CHQ Dialogues Reading #7 "Straight A's"

Straight A’s for Facilitating Discussions A rm - Acknowledge - AskAccess & Address

FACILITATOR

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FACILITATOR 3” ID

At the end of every Chautauqua Dialogue we ask participants to complete a short survey before they leave.

We ask: IS THIS THE FIRST SESSION YOU HAVE ATTENDED? Y N DID YOU CONSIDER THIS A GOOD EXPERIENCE? Y N ON A SCALE OF 1 TO 5 WITH 5 BEING BEST HOW WOULD YOU RATE THE FACILITATOR ? ! 2 3 4 5 DO YOU FEEL DIFFERENT ABOUT ANY TOPIC DISCUSSED AFTER HEARING WHAT OTHERS IN YOUR GROUP HAD TO SAY? Y N DID YOU FIND THAT TALKING ABOUT THE MATERIAL YOU HEARD IN THE LECTURES HELPED YOU PROCESS THE SUBSTANCE OF THE LECTURES? Y N WOULD YOU ATTEND A SESSION IN THE FUTURE Y

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PLEASE MAKE ADDITIONAL COMMENTS ON THE REVERSE SIDE In 2019 we had almost 600 survey cards completed. At the end of the season these cards provided us with the insights necessary to prepare our full assessment of the program that we then provide to the Institution. Since each facilitator collects the cards at the end of a session, you will have the opportunity to also get feedback that will be useful in honing your own skillset.

We all strive for perfection, but seldom achieve it.

Being a facilitator is a constant learning experience. No two groups are alike, no set of challenges repeats itself in every dialogue session. As a team we want you to share your experiences and challenges as they will help us manage the process and provide learning experiences for other facilitators.

Here are some helpful guidelines you can review before each session you facilitate and use in connection with the feedback you get from participants to improve your skills.

Four Steps to Success AFFIRM: Affirm and appreciate people’s comments and questions. Some suggestions: “Thank you for posing that question. I’m sure others were wondering about that too.”

“Great point. That’s important to consider.”

“I appreciate your taking the risk to share that with us.”

“I appreciate your willingness to stay open and consider other perspectives. I know this isn’t easy to think or talk about. Thanks for doing the hard work.”

ACKNOWLEDGE: Acknowledge what people are saying. Make sure you understand what they’re expressing. Paraphrase their words and feelings.

Acknowledge areas of agreement or commonalities with others. Some suggestions: “I’m hearing you say that..... Is that correct?”

“It sounds like you feel….."

“So from your perspective…."

“It seems like you’re both concerned about .....even though you’re approaching it di erently.”

“Those are both good examples of the e ects of …. because….”

ASK: Ask questions to better understand individuals’ behaviors and perspectives and to help them reflect on their views.

“Can you tell me more about how you came to think that?

What experiences led you to that belief?”

“How would you make sense of ….?"

“What would it mean for you if this was true?”

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“How were you feeling when ….?”

ASSESS and ADDRESS: Assess individual and group dynamics and your own internal and external responses and decide how to address them. Notice people’s reactions, body language, degree of participation, tone in the room.

To the group: People are very quiet. “I’m wondering what’s going on.”

“I noticed you just had a reaction. Could you tell us what happened for you?”

“I’m noticing that people are interrupting each other. We agreed that we’d let people nish their thoughts before Someone else spoke.”

To self: I’m starting to get more tense and more aggressive.

“What’s triggering me?”

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This person is reminding me of a stereotype. I need to refocus on their full humanity.

"Straight A's" The seventh in a series of readings designed to start you thinking about various issues that press directly on how we can facilitate civil discourse. We recommend that you print this and use it as a pre-facilitation tool to prep yourself and a post-facilitation tool to self-assess your session.

Adapted from “Straight A’s for Facilitating Discussions about Diversity and Social Justice” by Diane J. Goodman, Ed.D