How to be the worst facilitator in the world

We are all fascinated by success. It takes hard work and dedication to achieve the highest level in your field. It takes years of practice and honing your skill. It’s something to revere.

But… what fascinates me even more is when people get it completely wrong. The people who are the worst at things – now that’s really interesting. I read a book recently called “The Ultimate Book of Heroic Failures” by Stephen Pile. It had me laughing out loud and made me think what it would take to be the worst in my particular field. There could be something to learn from that.

So, this is the first instalment of being the worst facilitator in the world.  To avoid confusion, I will put it in a different font…

As the worst facilitator, remember that it is ALL ABOUT YOU!  You are there to show how clever you can be, how funny, how much of an expert you are.  The group should ADORE you, REVERE you and be in AWE.  

OK, that’s obviously not true. I had to prepare to facilitate a session on Change Agility for a team recently and was quite stressed about the content and how to run it in the best way. I shared my concerns with a friend and colleague and she reminded me that I’m there in service to the group.  It’s not about me! My focus should be on what the group needs. My role was to ensure that they get the best out of the experience. This really took the pressure off.  The course, by the way, was a great success.  All it took was a change in focus.