The Bonfire Collection: A Complete Reference Guide to Facilitation and Change

©2014 International Institute for Facilitation and Change. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval without permission in writing from the author(s). The individual articles compiled in this book are owned and copyrighted by their authors and reprinted in this book with their permission.

ISBN: 978-0-9892595-5-2

To my daughters

Samantha and Andrea

Greetings from Beatrice Briggs

Preparing the Bonfire Collection has been a labor of love. A work of love for the ideas, for the authors, and for the global community.

Re-reading and sorting the almost 150 articles reminded me of how much good thinking is available on subjects close to my heart: group facilitation, decision-making, leadership, consensus, participatory processes. The intention is to share these ideas and experiences in both English and Spanish in an orderly, easy to use format so that the information can continue to inspire and support others on the path of facilitating positive change in the world.

Many of the authors are personal friends and colleagues, but some were strangers whose work I admired. From Australia to Germany, Canada to Uruguay, all generously agreed to give IIFAC permission to re-print their material in the original online format and again for this new edition. They provided photos, updated biographies and were patient as other work delayed completion of the Bonfire Collection.

Around the globe our tribe is at work. We can be identified by our passion for Process Design (even if we do not always call it that). We are the how people, the ones who focus on how to:

Identify, discuss and decide the issues we care about.

Include those affected by decisions.

Encourage the participation of those who historically have been excluded from the conversation.

Make the best use of the group’s time.

Promote mutual understanding.

Make the process transparent.

Awaken collective intelligence.

Evaluate the effectiveness of the process.

In the hands of a competent facilitator, a well-designed process sets the stage and supports the group as it explores options, navigates conflict and reaches decisions. While good process can be almost invisible, we can all feel the difference between a helpful process and one that causes more problems than it solves. At its best, process is the secret ingredient for transforming reality, one meeting at a time.

Thanks to all of you for the wonderful work you do!

Beatrice Briggs             Tepoztlán, Mexico. March 2014

The Facilitator's Prayer

Author Samantha Bennett, May 2012

O, Source of All Light and Energy

Be with me now

And always.

Give me the faith to trust The Process.

Grant me the love to trust The Group.

Strengthen my backbone

So, like the willow,

I have the strength to bend

Without breaking.

Open my ears so I may hear what is

Being said.

Open my eyes so I may hear what is

Not being said.

Quicken my mind so that I may

Organize,

Synthesize and

Reframe.

Augment my vocabulary so that I may

Restate with

Clarity

Neutrality and

Grace.

Give me the faith to trust The Process.

Grant me the love to trust The Group.

Keep me safe from the Blowhards, the

Know-It-Alls, the Forked-Tongued Devils,

the Passive-Aggressives, the Aggressive-

Aggressives, the Pussy-Footers, the Flip-

Floppers, the Intellectualizers, the Bullies,

the Drama Queens, the Victims, the

Victimizers, the Martyrs, the Eye-Rollers, the

Pontificators, the We've-Never-Done-It-

Like-That-Before-Ers, the Bureaucrats, the

Elephants, the Mice, the Divas and the

Shoulder-Shrugging-I-Don't-Know-Ers.

Give me the faith to trust The Process.

Grant me the love to trust The Group.

Illumine me.

Strengthen my Scribing Hand.

Grant me great good humor.

And if it's not too much to ask, grant me:

• Plentiful wall space

• Natural light

• Table seating of 6-8 rounds

• Fresh coffee

• And markers that never run dry

Give me the faith to trust The Process.

Grant me the love to trust The Group.

And as we come together to

Talk

Inform

Analyze

Discuss

Decide or

Evaluate

Let us do so in the sight of your Infinite Playful

Energy and Joy.

Give me the faith to trust The Process.

Grant me the love to trust The Group.

And let us All

Make the

Best Decisions that

This Group can come to at

This Point In Time with the

Information We Have.

Let me always do the best I can.

Give me the faith to trust The Process.

Grant me the love to trust The Group.

Give me the faith to trust my Inner Wisdom.

Grant me the love to trust my self.

Give me the faith to trust The Process.

Grant me the love to trust The Group.

© 2014, Samantha Bennett. Reprinted with permission.

