The Facilitators Compass

ANITA MULDER AND JOB VAN DEN BERG

THE FACILITATOR’S COMPASS

DEVELOPING AND FACILITATING GROUP SESSIONS

THANKS

WHO THIS BOOK IS FOR / GUIDE TO READ

1. INTRODUCTION / FACILITATION OF GROUPS

2. THE COMPASS FOR THE FACILITATOR 2.1

2.5 The facilitator

2.6 The program

3. THINGS ALWAYS DON'T WORK OUT THE WAY YOU THINK / TOP 10 LEARNING QUESTIONS

4. CAPITA SELECTA FOR THE FACILITATOR

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

After all, we owe a great debt of gratitude to Sandra Moes-Verrijzer who, with admirable effort, translated the Dutch edition of the book into English, and to Kate Farrow who, as a native English speaker, put important finishing touches.

WHO IS THIS BOOK FOR

This book is a reflection of almost 20 years of working with facilitators within consultancy and engineering firm Royal HaskoningDHV1 in facilitation network training and in the everyday practice of these professionals.

We have recorded this experience, supplemented it with theoretical frameworks and developed it further for professionals who want to achieve 'something' with groups based on their substantive expertise.

– This book is intended for every professional, regardless of their expertise, who

– - Has had a taste of the role of facilitator and wants to know more;

– - Has fulfilled the role of facilitator on a more or less regular basis and would like to continue to develop their knowledge of facilitation.

GUIDE TO READ

You can read this book in several ways. First of all, you can just read it from beginning to end for a complete overview. Of course, you can also use it as a reference book, just as you like.

A short explanation of the chapters may make it easier to find your own way.

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION TO FACILITATING GROUPS

In this chapter we describe the reason, the place, the field, and the developments. Why is facilitation increasingly becoming a part of projects and developments in our fields?

CHAPTER 2 THE FACILITATOR'S COMPASS

In this chapter you will find the theoretical background. We highlight the most important ingredients of facilitation. It is a suitable chapter if you are a beginner or if you are looking for theoretical depth.

CHAPTER 3 THINGS NEVER GO AS PLANNED - TOP 10 ISSUES

This chapter is based on the most frequently mentioned issues and questions of participants in the training courses. Here you will find practical tips for common pitfalls and difficult situations. In text boxes, experiences from the field are illustrated.

CHAPTER 4 CAPITA SELECTA FOR THE FACILITATOR

Several themes will be elaborated here, which may be of interest to you as a means of expanding your knowledge.

– About the facilitator's relationship with the client

– Overview of the competences you need to be a good facilitator.

– About interventions based on the theory of E. Schein.

– About different styles of facilitation, based on the different temperaments

1 INTRODUCTION FACILITATING GROUPS

ENGINEER IN THE EMPOWERED, COMPLEX SOCIETY

The practice and profession of professionals in a consultancy and engineering firm has changed profoundly and continuously in recent decades. In days gone by, The Engineer was asked -based on expertise and experience- to devise and deliver a technical solution to improve the design, use and management of the physical living environment. The clear reality was that a solution that matched the question was soon regarded by everyone as an improvement. Because it works and is based on well-founded technical knowledge and experience of an authoritative engineer. Over the past decades, the engineering profession has gradually developed into a reality in which technical and physical spatial interventions are increasingly experienced as measures that have consequences for the living environment and are therefore not undisputed.

In addition, the knowledge and empowerment of stakeholders has increased and the complexity of the environment in which technical knowledge is applied has grown. Working from a single discipline or field is not enough and is being replaced by cooperation between an increasing number of disciplines that develop a research approach together with stakeholders. This collaborative approach yields more cooperation than confronting stakeholders with an approach designed in advance. Solutions also gain in quality when the knowledge of stakeholders is used.

This approach to the realisation of spatially physical projects in the fields of

infrastructure, energy and the environment, water management and area development not only calls on the technical skills of the engineer, but also on his social skills.

