It’s a wrap! This week marks the end of our Facilitator Experience training program by Christie Associates. We’ve been focused on upskilling ourselves to become more effective facilitators in all aspects of our lives.
To me, the most valuable part of this training was bringing together fellow peers—managers and technical professionals—to share insights, development journeys, and the lessons learned toward personal growth and implementing our facilitator experience.
Core Lessons & Reflections:
✅ Handling "Strong Personalities"
How do you navigate dominant characters? We explored how to manage these dynamics, especially in a culture where we tend to simply follow the directions of the HIPPO (Highest Paid Person’s Opinion). Learning to balance these voices is essential for true collaboration.
✅ "What is my relationship to feedback?"
One participant shared a hilariously honest confession: they hated feedback so much that during workshops, they would actually hide the slide with the QR code for feedback! π€£
♻️The Shift: We must train ourselves to see feedback as a gift.
♻️The Filter: Be thoughtful about who you get feedback from so you don't just get "noise" or cheerleaders. Seek specific feedback from customers, close colleagues, or trusted mentors.
♻️The Quality: Move away from ambiguous comments like "pls improve writeup" or "too composed." Aim for actionable, specific input.
✅ The Maestro vs. The Facilitator
We worked on aligning stakeholder expectations of what a facilitator "should be" (perceived as the all-knowing maestro) versus what a facilitator actually is: a neutral guide. Our job is to help groups work together effectively to achieve goals, make decisions, or solve problems by structuring processes—workshops or meetings—to encourage participation and consensus without imposing our own solutions.
✅ Stop Overthinking & Start Listening
The "fear of judgment" can be so overwhelming that it paralyzes us. One participant shared the struggle of becoming a better listener. With a dominant personality, it’s easy to be so result-focused that you accidentally shut people down. Effective facilitation requires us to quiet that noise and truly hear others
✅ "Meet People Where They Are"
This is a core skill for breaking barriers and opening up room for cohesion. Interestingly, this mirrors the wisdom of Ali bin Abi Talib:
ΨَΨ―ِّΨ«ُΩΨ§ Ψ§ΩΩَّΨ§Ψ³َ Ψ¨ِΩ َΨ§ ΩَΨΉْΨ±ِΩُΩΩَ
“Speak to people according to their level of knowledge.”
✅ Managing Emotions
In our day-to-day lives, we all face personal challenges that impact our capacity for facilitation. How we manage those emotions is just as important as how we manage the room.
Final Thoughts:
Alhamdulillah, am grateful to our leaders for this opportunity & privilege to be part of this training. Looking forward to putting them into practice!
#Facilitation #LeadershipDevelopment #PersonalGrowth #SoftSkills #ContinuousLearning
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