Table of Contents

Greetings from Beatrice Briggs

The Facilitator's Prayer

Facilitation

Introduction

The Facilitator's Smile

Core Competencies for Facilitation

Skills

Top Ten Facilitation Tips

Staying Neutral: It is Tough and Essential

Facilitation Skills - Listening

Good Facilitators Are Good Listeners

Restating

Lessons in Space-Time Manipulation for Facilitators

Facilitation and Adult Learning

Challenges

Facilitate a Conflict - Me?

Facilitating Multiple Languages

Multicultural Dialoguing Beyond Political-Correctness

The Joys and Perils of Co-Facilitation

Tense Moments in Facilitation

How to Deal with Difficult Behaviors

Regaining Confidence as a Facilitator

How Familiar with the Subject Does a Facilitator Need to Be?

Process Resistance

My Worst Facilitator's Nightmare Came True!

Tools

IIFAC's Facilitator Toolkit

What is in Your Facilitator Toolkit?

Why Rescue Remedy?

Sticky Walls

Our Favorite Markers

The Red Marker

Toys on the Table

Mind Maps® as a Facilitation Tool

Mind Maps®

Talking Stick

Balloon Volleyball

Labels

The YES! And... Game

Effective Meetings

Introduction

Meetings as Ritual

The Best Meetings

Eight Common Complaints About Meetings...

Fixing Meetings

The Opportunity Cost of Meetings

How We Reduced Meeting Time by 80%

Death by Meeting

Eating and Meeting

Why Content Needs Process

Agendas

Ten Tips for Successful Agendas

Common Causes of Agenda Derailment

The Rule of 1/6 for Agenda Planning

On-the-Spot Agenda Setting

Categorize and Prioritize Agenda Items

Allocating Time to Think

Constructing Open Agendas

Eliminate Minutes!

Abolish Miscellaneous Agenda Items!

Ground Rules

The What and Why of Ground Rules

Renounce Cynicism!

Using Fines to Enforce Ground Rules

No One Speaks Twice

Ask Learning Questions

Ground Rules for Conference Calls

Opening

The Importance of Recognition

Opening Meetings

Beginnings and Endings

Alternatives to Boring Introductions

During

Ten Basics of Managing Data

Two Principles for Improving Communication in Meetings

Proactive Participation

And I Repeat…

Checking Moods

Using Quaker Dialogue

Go Round

Pass the Watch

Decision making

Six Strategic Decision-Making Traps

Ten Steps to Better Decision-Making

When is a Decision Not a Decision?

Does Anyone Have a Proposal?

Who Owns the Issue?

Closing

Next Achievable Steps

The Discipline of Dynamic Follow-up

Follow-up Sessions

Meeting Evaluations: A Key to Group Learning

Eyes and Ears: A Fun Evaluation Tool

Roles

Demystifying Minute Taking

Role of the Scribe

Guardian of the Gong

Conflict

Working With Conflict, How Best To Do It?

What We Can Learn from Dominating Personalities

Recognizing Informal Power Structures

Heroes and Villains

Rank and Privilege in Public Participation

Betrayal, Revenge & Forgiveness: A Life Initiation

Consensus

Origins of the Consensus Process

Consensus or Alignment?

Does Silence Mean Consent?

Blocking

What to Do When a Person Blocks a Proposal for Personal Reasons?

What If We Cannot Agree?

Does Consensus Mean Tyranny of the Minority?

Consensus and Trust

Consensus Queries

To Congress: How Humans Naturally Make Decisions by Consensus

Deep Democracy and Consensus

Heart Connection and Consensus

Other Participatory Processes

Introduction

Ten Common Mistakes in Planning a Participatory Event

The Importance of Public Participation

The Limits to Participation

Planning Public Involvement

Can You Run a Public Meeting for Me?

How NOT to Hold a Public Meeting

It’s in the Details©

Upgrading the Way We Do Politics

Consultation - Confusion or Co-operation?

