Phynbarr Facilitation

https://phynbarrfacilitation.wordpress.co m/…/compassion-in…/

Thanks to Alastair Olby and the newsletter from Kaizen Training (www.kaizen-training.com) for pointing me in the direction of Ellen Langer and the power of the word "because"

I think this has huge potential in allowing participants to make notes about events

Whatever the subject, good study skills will set you up for life

Retrospective Safety Exercise: Three Word Starter December 05th 2007 at 11:05 AM Posted to Agile, Feedback, Learning, Retrospective I’ve been looking for alternatives to the standard Create Safety (1-5) Exercise. I’ve found this sometimes fails me when you have new people to a team you’re facilitating a retrospective for. It’s hard to distinguish between “I’ll just smile, nod and agree everything is okay” because they have nothing to add, or they feel very uncomfortable bec...ause of things going on in the environment. I adapted this exercise from a coaching technique that a fellow trainer (JJ) suggested. I feel this exercise helps set the scene and mood of the group and gives the facilitator additional qualitative insights. I call it the Three Word Starter. What it is: A way of gauging the general mood of the group using a qualitative technique. Time needed: 10 minutes What you need: • 3 sticky notes per person • A marker pen • A place you can put them up How to run it: 1. Ask each person to take 3 sticky notes each 2. Ask the group to consider how they’re feeling about the retrospective 3. Ask each person to write down a single word per sticky note. Remind them to avoid pictures or phrases if possible. 4. Collect them and post them up on the wall/chart/board (you have the option of doing this anonymously or asking them to do so) 5. Group words together (exact/common ones) and talk through general themes.
Tips for facilitating the 3-Word Starter • Ensure everyone is made aware of the overall mood of the group. Depending on the size of the group, get everyone to read each other’s feelings or read them out to the group. • If you see large themes of concern or indicators of low safety, address them directly by asking them to Check-In. Say something like “We recognise that the group is feeling a little bit [insert word or theme here]. I’d like to ask you to “check in” these feelings and be open to this discussion that aims to strengthen confidence and improves effective. It is an exercise for celebration and improvement. It’s not about blame or criticism. At the end of the session you are welcome to “check out” these feelings again”. Variants As the group size diminishes think about increasing the number of words per person. For a group of 15 people, I used a 3 word starter. For a group of 8 people, I used a 5-word starter. The aim is to get enough words to draw common themes, but not so many that it’s overwhelming.
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my recollection of an IAF session at Baltimore

Love these and wish I could remember where I found them to give full credit.
This is a visualisation of Risk

Synectics is a problem solving methodology that stimulates thought processes of which the subject may be unaware/
Synectics was formally created by William Gordon and George Prince. Gordon and Prince eventually disagreed about the details of the system, however the basic principles are widely accepted. Synectics as we know it today is usually attributed to Gordon who published it in 1961.
... There are many different ""tools" in the Synectics kit. All are based on the same principles: looking at familiar things in unfamiliar ways and combining the previously discrete. Perhaps the best known synectic technique is the use of trigger questions.
When beginning to think about a subject, it is useful to write down a list of words that relate to it. These can be physical aspects, processes, emotional connotations, anything. The "trigger questions" can then be used to prompt analysis and synthesis of these.
A common list of trigger questions is based around these principles: • Subtract • Add • Transfer • Empathise • Animate • Superimpose • Change • Scale • Substitute • Fragment • Isolate • Distort • Disguise • Contradict • Parody • Prevaricate • Analogise • Hybridise • Metamorphose • Symbolise • Mythologise • Fantasise • Repeat • Combine
The output of these transformations can be captured on paper, on a whiteboard or you can buy PC software to assist in the process.
One distinguishing factor of synectics is its emphasis on metaphor and fantasy. For example, if trying to determine how to respond to a business threat then this could be likened to defeating with a fire-breathing dragon. What are the dragon's strengths (its "fire")?, weaknesses (the "soft underbelly")?, desires (a pile of gold? human sacrifices? worship?), what weapons would dragon-slayers need?, can the dragon be tamed instead of slain?, etc, etc. All of these fantasies could give ideas on how to deal with a very real commercial "opportunity".
http://www.synectics-solutions.com/
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As well as reviews another element of an event that is frequently over-looked ("we ran out of time") is Closers. Often when you've spent time and effort together in creatig something, solving a problem or just getting to know each other it is great just to spend a few minutes expressing your reflections on that. I am convinced (and I'm sure Resli Costabell can confirm) that there's also something about embedding that learning / education / whatever in taking a few mintes to...
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This has reminded me of the power of Clean Language - not just for therapy
http://www.youtube.com/watch…

If you want your participants to be occupied whilst everyone arrives you could do worse than have something like this on the table for each person.
It could include instructions such as "find three people and find out one unexpected thing about them" to get people chatting