FACILITATION: A SEPARATE PROFESSION

These developments result in the fact that an engineer or technical consultant needs a second profession in addition to being an expert in his own field, in order to operate successfully. In 1991, Hanna Nathans wrote the book ‘Adviseren als tweede beroep’2, which was reprinted many times. Many professionals developed their advisory qualities with this book when they realised that having expertise on the subject alone did not help them when they wanted to get things done from a non-hierarchical position (as an internal or external consultant).

In line with this, facilitation can be seen as a third profession, a separate profession that requires a professional approach. Successfully exercising the role of facilitator requires not only expertise as to content, but also skills aimed at shaping and guiding group meetings and cooperation.

In the nineties the importance of the role of facilitator as part of the services of RHDHV increased rapidly. Project managers in urban spatial projects had already mastered this role, but it also became important in the preparation and execution of hitherto mainly urban projects. Technical projects, such as dyke improvement, the construction of (rail) roads, waste disposal facilities conducting a technical content policy study. Taking account of environmental and social effects meant that professional project teams were increasingly composed in a multidisciplinary way. Project leaders and consultants were called upon to ensure that the team functioned optimally and that the project was brought to a successful conclusion with a feeling for external interests. The importance of facilitation increased. Clients more often explicitly asked for the contribution of a facilitator. Professionals with aptitude for this became more skilled in practice.

But in practice, it also became clear that 'just doing it on the side' entailed risks. A workshop with stakeholders that is not going well can be just as bad for the course of the project and the trust in the consultant as an error in a technical calculation. A well-facilitated meeting requires specific knowledge and skills and, more often than not, the involvement of people other than the participants themselves (experts, project leaders).

Moreover, an experienced facilitator knows that things always go differently than expected.

LEARNING FROM YOUR OWN PRACTICE

In 2003, we were asked to contribute to the professionalization of facilitation as a role and a professional skill within DHV and its clients. One of us (Job van den Berg) based on his practical expertise, the other (Anita

2 THE COMPASS FOR THE FACILITATOR

HELP ME GET MORE GRIP

I want more structure in my preparations. What am I going to do, why and how?

How do you prepare properly? How much content information do you need? Do you have to read everything?

I have made quite a few errors, mainly due to misjudgments (time, interests). How can I do better?

Sometimes I think: 'What was the goal again, what was the programme, what did we agree on?

I do not really prepare much, especially when the group is not very demanding. What is at least needed as preparation?

2.1 WELL-FOUNDED INTUITION OR A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK?

During intake interviews for facilitation training courses, one learning question always stands out. Both more and less experienced facilitators indicate that they do almost everything based on their feelings, on their common sense, their intuition, but that they are looking for more structure and a theoretical framework or model that allows them to navigate better, both in the preparation and during a meeting.

The 'compass' in this chapter offers the facilitator a handhold in both the preparation and the conduct of a workshop. The compass is not a straitjacket, but provides structure as well as room for personal preferences and intuitive choices. Intuition is a form of expertise and experience for us and is certainly worth listening to. The compass complements common sense and enables you to make well-considered choices based on a number of ingredients.

The compass consists of four 'wind directions' that influence each other and are connected by a central core. In this chapter, we will discuss each of them individually, indicating their importance, the pitfalls and how to deal with them.

2.2 THE GOAL

To forget the goal is the most common form of stupidity.

F. Nietsche

The centre of the compass is the purpose of the workshop. Facilitation may be a goal for the facilitator, but for the client it is a means to a higher end (part of a larger process or project).

Before, during and after a workshop/session,, the goal is placed central and serves as an important navigation tool for the facilitator.

Formulating the goal is an important part of the preparation with the client.

Often the client already has a more or less clear idea of what the session should look like. It is up to the facilitator to investigate what the reason and the intended goals should be, and then to claim the space to fill in the programme (within several preconditions to be formulated by the client).

Important questions to delineate and focus on the goal are:

– Where do you want to go?

– What should the output of the workshop be?

– What key questions need to be answered?

– What exactly has changed after the workshop? And how can you tell

– When are you (more than) satisfied with the results?

A possible stumbling block in the preparation is a client without a clear picture of the goals to be achieved. There is a great temptation to start and talk about the workshop and how to give it shape. After all, this seems to be the way forward. However, the opposite is the case. The lack of a clear anchor in the form of the agreed goals becomes a noose around the facilitator's neck that continues to bother him in every subsequent step.

