Key phrases for facilitators
A skilled, well-prepared facilitator will bring the best out of a crowd of people and create the conditions for dynamic and productive dialogue. I had the privilege of working with The Kaleidoscope Group many years ago to train as a Diversity facilitator with Gloria Woods, and I've been grateful ever since to have learned from such a pro!
“When people are valued, respected, loved, heard, included, seen, honored – when we feel we matter, we are liberated, connected…whole.”
Gloria showed me that the work of a facilitator is to guide a group’s conversation forward. This involves balancing the voices in the room– drawing out the more reluctant participants and preventing outspoken people from dominating the dialogue. It also typically includes having a prepared list of thought-starter questions and/or exercises to engage the participants and gently re-centering on the topic when things go off course.
And it's worth noting that effective facilitators are generally not participants in the conversation— they are the hosts who strive to get the most productive dialogue to happen.
Room prep
A thoughtfully prepared room goes a long way. Round tables are typically better for conversation than rectangular ones if they are available. Coming up with ways for people to know and learn each other's names will contribute to a group gelling, so having markers and folded card stock on the tables for people to create name cards can be helpful. It may also be useful to have large easels or whiteboards to summarize key points as people contribute. A visual record of the conversation helps people feel they have been heard and allows dialog to move forward once a point has been made.
Making folks feel welcome and at ease
Creating a sense of welcome and greeting people when they enter the room is a great way to start. Invite people to pick a seat and write their names on both sides of folded cards so it is visible to others. Once everyone is gathered, introduce yourself and invite others to do the same.
You may choose to ask people to share a fun or interesting fact about themselves (which may or may not be related to topic of conversation) to get people warmed up. I often try to give a prompt that will level the playing field a little more than having folks share their name and title, which seems to be the default.
Once the session gets rolling, use people's names whenever possible as another way of making folks feel seen and heard.
Key phrases for facilitators
Here are a few useful phrases for guiding the conversation.
“Tell me more about that” // the essential facilitator phrase to encourage dialog without introducing any judgment. (often effective with teenage kids too – try it!)
“What did you notice (about the film, exercise, etc.)?” // a way to get people to respond to something without getting stuck on likes/dislikes
“Good discussion. Let’s refocus.” // a way to redirect dialog from a tangent to main topic
“Who haven’t we heard from yet?” // elegant way to invite new voices into the conversation and quiet the dominators
“One more comment on this, then we have to move on.” // respectfully keeps things moving
“Great question. Let’s talk about that.” // a way to shift topic
“It seems like X and Y have two different opinions on this. Let’s capture them both.” // validates opposing views and ensures both feel heard
“OK, let’s talk about this as a larger group.” or “Let me gather you back in if I could.” // way to quiet side conversations and draw them back into the group dialog. Most effective if you walk over to where the side conversation is taking place in the room.
“I appreciate that feedback. Others have found this useful so let’s give it a try.” // a great alternative to apologizing if a participant is less-than-enthusiastic about any of your approaches or exercises.
Wrapping it Up
As a session draws to a close, keep folks engaged by signaling your awareness of the time and your gratitude for their participation.
“We have about ten more minutes for conversation. Are there any final areas we should explore together today/tonight?” // As the closing time nears, let people know that you are aware of the time so people don’t get anxious about being delayed past the stated end time.
“There has been a lot of great participation today. Thank you for coming.” // gracious hosting 101 and a signal to your participants that you are wrapping up
“We encourage you to…” OR “You can engage more with this issue at [next event].” // Consider closing with a call to action. Are you hoping people will take next steps? What are they?
“I’d invite you to share contact information with one another so you can continue to work on these issues together.” // If you are hoping people will stay in contact with one another to take action, invite participants to trade contact information with one another.
“Thanks again everyone.” // smile at yourself and the group– well done!