Strategies for Facilitation Success

Top 10 Strategies for Success

Many years ago, I started to record a list of all the activities I had been exposed to – mostly as a participant – during my early training experiences.

Reflecting my fastidious inclinations, I grouped similar activities together, so that as the list grew longer and longer, I would find it easier to access them when I needed a good idea. Icebreakers, de-inhibitizers, warm-ups, initiatives, trust exercises, games – I recorded the names of everything.

Thirty-six years later, that list has grown into what I refer to now as my ‘Book of Tricks.’ There are simply 100s of great activity ideas contained between its seriously dog-eared covers.

Yet, as much as this book represents a chronicle of what I have played and discovered over the years – and continue to draw benefit from – it would fail to inform even the most learned of my colleagues of the slightest glimpse of what I have discovered along the way.

And, most importantly, it fails to offer a glimpse of what I believe to be more significant than the games themselves.

Key Facilitation Tips &  Strategies

As I flick through its pages, I know for a fact that my briefing, presentation and understanding of many of the earliest recorded activities have changed significantly – for the better – since I first learned to play them.

It’s true, I have added many new and wonderful variations to my list of games, but this is not the difference I speak of. Rather, I refer to the philosophies and general comprehension of how play can develop positive relationships that now envelop my facilitation style and overall program delivery approach.

As an experiential trainer and author with 36+ years of experience, I often muse about these differences for the benefit of my training participants.

Now, in no particular order, I think it’s time to write them down.

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1. Frame, Frame, Frame

In other words, prepare, prepare, prepare.

Appropriately framing an activity – that is, to ‘set the scene’ or provide a context in which the activity will take place – is one of the most valuable tools I employ to help groups achieve their goals, ie get success. Otherwise, your group may not be ready – in most cases, emotionally under-prepared – for what is about to happen.

People have a natural proclivity to want to know why they are doing what they are doing. Framing goes a long way towards answering these questions, as well as reducing anxiety, providing clarity, and generally coaxing people forward into your program, perchance, into their Stretch Zone.

Everything you do programmatically provides the context in which the next activity is framed. For example:

• Your language – it’s not just what you say, but how you say it – see the next tip for a more thorough discussion;
• Lead-up activities – like building blocks, every activity should aim to complement the next, rather than subvert it. To illustrate, leading into a serious discussion after a very energetic, bounce-off-the-wall type of activity is unlikely to result in a settled, composed or focused group of people.
• Your general approach to facilitation – if you operate under the premise of ‘challenge by choice’ but your overall demeanour limits people’s opportunity to make choices, you are likely to turn them off.

Ask yourself, ‘Have I done everything to prepare my group – emotionally and physically – to experience success?’ and ‘Do they know what they are getting into, and why?’

If not, think about what lead-up activities you could use to prepare them, or perhaps what introduction or briefing might be necessary to soothe the group into the activity.

2. It’s All In How You Say It

As a participant, which would you prefer to hear?

“….and if you’re too slow, or get the wrong answer, you are ‘out’ and you have to come in to the centre of the circle…”

Or, “…and if the time expires, or you make a mistake, you are invited to take your turn in the centre of the circle and have some fun…”

Perhaps each statement is saying the same thing, but for many people, they will hear a big difference.

The first implies that I have no choice (“you have to…”) so I might feel under pressure because I don’t want to be ‘slow’ or ‘wrong.’ This may manifest itself as, I don’t want to make a mistake, so perhaps I won’t play.

While the second statement is all about options (you may decline the invitation) and fun is introduced as an integral part of the consequence of ‘going out.’

As program providers, our language is one of our most potent tools. It can work for us or against us, and I don’t just mean the use of ‘politically correct’ terms. Beware that everything you say, from the moment you introduce yourself to the waves good-bye at the end, will fan the flames of invitation and play or snuff them out.

Ask yourself, ‘Have I introduced this activity in the most appealing, inclusive way?’ Provide choices to people so that they can find a level of participation that is comfortable for them.

3. Inject Lots Of Humour

This is such a critical element of my delivery, and to be honest, the trick to disarming my group.

Take time to observe the crazy, menial little things people do, and serve it back to them in a manner that asks have you ever noticed this? Of course, they have, they just don’t want to admit it.

For example, the insistence some people have for tagging their opponent after you have stopped the game, or the understated crawling on knees when a simple pivot on one knee was sanctioned.

Or, at a more serious level, the subtle glance over the shoulder to check that your spotters really are there behind you to catch your fall, even though the command ‘Ready, fall away’ was given.

What about the way we (notice, I’m using the royal ‘we’ here, to not draw attention to myself) divert our eyes and attention away from someone whom we met and learned their name earlier in the day, but now that they are coming our way, can not for all the fish in the sea remember it? I could go on and on…

Suffice to say, people love to laugh at these silly interactions – it was the essence of the TV show ‘Seinfeld.’ Our programs are made up of so much normalness, perhaps nothingness; it can be hilarious to sit back and look at it for what it really is at times.

Of course, how you deliver these moments is important – what could appear to some as a diamond in the rough may just be a rock to others. Focus your humour so that you encourage your group to laugh with rather than at others.