When you help the client to formulate concrete goals, you also ensure that the client remains the owner of the intended results and does not 'delegate' this to you. The workshop is a vehicle for fulfilling the client's goals. A clear goal is a clear contract.

The same applies to unrealistic expectations of the client; wanting too much in too little time, for example. The more you want to steer towards a change in attitude and behavior, the more time you need, especially if the distance to the desired goals is great. For example: the members of a library are angry about the closure of a branch. It will take more time to persuade them to contribute constructively and to become fans of the library than, for example, to inform them properly about the way in which decisions have been taken.

AS FACILITATOR OFFSIDE/ ON THE BENCH

This group just has resistance

This group is not ready for this

They are not prepared to face the real problem

I can’t do anything with this

I do not know how to proceed

PLAYING THE BALL/IN THE FIELD

What does the group really want?

Why won’t the group participate. What’s the cause?

How do I facilitate this behaviour? What can I do to change this?

What CAN I do?

Expose your own ignorance: what is your ad-vice to me?

Finally, for any new issue, it is important to ask yourself; am I the right person here? Reflect on the following questions and/or submit them to the client. What is needed here? Can I offer that?

– How can I exploit my strengths in this situation?

– How can I sort out my weaknesses in this workshop?

– Can I be a facilitator here or does that clash with other roles I have (consultant, project leader, ...)?

– Am I able to fit in with this culture? Do I speak the language of the target group?

– Is collaboration with another facilitator needed/wanted? What kind of person should that be?

And finally, there always remains the question; Am I acceptable in the eyes of the group as a facilitator of this meeting? Should you have any doubts after your intake with the client, it is good to speak to several intended participants.

2.6 THE PROGRAM

After paying attention to the core and the first three corners of the compass, we come to the last corner: the programme of the workshop. Time and again, it turns out that the more extensive the orientation on purpose and the first three corners of the compass has been, the easier it is to arrive at a program that fits.

HOW TO DECIDE WHICH FACILITRAINING STYLE/STRATEGY TO USE

BETWEEN RESTRICTIVE FORMAT AND COMPLETE FREEDOM OF FORM

Some facilitators leave nothing to chance and rig the program for their workshop from the first to the last minute. Others swear by a global approach or let themselves be guided by what happens in the here-and-now in a group. What is the correct approach? For a part, we are talking about style preferences here; one facilitator feels more comfortable in a situation where he can improvise and respond to what is happening in a group. Another person might feel more comfortable when he knows what steps he is going to take and what he can roughly expect in terms of input from a group.

Figure 2 – The Facilitraining Rainbow

3 THINGS ALWAYS GO DIFFERENTLY THAN YOU THINK

TOP 10 LEARNING QUESTIONS

Since 2005, we have asked around 200 experienced facilitators of RHDHV about their most important learning questions. In this chapter, we highlight the 10 learning questions that recurred each time. We examine causes and difficult situations and provide practical tips and tricks for the facilitator in practice.

1 Flexibility and preparation

2 Role clarity, role stability

3 Creativity

4 Tools, tricks & interventions

5 Clashes, conflicts and confrontations

6 The group and me

7 Continued learning as a facilitator

8 Resistance

9 Self-confidence and uncertainty

10 High tech meets high touch

3.1 FLEXIBILITY AND PREPARATION

Life is what happens to you while you’re making other plans. John Lennon

Being flexible is difficult, as evidenced by the large number of times this issue has been mentioned. The facilitator, by and large, likes thorough preparation and finds it difficult to think up and implement something else on the spot.

HELP, THINGS ARE DIFFERENT!

'I find it difficult to react witty, especially during unforeseen situations. I get tense then and it's hard to react immediately’

'... everything often goes differently than you think and that is difficult when you have spent so much time on it. So what is the use of a script, anyway?'

'How can you best switch flexibly in a group where things happen that you didn't foresee?

When things go differently than expected, there can be several reasons;

– Poor preparation The facilitator has not done his homework well enough. For example, the group turns out to be less positive, there turn out to be all kinds of unexpected contradictions, the group is much larger or smaller or ...

