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Master
Facilitator Journal | Issue #0364, Oct 14, 2008 |
Dear Friends, |
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This week’s article is based on the five day Journey of Collaboration workshop that was held in Madison, WI in June 2008.
 Yesterday we had a insightful teleclass to introduce the Jan 2009 Journey Of Collaboration’workshop with Darin J. Harris and Harry Webne-Behrman. Darin and Harry shared their insights on ‘Integral Facilitation’, stages of group development, introduction to archetypes and the course organization. Click here to hear the fr*ee audio transcript.
Last week we conducted the expert series interview
‘Staying Healthy in Sick Organizations’ with Kathleen Paris, Ph.D. Kathleen asserts that a large percentage of modern workplaces are unhealthy places. In spite of this, she says, people can find peace of mind and reduced stress following The Clover Practice™. Click here to purchase the recording and the notes.
We still have room in our upcoming Women's Weekend Retreat, Journey to Resilience, Creating Enlightened Leaders at the Blue Mountain Retreat Center, Oct 31, Nov 1 & 2.
Click here to listen to the fr*ee audio of last week's introductory session, and to register for the retreat.
We hope our work continues to bring inspiration to your world. Thank you for being a part of our growing community. Please continue to send the wonderful feedback.
Blessings
Neerja
Site Manager, FacilitatorU.com
The Point |
The Integral Approach to Group Facilitation
How to be a well rounded facilitator
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Intervention Skill |
Both our facilitators Darin and Harry created a safe space to realize unforgettable wisdom through exploration, learning, practice and more exploration. The biggest take away for most of us was on how to be a well rounded facilitator. It was a journey about tying it all together from the perspective of the self, group, plan and process. From intending to preparing; planning to implementing; creating to facilitating; allowing to intervening; synchronizing to being and last and not least deepening to presence, all weaved together as pearls of wisdom in 5 rich days.
The well thought out design created great learning moments with invigorating activities with a perfect flow from one topic to the next. The experience was a great learning model with a life of its own.
The biggest takeaway was looking at each aspect of facilitation through the four quadrants of the integral approach. The intentionality for each quadrant whether we are preparing, designing, creating, presenting, giving feedback, following up or facilitating brought the missing pieces to create an outstanding practice of becoming a facilitative leader.
Following is a miniature version of the Integral approach with four quadrants from my perspective: Each quadrant is like the glue that holds the group together…
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Upper Left
SELF-AWARENESS
Grounded Approach
Preparing the Self through Presence, Personal Responsibility, Purpose and Intention:
As a facilitator the more presence we bring to the
group the more aware we
are of underlying group dynamics, currents, themes, gestures, etc.
A good place to start is why
are we here? How do we
want to show up? |
Upper Right
TASK PLAN
Consultative Approach
Creating the ideal tools, activities, content and space for the group:
What are the goal(s) and expectations for this effort?
What tools will we use to accomplish the goals?
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Lower Left
GROUP / ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE
Collaborative Approach
What is the existing culture
of the group?
How can we model and live
the practice to create an
ideal culture through listening, engaging, being curious, understanding and
empathizing.
How do we want to work together? |
Lower Right
GROUP / ORGANIZATIONAL OUTCOME
Facilitative Approach
Facilitating the ideal processes to create the outcome we are looking for.
How will we gain full participation?
How will we intervene and facilitate conflict?
How do we get there?
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Application |
The real transformation for me is still unfolding as the integral perspective is seeping through every aspect of my life. As an individual I have been mostly in the upper left (Self-Awareness) quadrant jumping into the other quadrants when need be, returning to the comfort zone of the self. My primary strength has been self-awareness and the lens I saw my world through has been the upper left quadrant. Very aware of my inner state of being and the group’s state of being gave me enough information to follow my instincts. So far I had been relying on my instincts and at times found it difficult to explain my instinctive actions. When asked, my answer would be ‘…because it felt right.’
The integral perspective has opened doors to the other three quadrants and as I am beginning to understand, combine and use all four perspectives, the results are becoming powerful. For example, while conducting a workshop, I used the integral approach to facilitate a dialogue. We were coming up with possible solutions for the group and instead of focusing on preparing the self through personal responsibility and attitude, I was prepared to navigate the dialogue to the specifics of minute details on plans and processes from breaking through the rigid ways of being to creating newness… and the results were wonderful. I am recognizing and realizing when intuition is backed with a clear plan, intention and understanding, it leaves no place for doubt. Chance meets preparedness!.
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Action |
Whether you are planning your day, being with your family or facilitating large groups, one thing is for sure that there is always a sense of self, connection, plan and a desire for an outcome. The integral approach can be brought to any part of your life to create an amazing kaleidoscope, tying all aspects of your extended self. The whole is far greater than the sum of its parts… By consciously working through each quadrant, we begin to see the greatness of the whole in action. The view through the window of the integral approach leaves no gaps…
Try for yourself, for an upcoming meeting set an agenda with the four perspectives in mind and after planning stay conscious of each aspect. The conscious attention on the self, task/plan, culture and outcome will take your meetings to a new level…
Please send us your questions and comments.
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