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7 Tips to Make You a Stronger Facilitator
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By Cody Sigel, MPH, CHES and Tracy Wright, MAED | October 20, 2016
Professional Development Consultant and Project Director, ETROriginally published here on Beth Kanter's blog.
The first time you facilitate a training, you start developing your own personal list of tips for great facilitation. You try out some things that work, and they go on your list (“I can’t wait to try that again!”). Chances are you also try out some things that don’t work, and they go somewhere else.
Some go into the trash (“I am never again going to ask people to take off their shoes as a way to break into small groups!”). And some go onto a wait-and-see list (“How come that worked so well when I watched Deb do it, and it was such a flop when I tried it?”).
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Facilitation Quick Tips: I Resolve
By Debra Christopher, MSM | January 3, 2017
Director, Professional Learning Systems, ETR
How will participants change their approach to their work, given what they’ve learned in their training? This group activity combines thoughtful reflection with an opportunity to state intentions. A handshake, virtual or real-life, seals the deal!
Title: I Resolve
Setting: Appropriate for in-person events and adaptable for live virtual events.
Time: 15 minutes
Purpose: To promote recall and to motivate participants to take action by making their intentions for change public.
Best Used: At the culmination of a professional learning event to reinforce action steps.
Steps
- Introduce the activity. Invite participants to spend a few minutes on their own reviewing the training materials and their notes. Based on what they have learned during the session, ask them to identify one or two changes they will make in how they approach their work. Ask participants to jot these down, beginning their statement with the sentence stem “I resolve…”
- Break into pairs. Once all participants have completed that task, ask them to find a partner (or use a creative process you like for partnering participants).
- Have partners share their resolutions. Instruct partners to take turns sharing what they plan to change, then identifying steps they will take to create the change(s). Ask that they begin their turn by saying “I resolve...”
- Ask participants to seal the deal. As partners finish up their conversations, ask them to shake on it. Explain that the handshakes are their contracts to follow through on their resolutions.
Variations
Here are some ideas that can enrich and/or extend this activity.
Set Up a Follow Up
Ask participants to exchange email or phone numbers and resolve to connect one month after the event. They can call, email or text to check on one another’s progress.
Infuse Movement
Movement helps the brain wake up and learn more efficiently. Consider using a movement-based strategy for the “find a partner” segment (play funky music and have people dance across the room to find a partner; ask people to take three giant steps away from where they’re standing and then find a partner).
You could also have participants take a walk while sharing their plans and resolutions.
Using the Activity in Live Virtual Events
Use the functions available on your online meeting system to partner participants, or adapt the activity and use small groups. Use a virtual handshake to seal the deal.
Debra Christopher, MSM, is Director of Professional Learning Services at ETR. Contact her with questions and ideas at debra.christopher@etr.org.