Oh, and inject tons of FUNN too – it will act as a magnet for many more moments of people simply being human!

4. Let The Group Create Its Own Energy

Or, put another way, if you build it, they don’t always come.

Having just encouraged you to inject lots of humour, I have to admit that some groups just don’t get it. You can lay out the most fun, most inviting program ever, and yet, they still won’t laugh.

In the early days, my typical reaction to this scenario was to work even harder and generate the energy myself that I expected to come from my group. After ‘hitting the wall’ and exhausting myself on several occasions, I finally got it.

Give yourself and your group permission to discover their own energy. It will be different for every group, and provided you have created a caring and supportive environment within which to play, wherever the group is, is where the group is supposed to be. End of story.

Sure, pepper your program with a little more FUNN, add a little levity, but do not generate the energy for your group based solely on your own efforts. You will burn yourself out quickly. And importantly, you will cheat (ie disempower) your group of the opportunity of being the cause of its own outcomes.

5. How To Pick A Partner

Have you ever noticed how the seemingly innocuous words ‘Okay, everybody pick a partner….’ can strike fear into the hearts of many participants? In my experience, it is one of the most frightening things you can ask a group to do.

Questions such as ‘Should I pick someone, or wait to be picked?’ or ‘What if I pick somebody, and they don’t want to play with me?’ or ‘Does she really want to play with me, or is she just being nice’ or ‘If I pick him, will he think I’m hitting on him?’ will be roused among many others.

Sadly, the instruction to ‘pick a partner’ is too often interpreted as ‘find someone you like or are like.’

This thought is as embarrassing as it is open to the anxiety-laden prospect of people feeling left out. There are just too many other ways to ask people to form into smaller groups, including pairs, to risk these outcomes.

Now, I’m not suggesting that you should never use the words ‘pick a partner’ again. Certainly, as your program develops and your group becomes more comfortable with each other, the panic-inducing reaction to simply ‘picking a partner’ will diminish.

But, with most groups, especially if they have just met each other, you are well advised to avoid the typical ‘pick a partner’ suggestion.

Click one or both of the links below to discover dozens of fun, often random methods to help you break your group into partners and small teams.

Getting Into Pairs

Getting Into Teams

6. Always Ask For A Volunteer

There is always, no matter how long you wait, someone willing to step forward as a volunteer and help you do whatever you need to do.

Perhaps you need help to demonstrate the next move, or need someone to break the ice and start the activity, whatever. It never fails; there is always someone willing to step forward.

But why bother, you may ask, when you can often save time and potential embarrassment by doing it yourself, or asking a colleague to step in? The value is hidden in the invitation.

It can be as simple as observing the initial humour of no one stepping forward, or everyone but one poor soul stepping back. However, beyond the humour of these moments, there is extraordinary value in enlisting the support of a volunteer from your group.

Having one or more of your group step forward says ‘I am willing to… take a risk, have fun, give it a go, look silly, etc, etc.’ These are huge, transformative messages that are broadcast loud and clear – yet subtly – to the rest of your group. It will frequently open up further opportunities for more of these decisions, from more of your group.

Asking for volunteers is part of the fun, it’s suspenseful (‘what are they going to do?’) and it’s a true adventure, especially if you don’t telegraph what you are going to be doing in advance.

Besides, I get to be up front all the time, and I want to share the limelight from time to time.

7. Have More Up Your Sleeve Than You Need

You can never have too many activities lined up in your head, nor too much equipment at the ready. This could be just another way of saying ‘be prepared,’ but it’s more than that. It’s about options.

Stuff happens – the bus arrives late, it starts to rain, the room is smaller than you anticipated, a member of your group is nursing an injury or disability, etc, etc – all of these events call for immediate attention.

Sometimes, it may be just as simple as getting to the end of your list and realising too late that the activities ran for much less time than you had imagined.

I can’t tell you the number of times I have been ‘saved’ from that menacing what-are-we-going-to-do-now look by resorting to Plan B, C or D, and making it look like I had it all planned from the start. It’s always better to say ‘Gee, I didn’t get to do half of what I planned…’ than ‘Arghhhh, I need to think of something quick…’ It makes you look good, too!

8. Stop An Activity Before It Wanes

Always leave your group wanting more.

Stopping an activity just as it reaches its peak, and perhaps just before, will give you many useful programmatic starting points.

Moving on at this juncture keeps the energy of the group and their spirits high. It’s easier to slide into the next activity if you have their attention, even if they are complaining that you stopped too soon. Better this than having no complaints because everyone left the scene on account of boredom!

You can always go back to the activity if it really is that good (and it fits your program goals,) but it’s often better to move on to something new while you have them in the palm of your hand.

And remember, quoting the evangelical words of Karl Rohnke…

“… if at the end of the day you have waned more often than you waxed, get a new job.”

9. Try New Things All The Time

It’s easy to fall into the pattern of doing the same old thing, for no other reason than it works. And that’s okay, but… there’s a lot to be said for trying out new stuff too.

