Hot Topics Discussion – Facilitation
On the 17th of December 2018 the International Wider Community of Practice organized the webinar about Facilitation practices, within the Hot Topics Discussion Series of Webinar.
The guest speakers, Ana Digón and Dave Pollard, shared their experiences on this important, sometimes undervalued, topic. Juan del Río facilitated the session with the technical help of Nicola Hillary.
Ana Digón gave a very clear introduction about her experience on how to focus on several dimensions of the facilitation process, in particular: spaces for meetings, spaces for creativity, spaces for emotions, spaces for celebration. Keeping the Triangle of Facilitation in mind (Objectives, People, Process), she underlined the importance of the role of the Facilitator and of the inner work involved and needed.
Dave Pollard shared his experience about how to drastically improve the way to facilitate with certain useful tools such as group works four applications using the tool: facilitation planning, facilitation skills self-assessment, “cardography” for providing feedback on others’ facilitation, using the deck to acknowledge outstanding facilitation work. This interesting tool (available in multiple languages) that uses a pattern language approach to the training, evaluation and appreciation of excellence in facilitation. Resources on this are freely shared to anyone interested.
The participants, as always, were committed to the discussion very fruitfully and shared their interesting experiences and thoughts!
The question of managing difficult power dynamics within municipalities and decision-makers as facilitator was also taken into consideration. Experiences about this issue were shared among participants.
Congrats to everybody!!!
Shared resources
From Dave Pollard:
- Three excellent books on facilitation:
- Facilitator’s Guide to Participatory Decision-Making — Sam Kaner
- Great Meetings: How to Facilitate Like a Pro — Dee Kelsey and Pam Plumb
- The Skilled Facilitator — Roger Schwarz
- Link to Tree Bressen’s excellent website of resources on facilitation: https://treegroup.info/library/
- Links to Group Works sites (for purchase/free download in English, French, Spanish, German)
- Step by step instructions for using Group Works for the four applications described in the workshop: Link
- Download Group Works directly:
From Ana Digón (English and Spanish):
- Recommended tools for meeting & project organization & facilitation (which include all four spaces we discussed: work, creativity, emotional management and celebration):
- Sociocracy:
- Wikipedia entry
- https://sociocracia.net/4-reglas/ (Spanish version)
- Video of Ana Digón briefly explaining Sociocracy (Spanish version)
- Dragon Dreaming:
- Art of Hosting:
- Appreciative Enquiry:
- Sociocracy:
- Recommended tools for inner work & personal growth towards group work:
- Meditation (all types!)
- Deep Ecology:
- Process work
- http://www.processwork.edu/ (English version)
- http://trabajodeprocesos.net/ (Spanish version)
- Sitting in the fire by Amy and Arthur Mindell
- Co-counselling:
- Family Constellations/Constelaciones Familiares:
- … and any healing process / therapy that sheds light on your inner self and helps you to embrace your shadows and develop your full potential!
- Recommended tools for emotional management & conflict resolution:
- Deep Listening in all its formats
- Deep Ecology (see above) and specifically The Work That Reconnects – Coming Back to Life by Joanna Macy & friends (an excellent book full of activities and processes, translated also into Spanish: El Trabajo que Reconecta – Volviendo a la Vida)
- Non-Violent Communication (NVC):
- English version (NVC) wikipedia entry
- https://www.cnvc.org/
- Spanish version (CNV) wikipedia entry
- https://www.comunicacionnoviolenta.com/
- The Deep Democracy / WorldWork side of Process Work: http://www.aamindell.net/worldwork/
From participants:
- A mapping dialogue toolkit
- Collaboration Supercards
- Ways of Council – a privileged space of listening and expressing all voices
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