What Is In Your Bag of Tricks?
Three Things for Every Facilitator’s Tool Bag that Assures Success
All great facilitators have a tool bag. The tool bag is important because it is where you keep the normal tools to do the job, some unusual tools to do the unusual jobs, and a few tricks that you may need for the unimaginable situations.
My carpenter has a tool bag. So does my plumber. As does the person that cuts my hair. My attorney as one too, but he calls it a briefcase. Every great facilitator has one too.
A great facilitator must bring a group of people to a result that is created, understood, and accepted. Facilitation is a dynamic process that is often filled with as many personalities as issues. A great facilitator must be adaptable, flexible, and able to quickly pivot from one approach to another. There are three key items in the facilitator’s tool bag that separates the great from the mere good.
Exercises That Engage
Prepared reports, especially PowerPoint presentations, provide little participant stimulation or engagement. Great facilitators make sure all previously developed information is shared in advance. They do not confuse a boring break-out report with true facilitated engagement. Great facilitators will build on previously developed information with engaging exercises.
Audience Response Systems: An Audience Response System (ARS) is an example of an engaging tool that should be in every great facilitator’s tool bag. An ARS can come in the form of a separate physical system of “clickers” or in the form of web-based applications on cellular phones. Many engaging exercises can be generated with an ARS, including anonymous polling, participant competitions, and ice-breakers to build team cohesion or to introduce new topics. In terms of feedback, an ARS assures a nominal approach where all participant opinions are equally captured.
Preference Ballots: Preference ballots and associated forced ranking systems also produce engaging exercises. This is especially opportunistic where quick prioritization is needed to evaluate consensus points or where more discussion is appropriate. Three management science-based evaluation approaches — plurality, Borda count, and pairwise comparison — can be easily programmed into visual spreadsheet tools for quick and economical application live within the facilitated session.
Live Demonstrations: Live demonstrations of analytical tools can also create engaging exercises. An example includes using pre-developed models such as Monte Carlo analysis, decision trees, or mind mapping visualization that allows participants to perform sensitivity analysis.
Educational Exercise: Exercises that engage participants ensure that all participants have a basic understanding session subject matter are important for getting good input. Numerous exercises for concepts such as math or probability are available at education supply stores.
Props
Props are an important component of every facilitation tool bag because they bolster participant understanding and thereby support better input and results. Props also serve as neutral objects to which debate and argument can be directed rather than at fellow participants or the facilitator.
One prop example is a picture frame. By placing sticky notes with issues and concerns either inside the frame or outside the frame, conflict and agreement related to the problem frame can be directed at the prop rather than at fellow participants or the facilitator.
Some common props also include physical equipment. If you are working on mechanical or electrical equipment, stop by your local home improvement store and pick up a few examples of a ball valve, gate valve, and or a water meter. If facilitating a topic on computers, make sure to have some actual or old examples available. If doing community planning, take a trip to an actual site. And remember, props are always readily available if you have your facilitated session where the action is — that provides a very large tool bag full of props.
Supplies
This seems like an easy one. Supplies needed for facilitation should be coordinated in advance. There should be an expectation on the part of the facilitator that requested supplies will be ready and available by the host. However, great facilitators understand that this is not always the case and include some basic supplies in their tool bags.
Standard supplies that should be part of every great facilitator’s tool bag include Magic Markers, Dry Board Markers, Highlighters, Sticky Dots, Sticky Notes, Note Cards, Pens, Pencils, Binder Clips, and Rubber Bands. It is not necessary to bring a full set of back-up supplies for every participant. Generic sticky name tags are also good to have on hand, even though great facilitators should have name tags developed in advance. Another helpful supply is a small hand-held first aid kit (similar to those provided as corporate giveaways) as well as some aspirin. The focus should be on having enough backup supplies on hand to efficiently and effectively improvise when gaps in the requested supplies occur.
Moving Forward
Every great facilitator has a tool bag. The facilitator’s tool bag should include a variety of engaging exercises, props, and supplies. What is in your Bag of Tricks?
