Jul 3, 2023
Facilitating literally means "making something easier". For me, it's helping a group of people get the most out of their time together, whether they're learning together, getting to know each other, or making big decisions.
In my years as a manager, trainer, and People professional, I've often been called on to help teams find better ways to work together. Most recently, I've facilitated sessions for new managers learning the fundamentals of leadership, and teams of experienced professionals wanting to work more effectively.
Case study: Manager Fundamentals
I worked with a group of 8 brand new managers who'd asked for a programme to help them feel more confident in their roles. We met fortnightly over 12 weeks, covering topics like "Coaching 101" and "Difficult Conversations". In between sessions, I offered 30 minute 1:1 coaching sessions to help each manager apply what they'd learnt.
Each topic started with a pre-read or pre-watch and a short exercise to start individual thinking. In sessions, we discussed and debated the ideas we'd looked at and applied them to real life examples. In the safe space of our sessions, managers tested their theories and aired concerns.
After 12 weeks, every manager agreed they felt more confident in their roles. Even better, the group now had a trusted group of peers to go to with future worries and ideas. The whole group walked away with tools and techniques to be more effective managers, and some team members continued to have 1:1 coaching with me.
Case Study: Team Strengths
I worked with a team of 9 product managers in a fast-growing tech company. The PMs all worked from home and in separate product squads, so didn't often spend time quality together. They wanted to make an investment in their personal development, understand each other's strengths better, and each come away with some clear actions.
I led a two hour virtual session for the group. Beforehand, every PM completed a strengths audit to help them think about what the strengths they most enjoy and which they'd like to work on. In the session, we looked together at their aggregated answers and discussed what insights this gave us about the team.
Individuals reflected on their own strengths and helped each other come up with options for maximising and developing the areas they'd selected. Each person came away with a clearer idea of what they wanted to work on, plus who in the team could help them. They even identified some areas where everyone would benefit from more training.