Indeed, seek out new ideas and experiences. Experiment with some new activities, or change the prop or the scenario, even the reason for doing it – just because you can.

I’ll even trot out an old activity I didn’t really like much and haven’t used in years, just to see if my suspicions hold true. Sometimes they do, but not always – and that’s the key. You’ll never grow in terms of your confidence, your repertoire and your experience, unless you give ‘new’ a go.

Your Comfort Zone as a leader will stretch too, which is what many of our programs are about, right?

Which brings me to my next pearl of programmatic wisdom…

10. Walk Your Talk

Example is a powerful cause in people’s lives. If your group sees you do the very thing you are asking them to do, they are more likely to do it too. This is one of the primary reasons I love my work, because I get to play and join in on the fun, rather than stand back all the time.

But more than just participating, walking your talk embraces everything about your program and who you are to your group – from the language you use and encourage, to the choices you make and respect – it all matters.

If you can mix it with your group (when it is appropriate) and demonstrate that you are prepared to take risks (for example, in the challenges you set, and the types of activities you use,) your example will inspire your group to have fun and take risks too.

Naturally, there are times when you need to step back and let your group play and learn on their own. However, please acknowledge that some groups like nothing more than to see their teacher, leader, coach, whomever, do the activity with them.

One further nudge – I surmise that about 95% of the activities I know and deliver, I have learned through direct experience. Be it as a participant of someone else’s program, or an activity that I’ve just picked up from somewhere (ie a book or a peer,) pretty much all of the activities I know and present, I have experienced as a participant.

I also strongly believe that this experience of being a participant – as distinct from being the leader – will make you a much better facilitator of the activity.

Actual get-your-hands-dirty participation will give you direct knowledge of what it feels like to be a participant in the activity – which no book or learned colleague’s stories about a new, you-beaut activity could ever substitute. It will also keep you fresh, you know, in a way that reminds you what it’s like to be a participant again.

And if all of this has failed to impress you to walk your talk, just do it because it’s fun.

11. Play On

Have you ever been left out of a group? Ever felt that everyone else was having fun, but you weren’t?

You’re not on your own – I’ve been there, and done that, especially when I was younger. So I make it a point not to introduce too many activities that eliminate people, especially early in a program.

Games that eliminate folks can be great fun – I still use many of them in my programs today. For example, take a look at Ah So Ko, Speed Rabbit and King Frog.

But… when used at the wrong time, or in the initial stages of a group’s development, elimination games risk alienating certain people, not to mention losing a lot of useful energy.

Also, it is not unusual to watch the same people get eliminated over and over again. Beware what message this may send to your group – and those unlucky individuals – if this does not occur within a safe and supportive environment.

If you must (or want to) present an elimination-style activity, look for ways to actively engage those who are eliminated in a new role, such as a heckler, time-keeper, etc, to add more fun and value to the exercise.

Clearly, the more people you have involved, the more energy and good times you can develop – which brings me to my next point…

12. Keep People Bunched Together

The wall-flower syndrome – you know, those folks who like to stand away from the group with their backs to the wall – is such a killer of energy and enthusiasm, especially in the beginning stages of your program.

Always invite people to come closer to you, get them to bunch up a little. Circles work fine, but when you don’t need a circle, collapse them in, and ask people to move closer to you. You and they will bristle with energy, which is a wonderful way to build interest in what you’re about to share.

My style is very much ‘Hey, come over here, I’ve got a secret to tell.’ People move in, they lean closer, their attention is piqued. I love that. They are now primed and ready to rock-n-roll. Yet, at the same time, my group has started to unconsciously break down some barriers, not to mention trust and share a little too.

Try speaking a little softer; that often works a treat. Your group will have to bunch in closer to simply hear you. And all those folks who can’t hear you because they are too busy talking, will suddenly gasp when they realise the group has gone quiet! I love the humour these moments bring.

Oh, there is just one caveat – never ask a very large group of over-enthusiastic children standing in a circle, to take a few steps into the centre towards you – before you know it, you will be under the biggest pile of stacks on the mill you’ve ever had the back-breaking pleasure to be a part of.

13. Seek Feedback All The Time

Finally, if you are keen to improve your leadership skills, one of the best things you can do for yourself is to seek feedback. And the best time to do this is when you don’t want to hear the answers.

Yes, you read that correctly.

It is often the things we don’t want to hear that provide wonderful opportunities to step outside of our Comfort Zones to help us continuously improve our leadership skills.

Seek feedback from your peers and colleagues in particular. Sure, you can ask your participants and program clients for feedback, but their opinion will rarely go beyond the standard ‘Oh, that was really good’ or ‘That sucked’ remarks.

Discussing your progress with someone who knows what it takes to be an outstanding program provider will inspire greater insight and a more meaningful response. Comments such as ‘Your assessment of the group’s skills at X point was brilliant’ or ‘Try to ask simple questions at the beginning of your debrief’ are good examples of specific, constructive feedback.

It’s not always possible, but try to work alongside other colleagues as often as your program and/or budget will allow. Sharing the lead with one or more people can be a lot of fun, and will provide you with many perspectives from which to receive pointers, advice and praise.

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