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Facilitation

The Top Three Facilitation Challenges Every Facilitator Encounters

The Top Three Facilitation Challenges Every Facilitator Encounters

Facilitation is a newish word for an age-old art. Good facilitation begins with listening; like any art, doing it well requires skill. Anyone who has facilitated a meeting or learning event knows it takes dedication, perseverance, and deep reflection on what the group really needs to progress — and the more we listen with care, the easier it is to figure out. To be effective, facilitators must nurture the creativity and perspective of people looking at challenges from different angles to create change-making discussions.

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JEDI-Infused Facilitation: Bodies, Power, and Intentions

JEDI-Infused Facilitation: Bodies, Power, and Intentions

We can create structures and interactions where everyone is seen, celebrated, resourced, and safe when we practice justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI)-infused facilitation. In this article, Darrie Matthew Burrage and Mikayla Branz share insights they gleaned by taking the time to reflect with colleagues on the body politics, power dynamics, and intentionality behind facilitation.

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Coaching/Facilitation Corner: Guidance for Trauma-Informed Support

Coaching/Facilitation Corner: Guidance for Trauma-Informed Support

Do you work with or care about someone who may have experienced trauma or PTSD? This article provides some background on trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder, and offers a few suggestions for leaders, facilitators, coaches, and anyone who wishes to have more productive interactions with those who may have experienced trauma.

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Facilitator’s Corner: How Superpowered Introductions Dismantle Problematic Power Dynamics

Facilitator’s Corner: How Superpowered Introductions Dismantle Problematic Power Dynamics

Many group events and activities open with some sort of welcome or warm-up exercise, providing participants with a chance to introduce themselves before addressing the topic at hand. Sometimes, introductions that focus solely on titles, roles, degrees, years of experience, professional affiliations, and so on, can create a power dynamic that results in some attendees feeling less willing to contribute during the meeting.

Here’s a simple alternative approach to facilitating introductions that enables greater human-first connection: a focus on superpowers.

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Is Your Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Workshop Inclusive?

Is Your Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Workshop Inclusive?

As we all take advantage of the benefits of remote work, coaches and facilitators also have the opportunity to offer Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training programs virtually. The transition from in-person to virtual may be easy to some and challenging for another. How do you ensure that your online Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion workshop or training is inclusive?

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Facilitation Skills that Keep Conversations Productive

Facilitation Skills that Keep Conversations Productive

Good facilitation skills can be applied in all kinds of meetings and circumstances, including strategic planning, peer learning and any kind of gathering where a diverse group of people come together to have a conversation that enables them to work toward a decision or a plan of action. For those who have been in the trenches, you know it is not easy to facilitate with confidence, grace, and courage. It takes time and skill building to create desired outcomes through the art of conversation.

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Planning to Host a Virtual Event or Vendor Fair? Read this First!

Planning to Host a Virtual Event or Vendor Fair? Read this First!

Moving your conference or vendor fair from an in-person gathering to virtual may seem scary, especially when you want to be sure that your event is an engaging and valuable experience for your attendees. If you’re getting ready to take your meetings and events virtual, we are here to help.

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Humanizing Spaces

Humanizing Spaces

Human connection remains as critical as ever, most especially in the high-tech, nearly people-free, space landscape. We recently had the privilege of partnering with the International Space University on an international and interdisciplinary 5-week program that models humanizing virtual interactions at their best.

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