Five Indicators That an Outside Facilitator Could Benefit Your Team
Photo by Chandan Chaurasia on Unsplash
It was clearly time for our group to have the “Big Discussion” we’d been putting off long enough. Why, then, did I feel so unmotivated to actually move on it and make something happen? “I’m a leader for goodness’ sake—it’s my job to do this,” I growled silently in self-exasperation.
Here’s the truth: I was tired and weary. I just didn’t feel like I had what it took to pull off a helpful discussion about this topic. Sure, I’d brought it up a few times, but when it had become uncomfortable, I’d quickly tabled the conversation for another time.
This day though…something was different. I thought about the need to have this “Big Discussion” and to simultaneously hang out with a colleague who was a professional facilitator. Ding! Finally, these two things collided in my neural pathways, and I realized how we could really move forward.
What is Your ‘Big Discussion’?
There are so many types of conversations and decisions that could benefit from outside facilitation. The truth is that the team culture, the leader's experience, and other factors are more important than the content. However, here are some common situations that might indicate outside facilitation might be helpful.
Your organization is considering opening a new work in a difficult country, isolated location, or dangerous situation, which our region of the world is full of!
Your team has been working really well together for a long time, but without written policies or structure. Now, you are adding new team members.
The team is or has recently had a major transition in leadership.
Decisions where the whole team needs to “buy in,” like moving the office from Tunis to Sousse.
When the multi-cultural dynamics of the team are making it hard to make progress on key issues.
The issue is complex and it would be easy to miss parts of it, like running a non-profit with foreign ideals and local leaders.
What Signs Indicate Outside Facilitation Would be Helpful?
The word “facilitator” comes from the Latin word “facilis,” meaning “easy.” If you’ve ever watched a masterful facilitator, you know that they make what is, actually very hard work, seem easy. They navigate difficult conversations with ease to achieve higher quality work. But, outside facilitators aren’t needed in every situation. What indicators signal that it might be helpful to have outside facilitation?
(Many of the main ideas in the following list come from this Morning Star Communications article.)
1. No one on the team can do it.
Those “Big Discussions” often require someone who has specific skills and resources. They know how to handle messy or difficult group discussions. They know how to help groups navigate conflict without shutting down the dialogue. They have a variety of techniques and methods that will increase the likelihood of creative, helpful outcomes for all the parties involved.
They are especially skilled in making sure all voices, even the quiet ones, are heard. They know how to increase the energy in a group when things begin to lag. They can be flexible with their methods and techniques in the moment to meet the needs of the group, because they have a large toolbox that has been well-proven in a variety of situations.
2. You’ve tried alone without success.
If you’ve tried to make progress on a “Big Discussion,” but haven’t been successful, it may be time to bring in an outsider. Someone coming in from the outside with a different approach often helps groups get unstuck.
They usually can get the group to look at a situation with fresh eyes, from new perspectives, because they aren’t personally attached to the outcome.
Photo by Parabol | The Agile Meeting Toolbox on Unsplash
3. The topic is important or significant.
Engaging an outsider often increases the perceived importance of the topic and encourages better preparation and more intentional engagement. It often helps participants take the topic and the process more seriously. This is fascinating, because I’ve often heard people say that having an outside facilitator also makes it more fun.
“Engaging an outside facilitator elevates the level of perceived importance.” –Morningstar Communications
4. The topic is emotionally charged.
When your “Big Discussion” is emotionally charged, especially if you as a leader have strong feelings about the topic and potential outcomes, outside facilitation can help. Having a neutral, outside party whose emotions and thinking are less biased can be a significant benefit. It increases safety and, thus, increases the group's ability to hear all the voices in the room. Skilled facilitators actually help the group hear its own varied opinions, something those who are emotionally involved participants can rarely do well on their own. Skilled, outside facilitators are better able to help the group hear its own varied opinions than invested, inside participants.
“It’s often a challenge for people close to a situation to maintain a sense of objectivity. A skilled facilitator won't hesitate from skewering a sacred cow or questioning a taboo topic.” –MorningStar Communications
5. The group needs help staying focused.
This point is connected to the previous one, but merits its own space. When facilitators come from the team or group, with their own emotions, opinions, and set of implications to face, it is much harder to be neutral. It’s easier to let the conversation move toward what they think is important or, conversely, to minimize their own views out of a desire to be fair.
For most of your team's needs, you, as a leader, probably have all you need to help your group navigate the discussion successfully. But, no leader is the right person for every discussion their group ever has. “Big Discussions” often need a neutral outsider to help bring about the highest quality, most inclusive, and most achievable outcomes.
If any of the areas above fit your situation, it may be time to contact a professional facilitator and see how they might help.
Remember my “Big Discussion” from the beginning? It was such a relief to have a competent, outside facilitator help my group through our “Big Discussion.” I got to give my energy and attention to the topic and to the other voices in the room, without having to simultaneously navigate the decisions and preparation of being a good facilitator. The outcomes we achieved were higher quality than what we would have seen if I’d tried to do it all by myself.
