Be the Best Facilitator in Every Meeting

We've all been there - slouched in our seats as another meeting drags on without purpose or energy. Time wasted listening to disengaged colleagues ramble about topics barely related to our work. Our distaste for meetings has become a badge of overworked honor. But it doesn't have to be this way. Skilled facilitation transforms even the weariest teams into focused, energized collaborators. With the right facilitator keeping discussion aligned, participative, and oriented around action, meetings become an engine for progress, not a quagmire. People's inner eye rolls turn into leaning forward in engagement. By elevating facilitation excellence, we can actually make meetings worth looking forward too. Even better, something all participants walk away feeling good about.

The old way of approaching facilitation was all about rigidity - a person that keeps time, stops conversations from derailing, and keeps a strict agenda. Meetings drag on without purpose. People half listen and half care. No one wins.

Let's flip that script and become masters of facilitation - people that can artfully guide others to innovative solutions. Let's run collaboration sessions and workshops instead of meetings, and let's actually deliver something of value at the end of it.

Facilitate Your Way To Collaborative Meetings

The key to facilitating a successful session will revolve around making sure you have the right outcomes, people, processes, and tools to make it work. As the facilitator, you can't just show up and expect greatness. Greatness will come from preparing and thoughtfully executing before, during, and after the session. Here are some keys to consider:

Before the Meeting:

• Set a strategic objective tied to business goals (ex. solve a specific problem, generate new ideas)
• Create a loose agenda balancing structure with flexibility - Focus on outcomes, not a checklist
• Set expectations on mindset (learning, creativity, bold thinking)
• Make sure you have the right people identified to solve the problem

During the Meeting:

• Kick off with the context and goal to align everyone
• Set guidelines like listen first, build on others' ideas, encourage wild concepts
• Capture ideas visually to keep people aligned
• Remind people to stay present by parking tangents
• Manage time while allowing organic collaboration

After the Meeting:

• Synthesize key takeaways, insights, prototypes etc.
• Identify next steps for further ideation, experiments, implementation
• Communicate results across the ream
• Measure success through participant feedback, new innovations launched etc.
• Reflect on areas to improve and refine the format

Traits of Skillful Facilitators

Here are some additional tips for becoming a master facilitator:

• Be a good listener. One of the most important skills for a facilitator is the ability to listen actively. This means paying attention to what people are saying, asking clarifying questions, and summarizing their points.
• Be objective. A facilitator should be impartial and objective. This means not taking sides or expressing personal opinions.
• Be flexible. Things don't always go according to plan in meetings. A good facilitator is flexible and able to adapt to unexpected changes.
• Be patient. Facilitating a meeting can be challenging. It's important to be patient with the participants and to allow them time to share their ideas.
• Be enthusiastic. A facilitator should be enthusiastic about the meeting and the topic at hand. This will help to create a positive and productive atmosphere.

Skillful facilitators artfully weave these principles together situationally. With care and experience, you too can make facilitation a powerful, collaborative art.

As you improve and master you craft, you'll advance your career by being the person in the room that people will rely on to drive results and success!

Reflecting on the Impact of Facilitation:

1. How can I ensure that my facilitation approach encourages active participation and diverse perspectives during meetings?
2. What strategies can I implement to shift the focus from dictation to collaboration in the meetings I lead?
3. How can I reflect on past meetings to identify areas where I successfully facilitated discussions rather than managed them, and how can I replicate those practices moving forward?

‍