Techniques

Suggestions for Improving Opening Sessions

Make Keynote Speeches More Interactive

When and How to Use a Fishbowl

Creating a Common Vision Using Participants’ Words and Drawings

Inquiry (Question) Circles

Open Space Technology

World Café

Graphic Posters as a Tool for Group Facilitation

Graphic Window

Agenda Planning for a Half-Day Conference

Participatory Graduations

Organizing Volunteers in Forums and Conferences

Outcome Mapping: A Case Where Less Control Means More Success

Leadership

Toward Participatory Leadership

Boss and Facilitator?

Does Your Group Need External Facilitation?

Getting Feedback from your Staff

Overcoming Obstacles to Teamwork

Interviews and More

Bonfire Talks with Starhawk

Bonfire Talks to Vandana Shiva

The First Steps of the IIFAC Team in Uruguay

Why I'm in Venezuela Where Mob Rule is the Law

Gossip as a Group Dynamic

Time - Are You its Victim or Victimizer?

The Enemies of Learning

Procrastination is Genius in Disguise

Editors and Authors

Editors

Beatrice Briggs

Monica Krebs

Authors

Achim Ecker

Ana Rubio

Andrew Langford

Autumn Brown

Beatriz Padilla

Ben Fuchs

David Lillie

Dee Kelsey

Diana Leafe Christian

Gabriela Melano

Gary Rush

Gene Marshall

Gilbert Brenson-Lazan

Jason Diceman

Javier Pacheco

José Acevedo

Leticia Mendoza Abascal

Lisa Heft

Mauricio de Lille

Max Hardy

Myriam Laberge

Pam Plumb

Ron Milam

Samantha Bennett

Sandy Heierbacher

Stephanie Roy McCallum

Steve Davis

Tara M. Zagofsky

Tree Bressen

Vivien Twyford

Facilitation

Introduction

The Facilitator's Smile

Beatrice Briggs, January 2005

During the evaluation of a recent facilitation, one of the participants specifically appreciated the facilitator's smile. Since I was the facilitator in question, naturally I was pleased by this feedback. In addition, the comment helped me to reflect on the importance of the non-verbal signals that we, as facilitators, send to the groups we serve.

Most groups suffer, at least intermittently, from frustration, hopelessness and fear. The work seems overwhelming, the obstacles too many and the resources too few. People become distrustful, impatient, discouraged. While facilitators cannot solve these problems, we can project confidence in group's ability to succeed. A positive attitude from the person standing in the front of the room is a powerful contradiction to doubt and despair.

Psychologists Amy and Arnold Mindell discuss this phenomenon in terms of metaskills, meaning the facilitator's attitude, feelings and beliefs regarding the group. Metaskills are the way in which we apply the other skills and tools of our trade. Examples of metaskills include compassion, awareness, detachment (in the sense of not pushing a particular result), flexibility and staying calm and centered in the midst of chaos or tense situations.

Metaskills are personal gifts that can be discovered within oneself and developed through personal work, practice and observation of outer role models. They cannot be acquired in the same way that we learn techniques such as how to conduct a brainstorm or construct an agenda. Metaskills, however, deeply affect how we apply those other techniques. The best technique, used in a cynical, rigid or egotistical manner is likely to be ineffective and may even cause the group to turn against the facilitator. Without metaskills, all the post-it notes and colored markers in the world will not make one a good facilitator. On the other hand, a person who can both choose the appropriate technique AND apply it with love, care, courage, clarity and sensitivity can provide a real service to the group.

The ability to come from a place of deep respect and to see good in everyone comes from one's own personal work. It cannot be faked. We must commit ourselves to confronting our own prejudices and other destructive emotional habits so that we are not easily caught in the group members' unconscious reactions and downward spirals. This inner work allows us to smile genuinely, even in difficult times.

The role of the facilitator is very visible. Everything we think, believe, say and do has an impact on the group. In a certain way, the participants look to us for guidance and affirmation. While we cannot tell them what to decide, we can encourage them with our words and gestures. Next time you are standing beside the easel stand, welcome the group with a warm smile, not just at the beginning of the session but after every break and at the end. Be genuinely pleased to be with them. People may not notice what you are doing, but they will sense the difference and draw strength from it. Someone might even comment on your smile.

