Facilitating A Workshop

THE IDEAL FACILITATOR 

In today's session, we were looking at what makes a good workshop leader. We carried out a number of fake workshop scenarios, where members of the group had to take on roles with specific traits, and as a group we'd then unpick the scenarios and suggest what leaders were better than others. This was a really effective way of depicting various problems that may occur, for example if you're trying to handle a difficult rowdy group or if some people don't want to contribute. I feel like it has given me more of an insight into how to organise workshops and deal with tough situations for the future when we have to run workshops as a year.

Within this session, we eventually came to some sort of consensus about what makes a perfect leader.  My initial stance on one of the most important traits every facilitator should have is empathy, since this ensures they are attentive to the room and sensitive to the needs of the group, whether that is listening to them, giving them a break if they seem tired or letting someone sit out who might not be comfortable in the exercise. Here are some of the thoughts I collated regarding an ideal workshop facilitator after the number of exercises that we did:

• SOMEONE THAT LISTENS which allows you to build a connection with the people you are facilitating the workshop with, and help them to feel part of something where they are listened to and understood. It also builds mutual respect.  
• SOMEONE THAT KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE DOING, having a clear plan and being able to hold authority is important since if a leader is confident about what they are doing, they will build mutual trust with the group. They should also be able to adapt the plans based on the needs of the group. 
• IS ENTHUSIASTIC AND PASSIONATE ABOUT WHAT THEY ARE DOING from the moment they walk into the room, even if that day they are not feeling it. In a sense, it's the idea of putting the needs of the group before you.  
• OFFERING PRAISE OVER CRITICISM - a leader that builds you up instead of shutting you off, letting all ideas be good ideas and making everyone in the room feel valued.  This is empowering for the group and helps them have confidence to build off their core strengths and move forward. 
• SOMEONE THAT DEMONSTRATES, if playing a game/exercise the leader should ensure that everyone understands, particularly by demonstrating or getting someone else in the group to explain to the rest of the group. 
• A DECISIVE LEADER WHO THINKS ON THEIR FEET, being able to adapt based on the room and problem solve quickly while holding authority is important particularly for unexpected situations. Every workshop will be different so the leader should be prepared for anything to happen. 
• SOMEONE THAT CREATES A SAFE SPACE - this partly comes from listening more and valueing everyone in the room, but it also just comes from perhaps setting out some ground rules that ensure everyone is on the same page. 
• A LEADER WHO CAN LEARN FROM EACH WORKSHOP - when we are running on workshops, we will have to reflect on every workshop afterwards and discuss what worked well and what didn't, what the group seemed to respond to and when they might have switched off. This is good because it allows you to improve yourself and ensure that every week you are dedicating yourself to helping the pursuit of the group.