The power of facilitation

I had a rather unusual experience today. At an intermediate salsa class, I was partnered with a young man, who was clearly putting a lot of energy into his dance but not that much skill. By the time he twirled me in the wrong direction for the fourth time (almost dislocating my shoulder in the process), each time looking slightly accusingly at me, I was getting quite frustrated.

We stopped to catch our breath and looking down at the floor he said, “I wish I could dance more smoothly” in a crestfallen voice.

Now, given the mood I was in, my normal approach would have been to say something consoling in a fake supportive tone or to give him a somewhat patronizing advice (eg listen to the music; be more firm with your lead etc). Instead I found myself asking him “what do you think you would need to dance more smoothly?”. And I saw him stop and think and slowly he said “perhaps we could try it with slower music…and maybe we could do this one step multiple times till I get it right”. And he did! And I found myself marveling at the power of a facilitative approach all over again.

Over the past few years, I’ve learnt through painful experience, the importance of using a facilitative style whenever facilitating a workshop.  Trusting that participants have the answers they need and the ability to apply the concepts they learn to their live; and that what they need is a supportive environment to think through those solutions, without judgement.  One of the most important benefits of inviting people to think for themselves is not having to listen to the old favourite “well that is ok in a workshop but in the real world…..”.

So facilitation in workshops is great. What I am beginning to slowly learn is the power of using a facilitative approach in life, in general. In addition to all the benefits I’ve experienced of using it in a workshop, I’ve found that using a facilitative style in the real world brings in a certain degree of detachment towards the issue. In asking questions (provided of course that the tone is neutral), you automatically take on the role of an observer and shift the onus of finding a solution into a common space. Like in the case of my dance partner - where I experienced my irritation melt away at his earnest answer.

So the next time my less than perfect neighbor parks his car in front of my gate, I’m going to calmly explain the impact it has on me and ask him “so what do you think we could do to solve this problem?”. Facilitation zindabad!  


Contributed by Sunitha Krishnamurthi. Sunitha is the chief of the mad hatters of Navgati – she wears the maximum number of hats that you can imagine. She is the CEO, brand manager, strategist, content designer, coach and trainer – and is the master of all!  Ever ready to support and always spirited – she is the glue that holds Navgati together.  You have to interact with Sunitha for less than a minute to be touched by her warmth and genuineness. It is this powerful combination of intelligence and warmth that makes all her endeavours superbly successful. 

Sunitha is a PGDM from IIM Bangalore (1995) and has a Bachelors degree in Science from St. Josephs College, Bangalore. She has over 16 years of experience, mainly in the brand and marketing space.