Core Competencies for Facilitation

Beatrice Briggs, June 2010

What exactly does a facilitator do? How can clients or human resources personnel assess the competency of a facilitator, whether internal or external? Perhaps most importantly, how can we evaluate our own professional strengths and weaknesses?

The International Association of Facilitators has defined the basic set of skills, knowledge, and behaviors that facilitators must have in order to facilitate successfully in a wide variety of environments. The IAF uses these criteria to assess candidates who seek certification from this respected association. As a recent (successful!) candidate for IAF certification, I am impressed by the breadth and depth of the competencies. They resonate with my experience of what it takes to provide useful service to the groups we work with. For these reasons, I have designed IIFAC's new training program in Professional Facilitation around these norms. I am interested in knowing your thoughts about this list, and how it relates to your experience.

The Competencies

A. Create Collaborative Client Relationships.

Develop working partnerships.

Clarify mutual commitment.

Develop consensus on tasks, deliverables, roles & responsibilities.

Demonstrate collaborative values and processes such as in co-facilitation.

Design and customize applications to meet client needs.

Analyze organizational environment.

Diagnose client need.

Create appropriate designs to achieve intended outcomes.

Predefine a quality product and outcomes with client.

Manage multi-session events effectively.

Contract with client for scope and deliverables.

Develop event plan.

Deliver event successfully.

Assess/evaluate client satisfaction at all stages of the event/project.

B. Plan Appropriate Group Processes.

Select clear methods and processes that

Foster open participation with respect for client culture, norms and participant diversity.

Engage the participation of those with varied learning thinking styles.

Achieve a high quality product/outcome that meets the client needs.

Prepare time and space to support group process.

Arrange physical space to support the purpose of the meeting.

Plan effective use of time.

Provide effective atmosphere and drama for sessions.

C. Create and Sustain a Participatory Environment.

Demonstrate effective participatory and interpersonal communication skills.

Apply a variety of participatory processes.

Demonstrate effective verbal communication skills.

Develop rapport with participants.

Practice active listening.

Demonstrate ability to observe and provide feedback to participants.

Honor and recognize diversity, ensuring inclusiveness.

Create opportunities for participants to benefit from the diversity of the group.

Cultivate cultural awareness and sensitivity.

Manage group conflict.

Help individuals identify and review underlying assumptions.

Recognize conflict and its role within group learning/maturity.

Provide a safe environment for conflict to surface.

Manage disruptive group behavior.

Support the group through resolution of conflict.

Evoke group creativity.

Draw out participants of all learning/thinking styles.

Encourage creative thinking.

Accept all ideas.

Use approaches that best fit needs and abilities of the group.

Stimulate and tap group energy.

D. Guide Group to Appropriate and Useful Outcomes.

Guide the group with clear methods and processes.

Establish clear context for the session.

Actively listen, question and summarize to elicit the sense of the group.

Recognize tangents and redirect to the task.

Manage small and large group process.

Facilitate group self-awareness about its task.

Vary the pace of activities according to needs of group.

Identify information the group needs, and draw out data and insight from the group.

Help the group synthesize patterns, trends, root causes, frameworks for action.

Assist the group in reflection on its experience.

Guide the group to consensus and desired outcomes.

Use a variety of approaches to achieve group consensus.

Use a variety of approaches to meet group objectives.

Adapt processes to changing situations and needs of the group.

Assess and communicate group progress.

Foster task completion

E. Build and Maintain Professional Knowledge.

Maintain a base of knowledge.

Build knowledge in management, organizational systems and development, group development, psychology, and conflict resolution.

Understand dynamics of change.

Understand learning/thinking theory.

Know a range of facilitation methods.

Understand problem solving and decision-making models.

Understand a variety of group methods and techniques.

Know consequences of misuse of group methods.

Distinguish process from task and content.

Learn new processes, methods, & models in support of client's changing/emerging needs.

Maintain professional standing.

Engage in ongoing study/learning related to our field.

Continuously gain awareness of new information in our profession.

Practice reflection and learning.

Build personal industry knowledge and networks.

Maintain certification.

F. Model Positive Professional Attitude.

Practice self-assessment and self-awareness.

Reflect on behavior and results.

Maintain congruence between actions and personal and professional values.

