Core facilitation methods
I have experience in a number of methodologies and group dialogue processes, and I listen through the planning meetings to co-develop a design that serves the purpose and principles of the session/process, and to ensure that we have a good blend of different mode choices (visual, verbal, embodiment, silence, etc.) as well as group patterns (individual, partner, triad, small group, whole group, etc.).
Here are a few of the methods I work with; all are adaptable to both in-person and online environments:
World Café
Used to foster interaction and dialogue with both large and small groups. Very flexible and adapts to many different purposes such as information sharing, relationship building, reflection, exploration and action planning.
Open Space Technology
For organizing work and getting people to take responsibility for what they love. Fastest way to get people working on what matters. Useful in many contexts, including strategic direction-setting, envisioning the future, conflict resolution, morale building, consultation with stakeholders, community planning, collaboration and deep learning about issues and perspectives.
Circle Practice
An ancient form of meeting that gathers us into inclusive and respectful communication. Circle can be used to create healthy team relationships, address conflict and stuck conversations, make difficult decisions, hear each person’s voice and perspective, generate bold and creative solutions, build capacity, work with complexity and work with diverse viewpoints and move to wiser action.
Pro Action Café
An innovative collaborative methodology that helps move projects and questions to wise action. It can evoke and make visible the collective intelligence of any group, thus increasing people’s capacity for effective action in pursuit of good work.
Collective Story Harvest
Enables us to deeply connect with and learn from the experience in our community, team or organization. This storytelling process builds our capacity for targeting listening and group learning. Group harvesting is an ideal way to surface the many insights, innovations and aha’s that exist beneath the surface of our stories and to take learning to a deeper level.
Liberating Structures
Conventional meeting structures can be either too inhibiting or too loose and disorganized to creatively engage people in shaping their own future. Using simple, inclusive and results-focused Liberating Structures quickly foster lively participation in groups of any size.