very good at what she does. I also realised that there were lots of parallels between how she approached each class and how I do what what I love doing: facilitating smart people in a room or, when required, on a Zoom to help them tone their creative muscle.
Both what Peta does and what I do are about drawing out the best in people; we have to work very hard but our focus is on the output and the benefits for the group; not on us. It occurred to me that what she is absolutely nailing – and what I seek to accomplish — sits under 4Es: Environment, Energy, Engagement & Endgame.
The first thing Peta does is greet us warmly, gets a Goldilocks angle on each of fans and turns the lights up or down depending on the temperature. She then walks round and checks if anyone needs help with their bikes.
Environment is also the first gauge I check when I walk into a room. If I am coming after someone else, I get there early and soak up the mood and the messages to give the audience the most coherent day possible. If I am first, I check the room temperature, get the chairs into a horse shoe, remove the tables (if I can, clean the white boards, check the projector (solve MAC connection issues) and get some glasses and water organised. This is how I ensure that people walk into a space that feels comfortable and conducive to thinking.
Once they are there, I establish some rules of engagement to create what Nancy Kline calls a ‘Thinking Environment’. I am interested in drawing out everyone’s best, independent thinking and one of the ways to do this is to embody certain components. Kline names 10 in all. I bring at least 3 in at all times: Listening to ignite and not to interrupt (that’s ‘Attention’), treating everyone as an equal thinking partner and ensuring they get equal time to talk (that’s ‘equality’) and one that surprises some groups, ‘Appreciation’; we think better when we feel appreciated.
Peta‘s class wouldn’t be a success without Energy. She brings lots of that! She never yells but she has a mike and puts lots of enthusiasm into everything she says. She has a certain way of saying “go-o-o-o-o-o” that sends me into a peddling frenzy! She picks some of the longest songs known to humankind and manages to get us all doing rolling hills and pushing ourselves up imaginary hills then zooming down for the entire duration. Then she checks in on our energy levels and gives us a rest and a pause for a drink before the next crazy pace.
Contrary to the beanbag and post-it clichés, innovation workshops are hard work and can also be exhausting. It is crucial to be attentive to the energy in the room. When I ask group to write down the energy boosters and drainers, I get something like this:
BOOSTERS — Passion, laughter, jokes, clips, interaction, more interaction, variety, plenty of breaks, lots of water, plenty of fresh air, novel topics, new ideas, permission to critique…
DRAINERS––Stuffy room, droning voice, being “talked at”, resistance, dominant people (facilitator or participants), too many carbohydrates at lunch, going over time, being interrupted, leads or participants with clear ‘agendas’..
I also believe a facilitator needs to be ON from the moment people work in until everyone leaves. I find it odd when you sense that people have a facilitation personality that is at odds with their off-stage one.
I also add the importance of dealing with resistance. It is so important to address any idle elephants in the room. Not doing so can be a bad drain on energy.
I realise, in passing, that the parallel between spin and innovation sessions is perfect when it comes to dealing with resistance. Just as we dial up the resistance on our bikes for our own good, so should we embrace resistance in innovation. Often, just as with the bikes, resistance can act as a positive and constructive element in the innovation process and, as with a hard ride, can often lead to some really good breakthroughs.
Linked to energy but distinct in my mind is the idea of Engagement; getting people present, active and caring about the work.
With Peta, I do not see the time go. The choice of music is generally uplifting and the beat is good. She keeps changing it up. She scaffolds the activity with method; there is a proper way to do this. She peppers the session with instructions on position and where to put our weight, how much pressure to put on our hands, how to keep our shoulders loose and how to stretch out our quads and glutes after the class; there is a right way to do this that will ensure that we do not hurt ourselves and will come out stronger.
Engagement is the artful part of facilitation. For me it is a delicious balance of establishing authority and showing vulnerability. It is about bringing clarity and guidance and structure. It means showing the topic matters to you and helping people to get involved and show it matters to them.
Because I am fostering creative and innovative thinking, good facilitation involves breaking patterns and constantly breaking fixedness to help everyone get ‘unstuck’. Like Peta, I am comfortable with a bit of ‘crazy’ but it needs to be contained in frameworks and structure. I think that’s why I embraced the toolset and mindset of Systematic Inventive Thinking (SIT), the only method I know to give a short cut to more creative ideas using thinking tools that are made more potent and resourceful by a simple rule: strive to use the resources inside the world of the problem — you got it: it’s inside the box stuff!
Because I am interested in drawing out the ideas and thinking from everyone in the room, engagement also means lots of pair work. This is great to give people confidence and build rapport.
The last ‘E’ that comes to mind is Endgame. In every session Peta has a way of reminding us why we are there and what will be the reward: “45 seconds more of discomfort for 48 hours of calorie burn” she says, revving us on as we start a round of gruelling intervals.
In a workshop, participants appreciate having a good sense of deliverables and criteria for success. I like to get alignment before we start around what it is costing us not to solve the issue we are addressing and what may be the size of the prize if we do. In idea generation and problem solving, it is crucial to know what criteria will be applied to adopt or reject solutions. How can you sharpen, categorise and converge and ultimately implement ideas without this?
I also explore what is off the table, what the known trade offs may be and what positive byproducts may be sought in the process. Alignment? Cohesion? Team building? Awareness of an issue?…
I’ll be back in my spin class on Thursday and am often in real or virtual spaces facilitating. This is not a space to peddle but I’d be delighted to hear from people who really care about the facilitation craft or who are needing someone who does.
Rachel Audigé is a facilitator, coach, mentor and trainer in Systematic Inventive Thinking (SIT). She is also fascinated by obstacles to creativity and published ‘UNBLINKERED: The Quirky biases that get in the way of creative thinking … and how to bust them’