Modify personal behavior/style to reflect the needs of the group.

Cultivate understanding of one's own values and their potential impact on work with clients.

Act with integrity.

Demonstrate a belief in the group and its possibilities.

Approach situations with authenticity and a positive attitude.

Describe situations as facilitator sees them and inquire into different views.

Model professional boundaries and ethics (as described in ethics and values statement).

Trust group potential and model neutrality.

Honor the wisdom of the group.

Encourage trust in the capacity and experience of others.

Vigilant to minimize influence on group outcomes.

Maintain an objective, non-defensive, non-judgmental stance.

Facilitation

Skills

Top Ten Facilitation Tips

Ron Milam, March 2010

The following is a very precise summary of the ten most important things a facilitator should bear in mind when helping groups in decision-making processes:

Listen: Listen closely to everything that is said and watch people's body language as well.

Develop the Agenda: Before the meeting, create an agenda that has clear items that lead to actual decisions.

Serve Everyone: As a facilitator, you are there to serve the entire group, which means you do not take anyone's side.

Steward the Process: Your job is to ensure that the decision-making process moves forward - the group's job is to decide.

Conflict is Normal: Expect occasional conflict and work to build areas of agreement with the group.

Set Ground Rules: Going over some common ground rules at the start helps enforce bad behavior if it occurs.

Decide How to Decide: Every group needs to agree on what their decision-making method is before they start making decisions.

Pay Attention to Time: Remind the group how they are doing on time and/or appoint a timekeeper to help ensure things keep moving.

Use Your Toolbox: One example: Use a stack (which creates a list of who will speak next so people do not interrupt).

Practice: We learn facilitation by doing it. We get better at it by reflecting on how we did and constantly learning new ways to do it better.

© 2014, Ron Milam. Reprinted with permission.

Staying Neutral: It is Tough and Essential

Myriam Laberge, June 2010

Can you be effective as a facilitator if you are not neutral? I.e., if you have expertise in the content and/or have a stake in the outcomes generated by the group, can you still facilitate effectively? Your job as Facilitator is to focus on group and meeting process. As tempting as it may be, great facilitation requires that you avoid controlling or influencing the discussion and content.

Which Role Are You Playing?

Pure Presenter: You are a content/subject matter expert (process and outcome neutral). Your goal is to share your expertise and skill by presenting information or content. You have no responsibility for how the group functions or its work.

Instructional Facilitator: You deliver learning content in a facilitative manner (outcome neutral). You care about how the group learns and provide expertise on content, but have no stake in what the learners do with your content.

Pure Facilitator: You are a group process expert who does not contribute to meeting content and have no responsibility for implementation (content and outcome neutral). You are there to assist the group in conducting its work (process). A pure, neutral, external (to the group) facilitator is essential if everyone in the group must actively contribute their content as a full participant.

Facilitator/Expert: You give advice from your subject matter expertise (content); help the group do its work (process) and to make decisions (outcomes). You use your expertise to help the group discuss and come to its own decisions about the topic by: asking questions; offering suggestions, advice and options for consideration. You do not impose your opinions nor make decisions on behalf of the group (outcome neutral).

Group Leader/Member as Facilitator: You want to contribute to discussions (content), control the group discussions and how they arrive at their decisions (process), and you have a stake in the decisions themselves (outcome). In this tough role, the group will likely neither see you as neutral, nor potentially credible on process. You can still be an effective facilitator in this role if for that meeting: 1) you do not have to contribute to content as a group member, and 2) you do not have responsibility to directly implement the decisions made. Use your knowledge to ask good open-ended questions that will help the group find its way to their own answers, without leading them to a set answer. If for any reason you feel compelled to contribute to content, then your facilitation effectiveness is compromised. Transparently step out of your neutral facilitation role and hand it to another group member as you revert to the role of group leader or member.

© 2014, Myriam Laberge. Reprinted with permission.

Facilitation Skills - Listening

Ron Milam, April 2010

Good listening skills are essential to anyone who wants to facilitate a meeting successfully.