– There are real unforeseen issues in the group that make the programm as envisaged not feasible or desirable. Unforeseen issues such as:

– Problems with conditions; the beamer does not work, there is insufficient space, there are no sub-rooms, the time required is suddenly reduced by half, a speaker does not turn up.

– Problems in the group/group process; there are tensions between group members, between the group and the client, between the group and the facilitator,

– New developments affecting the group process; the city council has resigned, a negative piece has appeared in the press, a colleague has suddenly died ...

Doing your homework properly means that you can foresee how the group reacts and that you know where resistance is and where ambition is, that you know the composition, what participants expect and what the desired output is. And if you think that to achieve this output you want other people at the table, or need more time, or less ambitious goals, then there is still time to sort that out. In this sense, a good start is more than half the battle.

What remains is that which makes facilitators sometimes wake up in a sweat: things are not going as planned, and end in disaster. What now?

THE FLEX START FOR THE ONE BY ONE ARRIVING PARTICIPANTS

We invited the participants to our training to arrive between half past four and five o clock. The unpredictable evening traffic makes it difficult to arrive at an exact time. To prevent a messy start, the participants are asked by order of arrival to form a group of two or three people and start immediately. They will prepare a starting exercise which is both creative and energetic. This exercise will be done

when the whole group has arrived. Every time we start the training this way it delivers some surprising, creative and powerful starters or energizers. If you have a clear focus on what you want to achieve, an exercise that helps can be quickly thought up and performed to achieve the goal. And the session will come up to speed despite some delayed participants.

3.2 ROLE CLARITY AND ROLE STABILITY

About different hats and how they can get in your way

THE HATS-PROBLEM

“…. separating the role and the person. It is difficult to play the role of a neutral facilitator in your own project in which you too have an interest. This can be onflicting sometimes.”

“I sometimes find it hard to combine/separate the role of project manager, advisor and facilitator.”

“All my roles are jumbled, and it is difficult to step away from the ‘yes, but’ situation. I become insecure, …. What I find difficult is that I constantly feel the need to prove myself.

The role of a facilitator is to help a group achieve its goals. To perform this role well, it is generally important that the facilitator is not involved in the output of the session. This is easier said than done, because if you want to guide a process, it is helpful if you have some understanding of the content, and there is a big catch right there!

ROLE AMBIGUITY

As a facilitator, you are often asked because of your substantive knowledge about a topic, which makes it easier to follow and appreciate a discussion in a group, but your substantive knowledge also brings problems. When you get involved in the discussion, solicited or unsolicited, you forfeit your independent role as facilitator.

In addition, it regularly happens that a facilitator fulfils other roles, for instance as project leader or advisor. Combining these different roles can lead to confusion about your role and conflicts of interest.

Practical tips for role clarity

To a large extent, this problem can be tackled in preparation. Ask yourself whether:

– you yourself are able to let go of the content and focus only on the process.

– and also whether the group is able to see you as separate from the content. This is actually even more important than the answer to the first question. You may be very good at it, but it is the perception of the group that matters. If they see you as involved in the content, you can do your best, but the group will see you as a party and may not accept you, especially if your vision differs from theirs.

– the substantive quality needed to achieve results is present in the group or the group needs your substantive input.

3.4 TOOLS, TRICKS & INTERVENTIONS

A joke: Car won't start. Mechanic looks under the bonnet at length, grabs a hammer, gives a bang and the car starts. Bill: €500. Customer is shocked by the price and demands an itemized bill. He gets one; Note: Given 1 bang with hammer €1, Knowing where to bang €499.

I WANT TO FILL MY TOOLBOX

Ask any facilitator, experienced or less experienced, what he wants to learn, 10 to 1 that the answer will be that he wants to (complete) a toolbox. A box of tricks with which he has ready interventions with which he has an appropriate answer for every situation. The joke nicely encapsulates the difficulty of putting together such a box of tricks. A hammer is to hit, but at what? When? How hard? So what is the trick? The hammer itself or knowing how to wield the hammer?

TOOLS WANTED

“I’m very much myself, but how could I change tactics?”

“I would like to be able to use a broader set of tools and deploy them when things aren’t going well’.

