The art of facilitation

Many of us regularly find ourselves leading team meetings, workshops, conferences, and events, often without formal training. While some people seem to have a natural talent for it, great facilitation can also be a learned skill.

There are a few misconceptions about what makes a great facilitator. Have you ever thought?

❌ You need to be an extrovert

❌ You need to have all the answers

❌ You need to be a subject-matter expert

Not necessarily true. A great meeting doesn’t start when people walk into the room. In reality, the best sessions are the ones that are carefully designed, with time invested in planning beforehand. 

In the sessions, we worked through our meeting design template, asking questions like:

✅ Purpose – Why are you bringing people together?

✅ Context – What external factors or constraints should you consider?

✅ Objectives – What key topics or goals are you focusing on?

✅ Outcomes – What do you want to achieve by the end?

✅ Measures of Success – What does a “successful” outcome look like?

✅ Meeting Format – What structure will help you meet your objectives?

✅ Scope – What is in, and what is out of this discussion?

✅ Expectations – What ground rules need to be set?

✅ Participants – Who should be in the room?

✅ Preparation – Should attendees do any pre-work? 

✅ Challenges – What obstacles might arise?

✅ Decision-Making – How will the group reach conclusions?

✅ Reflection – How do you feel about leading this session?

With a structured approach to facilitation, you can be much more prepared for important meetings and events, take the pressure off yourself a little, and hopefully achieve a lot more. If you would like a copy of the meeting design template, just get in touch.