As a facilitator, you need to listen closely to what everyone has to say. Since you are there to serve the entire group, you must actively listen so you can better understand where everyone is coming from, so you can help them accomplish whatever they want to accomplish as a group. Part of the trust you build with the group you facilitate depends on them believing that you hear them. Not only that, your active listening will help ensure that other people within the group listen to each other, and actually hear what they have to say. When participants in a group listen to each other, they are more likely to understand each other, and that helps make it easier for the group to come to sustainable agreements.

Here are three quick and easy ways to listen:

Mirroring: When someone says something (that is not too long), you repeat the words back verbatim to the person who said it. I often use this tactic when I am facilitating a brainstorming session with a group.

Summarizing: People often take a minute or two to make their point to the larger group. If I am facilitating a discussion, I will often quickly summarize what someone says to make sure I heard it right. The point also is reiterated to the group. If my summary is slightly off, the person will correct me and then I will summarize it again.

Clarifying: Sometimes a participant will make a point that is not too clear, or is very general. Before calling on the next person, I will often ask a clarifying question to understand better where they are coming from. This helps them hear that their point is correctly understood, and it helps other people in the group.

I recently used all three of these techniques for a community meeting I facilitated. I encourage you to try them as you facilitate future meetings and see how they work.

© 2014, Ron Milam. Reprinted with permission.

Good Facilitators Are Good Listeners

Myriam Laberge, October 2010

Cultivating your capacity to listen actively will serve you well at work, and in every other aspect of your life. Here are nine ways to enhance your listening skills when facilitating:

Listen as if you mean it, with genuine interest and curiosity.

Attend with all your senses, to the speaker's eyes, body language, and tone of voice.

Be alert for what is not being said, beyond the words.

Move a bit towards the speaker to establish closer connection and rapport.

Write down exact words, and check out what you have written to ensure the speaker feels heard.

Suspend your assumptions and interpretations. Paraphrase what you believe is being said, and validate.

Scan the whole room to sense how others are reacting and responding to what is being said.

As culturally appropriate, use eye contact to acknowledge people, and to encourage quiet folks to take part.

Assist those with differing ability to articulate by rephrasing and elaborating, e.g., I believe what you are saying is…

© 2014, Myriam Laberge. Reprinted with permission.

Restating

Autumn Brown, May 2010

Restating is one of the most important skills you can cultivate as a facilitator. Because the restating technique is deeply personal and particular to each facilitator, it can be difficult to practice and to plan. Here are some helpful ideas for how you can restate effectively when facilitating.

Why Restate?

Restating serves several purposes in a meeting. By restating, you affirm that you have heard what has been said, and you take the opportunity to check in with participants about whether you and others truly understand the content of what was said. Restating the content of the conversation periodically can go a long way towards preventing the repetition and interruption that arises when participants feel unheard or confused about the direction of the conversation.

Restating also offers you and the group the opportunity to regularly assess next steps and, when appropriate, offer paths of inquiry that address the concerns that are emerging in the conversation.

And one of the most important functions of Restating is that it gives the group a break from discussing. Although it is only momentary, when the Facilitator restates what has been said, she is asking the group to stop thinking and talking, and to listen for accuracy, and to hold her accountable for the correct tracking of the discussion.

When you are Restating, you are trying to accomplish three basic tasks:

Identify the underlying concern or conflict in what is said;

Assure the person whose statements you are restating that you have heard what s/he has said, not that you agree; and

Simplify the content and ask if it is accurate. This helps both the speaker and the group digest what was said.

When Restating, I find it helpful to use this simple framework: What I hear you saying is... [insert the simplified content highlighting the underlying concern], is that right? By simply asking if you got it right, you are offering the opportunity for the group or speaker to further clarify the key points of the discussion, which is always helpful.

Here is a useful example. Say a participant in your meeting says something along the lines of I hate these meetings. People speak just to hear themselves talk. We never get anything done, and I do not have time to sit around just talking about stuff. We have real problems that need solving.

What is happening here? The participant speaker is feeling frustrated and impatient, but is also feeling a deep sense of passion and responsibility towards the essential work of the group. The facilitator can recognize the frustration and impatience as a consequence of the passion and responsibility having no outlet in the stalled process. The facilitator might then say, "What I hear you saying is that you are passionate about