“How do I choose the right interventions? I don’t have much insight when to use what”.

“How do I access/find methods and techniques”.

Edgar Schein takes a different approach in his book Process Consultation10 He indicates that he too has been looking for an ultimate classification of all possible interventions, but that this search did not yield the desired results. He speaks of an intervention as the end point of a long journey. It is all about the steps you take before doing an intervention, the final intervention itself can really be just about anything (see ‘Woof woof’).

“WOOF WOOF”

Once, as a novice facilitator, I attended a session where a famous organizational consultant and his companion were presenting a change project. The group consisted of about 20 angry, silent men who got their heels in the sand. Whatever we tried to get them to talk, it didn’t work. They remained angrily silent. Suddenly, the famous consultant pressed the button of the intervention microphone, he bent down and he said softly, “woof, woof”. I was gob smacked. And the group reacted furiously, thus creating a conversation and the beginning of the track was a fact.

If it’s not about the box of tricks, what is?

3.5 CLASHES, CONFLICTS & CONFRONTATIONS

Help emotions are running high!

Where people work together on something that is important to them, confrontations and emotions lurk. Many people find emotions difficult, especially when they run so high that reason is suppressed, and participants can no longer be reasoned with.

Emotions are unpredictable and once emotions run high, they are not easy to influence. Many facilitators experience emotions as something negative, something to be avoided. It jeopardizes the achievement of results and disrupts the process. Emotions in the group lead the facilitator to experience emotions himself; uncertainty (can I handle this), irritation (why be so difficult, let's get to work), despair (this leads nowhere). Attention to emotions feels like a waste of time, making irritations even more imminent.

GIVE ME HARMONY

"I am very much into consensus and find it difficult to deal with confrontations between people in the group (personal clash) or when people attack me personally (why didn't you do anything with my note!)".

"The harmony model has my preference and then I have to be careful that I still achieve the goal and not just pursue harmony".

"I find it especially difficult when people get opposed to each other and attack each other. Actually, I think they should fight it out outside the session. The question is how do you keep everyone involved, other than to appease every time".

The way you view emotions affects your approach as a facilitator. If you find it difficult and disturbing, you will be more inclined to filter emotions and organize them away. You will then be more likely to pay attention to emotions outside the group (beforehand or in between) to take the sting out of a group or ignore emotions or address people on their reasoning (let's focus on the content). This increases the chance that you will work very hard and not achieve a joint result. When you see emotions as part of what is going on in a group and affecting participant engagement, as a facilitator you are more likely to give space to express them and sometimes even seek them out.

3.7 CONTINUE LEARNING AS A FACILITATOR

Managing my own pitfalls ... or a facilitator is only human too

KNOW THYSELF

A quote by Socrates standing above the temple of Apollo. Socrates was convinced of the importance of self-examination and self-knowledge as a source of knowledge about life. The same certainly applies to the facilitator; by knowing what your qualities and pitfalls are and being open to feedback on them, you are able to use yourself as an instrument.

Each quality has a different effect, a different way of working, and thus, in addition to interventions and working forms, gives direction to the process and results in a group.

REFLECTION

It is a misconception that we learn from our experience. Our experience grows when we regularly reflect on what we do, how it feels, what the effect is and what we can do better/differently. You learn by reflecting and you can learn by regularly questioning yourself (or having yourself questioned). Korthagen15 has made a lifelong study of reflection and its effect on learning. His reflection cycle is applied in competence-based learning at universities in the Netherlands.

WHAT I FIND DIFFICULT

"I sometimes find it difficult to manage my own enthusiasm and impatience".

"How do I deal with taking too much responsibility (being ahead of the troops instead of the 'shepherd' who guides)".

"The resistance I experience in myself when people remain formalistic and aloof. I see it, suffer from it, but don't know how to deal with it properly".

"On 'strange' groups I have much more impact as a facilitator than in my own group (team)".

"I am very analytical and results-oriented (maybe sometimes compelling)".

"I am into chaos; creativity, energy, changing course. Sometimes I lose people as a result. How do I find the balance in that?"

"My dilemma: bring more subtlety into my ways, or deal with how I am?"

