I expected delivering Facilitation 101 to be like delivering Presentation Skills.
I am quite self-conscious when delivering Presentation Skills. You say, 'make sure you are familiar with the sequence of your slides so you can lead into the slide with a relevant comment', and then incorrectly guess what is on the next slide. You say 'don't fig leaf' then catch yourself fig leafing while the video of Steve Jobs is running. You say 'be prepared' and forget to bring the speakers you need so people can hear the video. (OK, that hasn't happened yet, but it is certainly on the cards.)
Facilitation 101 was not like this. I relaxed; I really 'got into it'. My main challenge seemed to be not being too effusive about the potential of facilitation to lead to social change and ... world peace.
I suspect that I relaxed for two reasons: The people participating had a genuine reason to be there; and I am enthusiastic about facilitation. You can tell the salesperson who is parroting the company line from someone with a genuine passion for their product. I love to see facilitation done really well, and I am horrified (more frequently than I'd like) at the alternative.
I do a lot of preparation for both presentation skills and facilitation skills. My slides have had a huge amount of attention (for me), including changes right up until the night before delivering. I visualise how each slide, and for some slides how each point, will work. I avoid 'scripting'. I need to know the slides and other materials, and I jot down the odd 'key point' instead.
(By the way in case you are concerned, I love to deliver presentation skills too.)
...Geoff
www.performancepeople.com.au
