My story - Who is facilitator?

In this post I will share part of my story why I came about to what I do. It all started back in 2017, when I’ve traveled to personal development conference in San Diego. It was an event with 400+ people, and at the end of 3 days (well, even after first hour of Day 1!) something felt different - connections and the feeling of belonging and I haven’t met in that many places before.
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I came back the next year, even joined mastermind group, was often signing up to leadership team to volunteer. All our events were using the same method at the core and we had introduction to it - however I still didn’t see, how will I apply it.
Until 2020 - when it CLICKED. I got to know that I can learn this “facilitation thing” online, and then 3 full-day online training just FLEW - wow, It felt like I’ve just traveled back and been at in-person event. That’s when all puzzles came together, and all the meetings I ran in past being in IT ran in my mind - oh wow, this is where, this is how it would be possible to do! The thought of allowing people to feel what I felt, to bring the humanity in the “purely work” interactions.. If only all events felt at least part of if, how different the would the world be? This is what drew me to sign up for full certification.
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Now analyzing back I can tell one of the things that made a difference for me being at that conference.
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The problem with traditional networking - it fits only for certain types of people. Outgoing and extraverted, who feel at ease talking with strangers. It either comes naturally, or they learned this skill as the “right way of networking”. Other type can just avoid such activities or stay in safe space.
Even if there’s no issue with approaching new people, here comes another thing - people tend to group with those, who in one or other way similar to them.
It is not good or bad, but this way our view is limited - always being in familiar circle, and missing opportunities to hear another perspective and meet someone awesome, whom you’d normally wouldn’t cross paths with. Remember those moments when you’re happy you met someone, who you didn’t expect you’d be friends with?✨

And here where it comes to facilitator’s job: ⠀

✅To create a safe space to involve everyone 👨‍🍳👩‍🌾👩🏽‍🎨, not only most active and outgoing⠀

✅To engineer the right environment🌱 to direct group energy to what’s they’re trying to achieve -  from chair, table and food in live room to zoom settings and sound volume and many more things when online, every single detail matters.⠀

✅To design right questions  which will guide participants to be their best selves✨

There’re quite a few definitions of who facilitator is, today I have shared just one example through prism of the conference. In future posts I will share more applications and insights about who facilitator is, meanwhile - let me know, did you experience great facilitation and how did it feel for you? ✨

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