As a core component of my work, facilitating meetings and workshops occurs frequently. Whether for a client meeting or more publicly in a workshop setting, I’ve played around with my facilitation style based on audience and subject matter. Each time I facilitate, I learn something about myself.
And as the world continues to reopen, conferences and meetings that transitioned from in-person to online during the COVID-19 pandemic are returning as in-person events.
From handling logistics and planning your meeting or workshop structure, to being fully present, facilitators consider many things to ensure the experience is educational and enjoyable for your audience.
Despite our level of preparedness, sometimes things don’t go as planned. You can’t control everything, but some awkward moments are easier to navigate in the moment, while others require reflection and planning to avoid them in the future.
Consider these crucial facilitation aspects as you develop your strategy for reducing awkward logistical and audience moments as much as possible:
Awkward logistics
I once facilitated a two-day virtual convening via Zoom. I worked with the convening organizers to structure breakout groups, activities, discussions and breaks.
The attendees knew the convening dates months in advanced, they knew which breakout rooms they were assigned to, and they were offered the opportunity to send a colleague in their place in the event they couldn’t attend. They were also asked to make sure the latest version of Zoom was downloaded to their desktop or laptop.
Not only did some attendees hop in and out throughout the convening, some arrived late. This was a logistical nightmare, and it was annoying to assist attendees to get into (or in some cases, back into) the Zoom breakout rooms and troubleshoot tech issues.
Logistical considerations are often mapped out (like a virtual meeting), but there will be things that you can’t plan for (like when conversations go awry). With this virtual convening, the logistical issues were largely based on attendees’ prioritization of a virtual convening. Despite the planning, we couldn’t account for the fact that some attendees just didn’t view the convening as a priority. In an in-person setting, there’s fewer distractions and attendees are able to place their attention in the moment.
Awkward audience dynamics
In a different facilitation event (this time, an in-person event for another organization), the activities changed so much during the event at the request of the convening organizer that it became overwhelming to facilitate. From my perspective, it felt like the organization was on the defensive to avoid confrontation with the attendees. They didn’t have strong relationships with the attendees and their respective organizations, which played out during the event.
Pivoting is necessary and most facilitators have a strategy for making this pivot happen as smoothly as they can. However, the relationship between the convening organization and the attendees was so strained, that no amount of pivoting was able to lessen it. The tension was so thick that I questioned myself as the facilitator.
Awkward audience engagement
For most people, awkward facilitation moments largely centers audience engagement. Common engagement problems include:
- Silent participants
- Talkative participants
- Getting off track
- Disruptions
I’ve experienced each of these to varying degrees. To address disruptions and getting off track, I work with attendees to create engagement agreements to outline how we’ll interact with each other. This serves as a safety net for me, as I can return back to these throughout the facilitation, add and adjust, etc. Plus, these agreements serve as an accountability measure for both you and the attendees. Encourage attendees to uphold the engagement agreements. Peer pressure insistence works wonders.
Planning for future awkward moments
Debriefing after a facilitation is a great way to identify what went well, what didn’t, and what steps to take to reduce their occurrences in future facilitations.
Using the example of the two-day convening:
- The conveners and I sent a follow up email to the attendees that included meeting notes and other materials, along with a reminder of the group agreements that were created by the attendees prior to the convening. These agreements included reducing distractions as much as possible (while understanding that life happens) and being present through our meetings. We no longer had these issues during subsequent meetings
- In later meetings, I made sure one person stayed behind in the main Zoom session to provide tech assistance so that I could focus on facilitating
For the in-person event:
- The client organization and I discussed the distrust the attendees had with their organization, and ways to begin reducing the distrust. During the meeting, the client organization identified several next steps. As a step to increase communication and accountability, they shared meeting notes and next steps 24 hours after the meeting.
- They also developed internal strategies for keeping these attendees engaged with them, from providing funding resources to supporting the attendees is networking and making connections. These small changes slowly build to increased engagement with these attendees. Several months later, the facilitation went more smoothly. There was more familiarity among the attendees, and there was more time spend strategizing and less airing out grievances
- Also, I started the follow up facilitation addressing what had taken place at the first meeting and invited the client organization and attendees to reflect on what had taken place between the last meeting and now. This allowed me to get a temperature check of the space to determine if shifts in the agenda needed to be made.
For common audience engagement:
- Plan options for meaningful audience engagement. Some attendees are comfortable talking openly, while others feel more comfortable responding nonverbally. Nonverbal engagement can include responding in a chat box, using tools like Poll Everywhere or Mural, or writing responses on notecards or post-it notes.
- Create engagement agreements at the start of the facilitation. “Take up space, make space” is a common agreement that encourages talkative attendees to allow others to speak, and for quieter attendees to feel encouraged to speak more.
Key takeaway
You can’t control everything, but surviving awkward facilitation moments is a matter of planning and reflection. Each facilitation allows you to identify themes in your facilitation experiences and plan how to address these in future facilitations.
Debriefing after a facilitation helps identify steps to take to reduce future logistical and audience awkward moments (as much as you can.)
Next week, I’ll provide a more detailed version of this debrief exercise. Stay tuned!
Raise Your Voice: How do you handle awkward moments during a meeting or workshop facilitation? Share below in the comments section.
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