I have feelings about facilitation and the need for it when two or more people are entering into a conversation about strategy/the future and/or conflict. It’s unrealistic and slippery entering dangerous territory to facilitate the conversation yourself or to have someone on the team do it.

To have a productive, well-rounded conversation at your nonprofit,, with your staff, with your board of directors or your team of any kind, you need an neutral, objective person to hold and guide it.

I asked in my previous post if you know the saying "doctors need doctors."

"We are so good at facilitating community organizers and volunteers, but it's clear we are not equipped to facilitate each other."

A couple organizations I'm talking to right now about have said this to me. I say it all the time too. This is completely normal!

Coaches need coaches. Healers need healers. Facilitators need facilitators. Hair dressers need hair dressers. Doctors need doctors.

Because having a facilitator guide difficult conversations, as well as strategic conversations, team building, board and strategic planning retreats is, in my expert opinion, the best investment of your team's time and organization's resources, invest the time to find a facilitator!

Here are 12 questions, in my expert opinion, you should be asking of yourselves as a team and the people you're considering hiring as your facilitator.

7 questions your team needs to ask of each other before hiring a facilitator

1. What is the purpose of ______________? (insert the type of gathering you're bringing people together for)

2. What do we want and need out of our gathering?

3. What skills and experience level do we want in a facilitator?

4. What vibe/personality do we want in a facilitator?

5. How soon do we want to come together for this gathering?

6. Are we willing to wait for the right person?

7. What's our budget?

5 questions you should ask any person you're thinking about hiring to facilitate

1. Have you facilitated ______________ before? (insert the type of gathering you're bringing people together for)

2. Do you prefer to take the lead on the agenda and flow or will you plug into the agenda my team is putting together?

3. What is your facilitation style? (super structured, emergent, heart-centered, history/data-driven, etc.)

4. What types of organizations/clients do you typically work with?

5. What will you need from us?

Hiring a facilitator isn't just a would be nice or fluffy thing to do.

A skilled facilitator not only holds the space (leads and guides the time), they bring an objective perspective that allows them to ask questions that people on your team wouldn't be able to do.

If you're going to carve out a day or more for your people to go do a thing, do it right.

You and your people deserve for your sacred time to be guided with care and intentionality. There's something so extraordinary about having someone ask you questions specifically designed to keep people safe while opening up, being vulnerable and dreaming into a future that you all are co-creating.

Here's to your walking into your next difficult conversation or team retreat feeling grounded, supported and excited!

If you think you need a facilitator for an upcoming gathering or conversations, let's talk. Find time on my calendar here.

Big love,
Annie