If you happen to be a member of any kind of group that meets
regularly, IÆm calling you to play your part in saving the
world from millions of wasted hours in boring, poorly
facilitated meetings!
Premise
Any participant in any group, at anytime, can commit a Random
Act of Facilitation to clarify, focus, and increase the
consciousness of any group. Many individuals, working
independently will collectively create a healthier, sustainable
future if they are willing to engage in the regular practice of
Random Acts of Facilitation.
Please. Not another boring meeting!
Lets face it, the vast majority of meetings being held this
moment, and those thousands more that will be held in the next
hour, and every hour thereafter, ad infinitum, will be boring as
hell, and a poor use of time. Why? Because they aren't being
effectively facilitated. Your average participant doesn't figure
they need a facilitator to help run a routine meeting. Right?
After all, we've all been to hundreds of meetings. It's no big
thing to hold a stupid meeting. Is it?
No you're absolutely right. It's easy to hold a "Stupid" meeting.
Unfortunately, that's the way most of them turn out. And it's
because few of us see the importance of "meeting process." This
is America by God! This is the land of opportunity, of
production. We're the land of independence. The land with the
"can do" attitude. We know how to get things done here!
That's absolutely correct. We are great at getting things done.
We are masters at producing. Where we now need a little help is
on "how" we get things done. On our people processes.
Join the Random Acts of Facilitation Movement.
Each and everyone one of us who have sat through boring, non-
productive, out of focus, "I'm wasting my time here" meetings
can stop complaining and start doing something now!
I am calling on each and every one of you, no matter how low on
the totem pole you might reside, to begin a personal campaign
I'm calling, "Random acts of Facilitation." As a devotee of
this movement, you are directed to begin asking questions about
the meetings you're in. Questions that will invigorate and
empower you and your peers. Here is your assignment, and I
urge you to accept it:
- You will begin to see to it that a clear agenda is presented at
the meeting. If it isn't, request that one be developed either in
the moment or that the meeting disband and reconvene at a later
time until one is prepared.
- If a meeting is begun among strangers without any introductions
or simple acts of relating, you will speak out and suggest
spending five minutes to go around the room and have people share
something about themselves. After all, do you want to do business
with total strangers when you don't have to?
- If someone is hogging the airtime, you will speak up and thank
them for their great input and suggest that others be heard from
too.
- Long before you've been meeting for 3 hours straight without a
break, with your eyeballs floating, you'll request a short recess
to accommodate personal needs and to just stretch and rejuvenate
yourselves.
- When the energy is so heavy in the room you feel like you're
smothering, you will say something funny to make people laugh.
The fog will lift and things will start moving again. You will
risk being the "fool." People will thank you later.
- When someone suggests a valid action during the meeting without
assigning a responsible party and completion date, you will jump
in and suggest that it be assigned, without feeling obligated to
take it on yourself.
- Trust your intuition. When something feels "off," say so. You
don't have to have all the answers. Just know that your intuition
never lies and if you feel something, others may as well. Your
courage will inspire others to speak. The collective unspoken,
given voice, will bring previously undiscovered wisdom, knowledge,
and energy into the room. Great things will happen. Can you handle
that?
That's it. You've got your marching orders. You can do this! I have
faith in you. Now go forth and boldly go where no lowly meeting
participant has gone before. Into the mysterious and powerful
universe of group synergy, where there's a surprise around every
corner. Where magic happens! Bless you my fellow changemeisters.
740 Words
About the Author
Steve Davis, M.A., M.S., is an Facilitator's Coach, Infoprenuer,
and free-lance human, helping facilitators, organizational
leaders, educators, trainers, coaches and consultants present
themselves confidently, access their creativity, empower their
under-performing groups, enhance their facilitation skills, and
build their business online and offline. Subscribe to his free
weekly ezine at www.MasterFacilitatorJournal.com. Contact him at
mailto:steve@....
Copyright 2003. FacilitatorU.com. All rights reserved.