Human Intelligence, Connection and Creativity in times of overwhelming AI
As a facilitator I am always reflecting on my work and what I do and how I can improve. I have realised facilitation is an often downplayed area of expertise and because we often come from different disciplines it is not always a highly recognised area of work - yet it is a superpower and increasingly rare skill. I am also wondering could AI become facilitators as good or better than humans - could you imagine being facilitated by a robot whether online or in person?
For those of us who grew up and started working in this field before technology became such a big part of everything we do, we still carry creative basic practices with us and we have seen the magic they can do. Many of these practices have indigenous roots and have been the way humankind have learnt to engage. There is also inner wisdom and deep intuition which are qualities developed over years of experience and honed through ongoing practicing and learning. We always used to share in one of our facilitation courses that "you are your own best tool".
The simple practice of bringing people together in a circle can be incredibly powerful as they sit together without a barrier of table or laptop - the healing and equalising force of the circle allowing a strong sense of togetherness that fires up an ancient need for belonging and connection. And we see and feel each other more powerfully when everyone can see each other. When we encourage a round where everyone speaks and we offer a non-threatening prompt to get everyone invited in - it really opens the space for all voices to be heard. Sometimes the circle can be intimidating especially when people are afraid to speak or where power dynamics are at play - here we may need to have several rounds of small group conversations so people may warm up their voices in safer intimate groups - if you couple this with self selection - people can choose who they feel comfortable with. Later you can mix groups up and encourage more diversity in engagement - this allows for more perspectives to emerge and for the diversity in a system to connect.
Group set up and use of space - Sometimes group size may not allow one large circle and you may need t or 3 circles or round tables, different configurations can also bring interesting engagement so sometimes these have to be combined. It is also good to allow for use of other break away spaces and outside spaces to bring energy to a group - sitting, standing, walking are various ways to engage and bring life to group process.
The facilitator role is of guide, observer, listener and intervener at the right moment - bringing the right question, tool, method or activity - balancing a fine line between structure and emergence - knowing when to stick to the plan and knowing when to do something else. The facilitator should not bring too much too soon as it shuts down the groups' voice if you fill the space with your own voice too much. Also let people speak early in the process - create the opportunity otherwise the moment could pass.
Allow dissent to emerge when it needs to and do not shut it down - let all voices come through it often can allow people to relax into the space knowing they can open up. If something between two people becomes too personal it may need to be taking outside of the process and dealt with separately - often giving this option allows people to feel heard and acknowledged knowing they will have space. Its a delicate dance of knowing what can be spoken openly and what may need other spaces.
When we use methodologies that help people connect more deeply with their own thoughts (like reflection and journalling - actual writing with a pen in a book) we allow them to think through their own thoughts and questions.
When we get people to sit opposite each other and face each other without distractions and share their thoughts and feelings (usually we give them a useful prompting question or topic) - we also couple this with an Active Listening Exercise which helps them to listen deeply in a structured manner. This is one of the most simple yet transformative exercises and often people feel deeply connected and heard for the first time - many people comment how sharing was extremely healing - getting a lot off their chest. Many also realise they are not very good listeners and it is a skill one needs to work on.
Asking good questions as a facilitator is key - and getting them to surface their questions and the feelings and experience that gave rise to those questions is a good way to find out what are the key issues in a group and what people are sitting with. Usually we also do this in pairs where people listen and help each other go deeper and get behind their questions. When we put these questions up around the room we are able to "reveal the system to itself" and people get a sense of what others are sitting with and what may be the key themes and challenges in the organisation or team.
Giving and receiving feedback is another good skill often lacking in groups - people often do not know how to do this constructively and without harming each other. Getting people to practice this will change how they speak to each other. Many people feel it is useful to have a good framework for feedback as it helps to transform relationships.
The art of conversation has been lost as people resort to whatsapp, email and social media to engage - often in cold ways and not thinking things through. Many years ago I wrote an article called - Jazzing up the ancient art of conversation - where I outlined some thoughts and practices for encouraging good conversation in groups. It might be good to go back to these basic principles to once more unlock our ways of being together. In many ways conversation is becoming a lost art as people have more electronic and online communication which often dehumanisers relationships.
Another useful approach is about reflective practice (which is the most natural way we learn - we do something - action, we think about how it went - reflection, we learn from it or sometimes we don't - learning and we then move to what next and doing differently or sometimes repeating it until we learn to do better - planning. With each parts of the Active learning cycle there are questions we can use to either learn individually or reflect as a group (see link below under tools) - we often use this framework to deepen any process or meeting or engagement. This framework can also be used to transform meetings and report writing.
Allow for anonymous input - whether you do these in a suggestion box or people write on cards and the facilitator collects and puts it up - always try to make space for people to share in this way as sometimes they may have fears or are not comfortable revealing themselves to the group. We sometimes also use something called a "Silent conversation" Where we have key themes put around the room and encourage people to write on sticky notes and put it up around the room under the relevant theme.
Making things visual and creative - whether you use white board creative capturing, flipcharts to capture metaphors or body sculptures, role-plays and dramas, poetry, dancing and movement, clay work and drawing, painting, natural objects - it always blows my mind what people are able to create or reveal in this way - often the more difficult below the surface issues emerge in this way more powerfully. There are wonderful toolkits that share excellent approaches if you need some ideas. Barefoot Guides have outlined wonderful approaches which can be used to enliven your organisational processes. Here is one that focusses only on the topic of design and facilitation - Barefoot Guide 2 - The Barefoot Guide Connection - "Designing and Facilitating Creative Conversations & Learning Activities"
Simple practices of being in a circle, deep listening and sharing, giving and receiving feedback in constructive ways, conversing more and giving each other space to talk (like a good jazz band jamming), being creative and using other modalities are all ways we tap into human intelligence and allow for deeper connection. You may find people are enjoying themselves so much they forget to reach for their phone or laptops.
Tools and Exercises - The Barefoot Guide Connection (see here for Active Listening Exercise; Asking better questions; Giving and receiving feedback, Active Learning Cycle)
Jazzing up the ancient art of conversation - Our Writings - TAMARIND TREE ASSOCIATES
Barefoot Guide 2 - Learning Organisation - The Barefoot Guide Connection
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