3.10 HIGH TECH MEETS HIGH TOUCH

Help, my tools have started for their own

With the first edition of this book in 2019, information technology began to make its entry more and more in all kinds of group meetings; sessions were held via Skype or video; webinars were organized, communication in project teams was done via WhatsApp; polling opinions and voting became more and more convenient and fast with smartphone applications, there were Integration Rooms available within RHDHV where participants could use all kinds of applications on interactive screens, et cetera. There were many possibilities, also for online meetings, but they were not yet widely used. The use of technical tools made the work of the facilitator easier in theory, but in practice there were many pitfalls and traps. This meant that working with online meetings took place sparsely. These were not only a challenge for facilitators, but participants were also reluctant.

When the corona pandemic erupted in March 2020, meetings were initially called off, but when it turned out that it was going to take a while and projects had to continue, meetings were held online within the shortest time. There was immediately plenty of experimentation on the part of facilitators and now also participants did their best to participate in this new reality. The online facilitation led to all kinds of new challenges for the facilitators who were struggling with the new situation. They consulted each other and us. These questions and positive (and especially negative) experiences that we and other facilitators had with online sessions provided a new impulse to develop challenging and successful meetings online.

The training courses for facilitators that we organized online also benefited from these creative impulses. At first we were sceptical and asked ourselves what is possible and what is not online? This question quickly turned into; how do we do that online?

Now, three years later, working online with groups is here to stay and is not only a weak infusion of physical meetings, but an interesting addition with corresponding benefits.

I WANT TOOLS, TRICKS AND TIPS

– How do I get participants excited? Involved?

– How do I organize connection between participants?

– How do I maintain the attention and enthusiasm of participants?

– What digital working methods are there?

– What tools are there and how do I use them effectively?

– How do I deal with large groups online?

– How do I 'read' participants online?

– What are the rules of the game for facilitating online? In the I-Room?

– What to do if technology lets me down?

In this chapter we focus on two important technical developments with a major impact on collaboration in groups. Developments that call on the facilitator to balance high tech and high touch;

– - Facilitating online sessions;

– - Facilitating group sessions in an Integration Room (I-room)19

In both situations, there are technical tools for working together.

BALANCE BETWEEN TECH AND TOUCH

For all types of sessions, both in the classic form in a room, as well as for online sessions and I-Room sessions, technology is a tool for stimulating and deepening collaboration and improving the intended substantive result. Inadequately used or too much technique can be at the expense of the interaction between the participants and therefore of the quality of the results. Achieving a form of effective multi- and interdisciplinary collaboration requires investment in the development of the various steps of the cooperation ladder.

COLLABORATE

achieve a better result together and experience job satisfaction

TRUST

Dare to leave it to the other

Attach to the opinion and input of the other

Climbing the cooperation ladder requires time and attention. Each step is conditional for the next step. This means that working on a technical content assignment only has real added value when participants have a real conversation, with or without the help of a technical tool.

Figure 10 – The cooperation ladder 20

ONLINE PITFALLS AND PRACTICAL TIPS

These five pitfalls are familiar territory in every online session. We describe them and give practical tips that have proven themselves in practice from us and our participants. In addition, we describe the four most important ingredients for effective and energetic online sessions and conclude with a number of broadly applicable working methods.

1. Help the technique lets me down

– This is immediately a major pitfall. It can go wrong on several fronts:

– With you as a facilitator (your internet lets you down, your tools don't work properly, people can't hear you, the collaboration with the co-facilitator goes wrong).

– Among the participants: Their internet doesn't work properly, they don't understand how to use the tools, they can't be seen and/or heard ....

– In the programme or tool: For example, problems with the connection in the platform Teams or Zoom or in a tool, for example: Miro, Padlet, Mural, Mentimeter, which does not work properly.

The most important insight here: something always goes wrong on a technical level. That's a given, everyone who works online knows that. So don't get worked up and put all your energy into solving it using these practical tips:

– Make sure you work out a plan B in advance for this type of situation. How could it be? Can you think of a low-tech solution? For example, instead of Mentimeter, let contestants vote with a show of hands or by holding a coloured object in front of the camera.

