This week, your hosts, Dan Neumann and Justin Thatil, share seven tips for Agile Facilitation. Collaboration is necessary when solving a problem, and Agile Coaches and Masters work to enable a Team to cooperate. Every event is unique, which is why Facilitation could be considered a form of art.
Key Takeaways
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Contextual Awareness:
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Teams and events are filled with unique variables that the facilitator cannot always anticipate; as a result, reading the overall atmosphere of a room and the individuals’ body language is a fundamental skill for Facilitators.
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Every Facilitator has to remember that they are facilitating for a specific audience. Who is this meeting for? What is the value for these participants?
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Use Time boxes.
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A Facilitator must master the flow of the meeting to achieve the goal in a timely manner.
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A Facilitator should design the session with the intended activities, promote collaboration from collaborators, and be flexible enough to adapt to changes.
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Mastering the act of active listening:
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Listening is achieved when being fully present.
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Seek to understand.
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Facilitators must be able to paraphrase what they just listened to to ensure they understand what the collaborator is saying.
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Are collaborators listening to each other? A Facilitator must also promote active listening among participants.
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A Facilitator must foster an open and inclusive communication environment.
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Design a power start!
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Set the purpose and the intended outcome for the meeting. This will improve participant engagement.
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Specify how participants can engage.
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Visual Facilitation tools are incredibly beneficial for a better Facilitation.
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A Facilitator must handle conflict with grace.
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Conflict is inevitable, especially in a collaborative environment.
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Participants should be encouraged to learn from each other. Conflicting perspectives must both be validated.
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A Facilitator must be clear about which behaviors are acceptable. Safe boundaries are essential to hosting a psychologically safe environment.
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Facilitators must continuously improve their skills.
Mentioned in this Episode:
Empowered: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Products (Silicon Valley Product Group), by Marty Cagan and Chris Jones
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Agile Coaches' Corner