There's been talk today about team building exercises. I approach these with caution as - with any facilitation requirement - it is important to know what OUTCOME is required. I was once asked to design a 2 day team building event which turned out to be little more than "inform the team" event and so all the exercises in the world wouldn't have helped.
So when next time you are thinking of running a team building event ask yourself, "What do I want to be different at the end from how it was at the beginning?". Am I looking to inspire trust - or just get people to talk to each other more? Do I want to see differences in management style or interaction with people style? Or do I just want to get to know my team better?
Whatever it is, there is an exercise out there to suit you and knowing more detail helps me track it down

Facilitation 102
Is that the way it goes? Os is it 201?
Anyway, having done Facilitation 101, I have been asked for guidance from those who can’t get facilitators in to run an event and came up with the following . . . . . .
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Facilitation 101
The first essential is
1. Ensure you are absolutely crystal clear on the outcomes this gathering is intended to achieve.
... If you are not the workshop owner (and we’ll come on to that later) then it can often mean helping the workshop owner becomes absolutely crystal clear on the outcomes this gathering is intended to achieve. And, please note, OUTCOMES are significantly different from OBJECTIVES.
The key question to ask (and keep asking until you drill down to something satisfactory to all parties) is
“What will be different AFTER the workshop from how the situation was before?”
It could be that a solution was decided, a discussion took place, a group of people became much more of a team. What the outcome is, is far less significant than to be clear about it.
2. Make everything public.
From establishing ground rules to writing up diagrams and decisions, plaster the walls with flipchart paper so that, at any time, everyone can see – and refer to - what has been documented so far.
3. Act as the voice of the group.
I had a well respected colleague who has now, sadly, left the organisation who said that it was a major role of the facilitator to verbalise what was going on in the room. So if you’re feeling confused, hot, angry, tired, thirsty or just downright upset, you can be pretty certain that there is someone else in the room feeling the same way. So say so. Something along the lines of “I sense that all the energy has gone out of the room, should we take a 5 minute comfort break?” or “I am feeling confused about this, is it just me or are there others who feel the same way?” should do the trick.
And whilst we’re on the subject of clarity – Acronyms. So many floating around meaning so many different things. So if someone mentions AA and you don’t know if it refers to Alcoholics Anonymous or Automobile Association, again, you can be pretty sure you’re not the only one. Ask, and when you know, keep a Glossary sheet on the wall to help everyone remember.
4. Finish on time, if not earlier. People won’t mind if you finish early. They will resent it hugely if you keep them later, even if it is only for a few minutes. Don’t do it. But don’t leave out the final round up. It is important that no-one leaves the room before the final agreement that the outcomes have been achieved and who is doing what. Which brings me to my final essential
5. Everything will take longer than you anticipate. From people arriving and settling in to the final round-up via introductions, speakers & using break-out rooms. Be realistic in your timing and be prepared to drop or move items around.
There is more, so much more, from tools & techniques to methods & madness. Ask me(on or offline) if you have specific areas of interest or concern and I’ll do my best to help.
Otherwise, enjoy!
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Sometimes only a picture will do

You know what "they" say. Focus on where you want to get to rather than where your feet are at the moment.
Solutions Focus http://www.thesolutionsfocus.com/ is a good methodology for doing this and can be transferrd to coaching and other areas of development

One of the most neglected part of any event, workshop or training is reviewing what you've done. how can you improve if you don't reflect?
When is the best time to reflect - immediately after you've done (although making participants aware they can come back later if they have more thoughts is good)
I found these - probably from here - http://www.reviewing.co.uk/
... Share and Enjoy
10 QUICK REVIEWS
1. Select one moment that captures a way of doing, working or learning that you admire. Describe it or re-stage it for a FREEZE FRAME 'photo'.
2. Make NOTES - including at least one question - to explore at the next review session.
3. Record a TWEET (20 words or 140 characters max) ready for sending to (eg) your sponsor.
4. WALK'N'TALK with a partner on your way to the next location where you will be asked to issue a 'joint statement' about (eg) your learning.
5. (In small groups) prepare interview questions as if you are REPORTERS from a (specified) newspaper. Choose a spokesperson (or two) to answer questions from other groups.
6. (In small groups) write a HEADLINE and opening paragraph for a (specified) newspaper about the last activity. This can follow the interviews (see above) or can be a free-standing review activity.
7. Wander round these DISPLAYS from your previous reviews (with a partner) and find (two) points that connect with the activity just finished and add one new observation.
8. Find a PICTURE or OBJECT that represents a positive quality that you saw in the group (or in yourself). Place the picture/object in the centre of the circle. Explain it. Invite others to move in a little or a lot (or an in between amount) depending on how much they noticed the same quality in the group (or in themselves).
9. FISHBOWL: Half the group sit in an inner circle and use an alternating round (Fortunately ..., Unfortunately ... or: Predictably..., Surprisingly) to tell the story of the last activity or of a particular incident within it. Inner and outer circles swap. The new inner circle use a future-looking alternating round (Let's / Let's not or: I will / I won't)
10. AFTER ACTION REVIEW: - 1 What was supposed to happen? - 2 What actually happened? - 3 Why were there differences? - 4 What can we learn from this? (A review routine adopted by the US Army)
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