– The larger the group and the greater the importance of the session, the sooner you choose someone next to you who can fully concentrate on the technique. This person can also be approached (via chat or telephone) when participants have problems with the technology.

– Preferably use no more than one type of tool, so not first Mentimeter, then Miro and then....

– Do a try-out with the operator/co-facilitator involved, project leader and others who have a role in the session.

– Take a coffee break, possibly linked to an assignment.

– Consult aloud (calmly) with your co-facilitator or operator about what is going on and what to do.

– Use the problem-solving ability of the group; Name the problem and ask for help. It is special to see that this not only often results in interesting workarounds and tips, but that it also makes participants feel more responsible.

2. I have prepared too well

Preparing online sessions requires much more time, especially when the group

HIGH TECH AND HIGH TOUCH MEET

The technology draws the attention at the expense of personal contact and mutual conversation. The mostly technical members of the group are focused on the technique, on the information on the smartboards in the I-room and on their own contributions via laptop, tablet, smartphone or other technical resources.

WHAT CAN YOU DO

Some suggestions to centralise and stimulate the mutual personal exchange:

– Varying the setups for different activities. For example, don’t let the participants sit all the time, but also let them stand and walk. Divide the group over the different screens.

– Invite participants to visit and talk to each other and stimulate that conversation with (open) questions.

– Organised chaos: (temporarily) remove tables and laptops) or replace them with standing tables; an interlude that detach the participants from technology and content and relate to each other.

– Always spend enough time to preparation and practice (with an operator).

HIGH TECH AND HIGH TOUCH MEET

Technology lets you down.

WHAT CAN YOU DO

– Make arrangements with the operator, who is responsible for the technique.

– Plan B, aimed at the group process: while the operator solves technical issues, the facilitator can work with the group on something else: an in-between evaluation meeting, an energiser with the participants, a break, room for a walk/breath of fresh air. Plan B is more easily created if the facilitator knows the process and context of the participants.

HIGH TECH AND HIGH TOUCH MEET

The quality and processing of the results is affected by the use of the technical tools: writing on a smart board has limitations, tweet-like individual contributions can miss the mark.

WHAT CAN YOU DO

– In principle, this is not different from other aids, you can also write illegibly on a flipchart…!

– You can practice writing on a smart board.

– Tweets/short digital text contributions can be explained/discussed.

– As a facilitator, provide a non-technical resume of the results, that will provide the project leaders and team direction for the next session (focus points on content and collaboration, agreements, process observations). Lay the foundations for this in a concluding session with the participants (without the technique).

Figure 12 – Examples of imbalance between high tech and high touch

HIGH TECH AND HIGH TOUCH MEET

Participants can perceive the collaborating in one design environment as stimulating, but also as obstructive, especially in the presence of a project leader or a client.

It's too transparent, one can be afraid to express that they do not understand or are having their doubts. They tend to work that out by themselves first. The bread is being baked while the customer is watching and is able to check all the ingredients.

HIGH TECH AND HIGH TOUCH MEET

The quality of the technical environment -an I-room- is not inspiring, somewhat grey and gloomy.

WHAT CAN YOU DO

Setting (the I-room method) and mindset (of the participants) should match. In preparation and supervision during the session, the facilitator can focus, take away limitations and create conditions which can lower the threshold. Some tips:

– Short personal intake with participants with attention for how they see their contribution to the joint result and on whom they depend.

– Join a regular project team meeting as preparation.

– Naming uncertainties (substantive and personal) in a careful and safe manner and agree how to deal with that.

WHAT CAN YOU DO

With some simple ideas a space can be made more inspiring. This can be done with the layout (use of chairs and tables) and varying the use of it; decoration, such as coloured A0/A1/A2 sheets where notes can be made and whatever you can think of yourselves.

UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER FASTER AND BETTER

Sometime after the introduction of the I-room for integrated designing of buildings at RHDHV, a request was made by a management team of Water technology to get acquainted with the I-room. Together with the RHDHV facilitator/ operator (trained by Stanford University) the session was prepared. He asked them to provide a simple case with the available technical installation and construction data, so the introduction with the I-room could be with a well-known example from their own practice. A reconstruction of an existing pumping station of a water treatment installation was chosen, due to the fact the pumps had to be renewed to a larger capacity. Technical, Engineering and Electro technical data was digitally provided. Two interdisciplinary groups from the management teams were assigned to assess

the question, based on the information in the middle one of the three smart boards and prepare a proposal for the reconstruction by means of the available information. Their time for this was half an hour.

