I may have mentioned it before, but at the beginning of the year I went on wonderful facilitation training which led to some positive work-related changes plus a long list of ideas and possible actions for me to try. Some I haven’t got round to (yet) while others I have been actively working on. Here are some of my thoughts on the latter.
(Side note: the format is the format we were asked to use when making our list – and I quite like it.)
I will use question agendas and review these before and during the session so that there is buy-in and we’re talking about what the group feels we need to talk about
I have been using questions agendas quite actively and have found one additional benefit is that they help formalise my own thinking around outcomes and flows for the sessions, particularly workshops.
One thing I have learned is – when running through the agenda – particularly for longer workshops – don’t just read down the list. Try and tie the parts together (like a story) so that the room gets a sense of the journey we’re taking. Also keep an eye out for nodding heads (a good sign).
So far…
- I’ve had one session where the team members actually kept each other on track with each step by referring back to where we were in the agenda (I tend to pair the agenda with a task board to show when we’re busy with a topic or done).
- In another session, the group went off on a technical tangent, and then brought themselves back to review whether they were actually answering the questions they were meant to.
- In a third session, the group actually added an item to the agenda (admittedly, the item was “we find out what the cake tastes like” 😉 )
I will spend more time thinking about WIIFM so that I can try create excitement for a session
(WIIFM = What’s In It For Me)
I could probably focus a little more on this one, particularly using the information to help make sessions more exciting. Since the training, I’ve tried to be more explicit about ensuring I understand all aspects of a meeting (Purpose, Outcomes & Deliverables, WIIFM, and Roles and Responsibilities), particularly when the session is for someone else. We do tend to spend more time on the Purpose and Outcomes & Deliverables. I could probably still do more here…
I will assume yes and ask the follow-up questions so that the team is involved in the conversation and it’s not all about me
I’ve found this technique so useful that I wrote a blog post about it.
I will be more aware of where I am standing so that I leverage physical location as a chicken
I’ve tried this with mixed feelings about its success with my one team during stand-up (the idea being that if you don’t have work on the board, you stand OUTSIDE the inner circle). It’s been more interesting on the other team because soon after I joined they started doing distributed/remote stand-ups, so physical location is not something one can really experiment with. It certainly is very powerful, and I’m currently part of a coaching program where I’m trying to increase my awareness of how I use my body to communicate, particularly when stressed, so perhaps there’s still something to be explored with this one.
In total, I had about twelve ideas on my list that I wanted to try. As you can see, I’ve only really worked with a couple so far. Probably time to try one or two more and see what I learn 🙂
What have you tried recently to try improve how you facilitate sessions or interact with your teams? How did it go?
Reflections of a Scrum Master 