How To Give Instructions (& Not Get Any Questions)

The Secret to Seamless Instructions

the Lazy Facilitator Episode 11

You know that moment right after you finish explaining an activity and then all the hands go up with questions?

Wait, what do we do again? Can you repeat that? I’m confused.

It’s frustrating and it makes you look unprepared if not unprofessional.

Now imagine this, you give your instructions and you get zero questions. Nobody’s confused. Everybody just gets it and jumps straight in.

That is not luck, that is a skill and I’m going to show you exactly how I do it.

Let Me Show You

Here’s the secret: only tell your group what they need to know when they need to know it.

Now, to demonstrate what I mean, click the link to see me present the instructions for one of my go-to favourite energisers called Finding Nemo.

1. First, I need to form a circle, so the circle forms.
2. Then I say I’m going to select a random secret person. That’s it so far. Notice I don’t tell them that this person is Nemo, they do not need to know that yet.
3. Then, once I’ve selected the secret person, I announce the secret person is Nemo and your goal is to find Nemo.
4. And only after that do I explain how they find Nemo and so on, etc, etc.

One step at a time, no overload, just what they need to know when they need to know it.