The result of the assignment was astounding to the participants, because it resulted in a quick interdisciplinary meeting (and the understanding for the different disciplinary methods of approach), insight quickly arose into possible solutions and both teams made a start for an integrated solution. This contrasted enormously with the methods that were still widely followed at the time, in which disciplinary contributions were made and integrated step by step. The nontechnical participants of the team benefited greatly from the images that remained visible. It became clear what the potential of the I-room could be for water technology project teams, if properly prepared, supported and facilitated.

4.1 THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE FACILITATOR AND THE CLIENT

It takes two to tango

We spent most of the first edition of our book creating programs for work sessions, executing/supervising them, and everything that comes along with it in the facilitator's path. We paid much less attention to the interaction of the facilitator with the client. The reason for this was that we based ourselves on the formulated learning objectives of participants in our training courses and those clients were hardly discussed there. While afterwards, in intervision sessions and during training courses clients, and dealing with them, regularly presented facilitators with major challenges (outside and in sessions).

An anthology of tricky situations:

– It's unclear who my client is, it looks like I am myself....

– There are several people involved who give me assignments, but they are not on the same page.

The client …

– finds it difficult to delegate or let go of all responsibility,

– doesn't know how to facilitate but does tell me how to do it,

– has a clear preference for a 'safe and well-known' approach, but that does not fit this situation,

– sails a different course during a session, without consultation,

– does not have a clear picture of the goal and the desired results, has too high expectations,

– let me take the (content) chestnuts out of the fire and is unreachable/ invisible myself,

– only takes action on the results of the work session that suits him but does nothing with the resistance and the question marks that have emerged.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FACILITATOR AND CLIENT

Most facilitators are mainly focused on creating programs and guiding a group. The question: 'Who is your client' cannot be answered directly by everyone and that is special, because as a facilitator you are not the owner of the process. You are a 'means' to ensure that a group moves from A to B. You pick up from the client the initial situation and what the destination, the expected outcome is. This means that the relationship with that client is an important factor in achieving the desired result. Before, during and after sessions you communicate about this with your client. You can shape that relationship in different ways (see figure 13).

The facilitator as an expert

In this division of roles, in addition to the necessary facilitation knowledge and skills, the facilitator also has the necessary substantive knowledge, information and skills to translate the question into an appropriate approach. The facilitator takes control and responsibility in the collaboration with the client. This form of relationship occurs regularly in RHDHV projects. RHDHV facilitators often already have a substantive role as consultant/advisor or project leader, they have been asked because of their substantive expertise. If they can also facilitate, they are also asked to prepare and execute sessions. This can work well if the facilitator has a certain distance from the content of a project and, above all, is not seen by the participants as being involved in the content. In situations where the participants and the facilitator differ in content and/or have conflicting interests, noise can arise; high-level discussions, (role) ambiguities or other forms of resistance.

This form of relationship is more likely to succeed if the facilitator has a role in the preparation and design of the session but outsources the guidance to an independent facilitator. This may be an uninvolved colleague, but if the interests of the participants and the initiators differ widely, it is even better to involve a third party.

The project leader of an important study into sustainability in coastal and inland shipping organizes a stakeholder meeting with all possible stakeholders together with the client. The project leader has been selected by the client because of his substantive expertise in the field of sustainable logistics and mobility. He approaches me as an experienced facilitator to review the approach he designed for this stakeholder session. For the result and the follow-up of the research, much depends on the course and the results of this meeting. Several dozen participants are expected. During the reflection on the approach, we conclude together that his substantive role is better served if he puts the facilitation of the meeting in the hands of a few colleagues who, like him, also have experience with facilitation. The project leader convinces his client of this approach and division of roles. The stakeholder

Figure 13 – Differences in the relationship facilitator – client.

Facilitator as a EXPERT

Facilitator as a PARTNER

Facilitator as a CONTRACTOR