I hope this finds you well. I'd like to thank you for the generous response to last newsletter's call for facilitation advice. We've reviewed and published it.
A few thoughts before sharing the full list...
More than advice
This advice came from you: scrum masters, designers, authors, consultants, coaches, teachers, students - Gamestormers all over the world. The advice and encouragement was reflective, generous, vulnerable and helpful. Which means you are those things, too.
While the inspiration was to help the inexperienced, there's something in here for every facilitator.
Common themes:
Prepare to improvise Write your word-for-word script, rehearse even the jokes but prepare to throw it all out as you walk into the room.
Clarify your role As the facilitator you are not responsible for the answers, only to shape the journey on the way to their discovery.
Establish your emotional state The room will follow your cues - what do you need them to be?
Set the tone Be thoughtful with your first activity, it is the foundation for the rest of the workshop.
Connectwith the workshoppers Collective and individual connection will energize the room and put you in tune with the path you'll need to follow.
We're beginning to form a community-sourced Virtual Facilitation research project. It aims to address what it means to facilitate in our current environment. We'll be posting soon in more detail as we look for volunteers to work on the project and participants to take the survey.
